My Very First Encounter with Sis. Mary Eyre was at a Bible Crusade that was launched in the summer of 1956. She, along with her husband Dr. Alan Eyre, had recently been in the island for the first time and was part of the Preaching Team.
The crusade lasted for two weeks and every night after the meetings Mary would speak to people in the audience on an individual basis. She inquired what we thought of the lectures and invited us to come again. Depending on the level of interest, she also offered to visit us at our homes to give us individual instructions. She was so charming and friendly and polite that it was hard for anyone to refuse such an offer.
Immediately after the crusade, Mary started her instruction classes. I was living in Jones Town at that time, and Mary came into that area every Wednesday to teach me the truth about God’s word. She had no car and had to use public transportation down to Torrington Bridge and then walked a good way to my house. At the end of roughly four months, I was interviewed by Bro. Alan and Bro. Rudolf Insonally and was baptized January 1, 1957.
Mary and I became very close and more so as we were bearing children at the same time. However, she stopped at four while I went on to ten.
I remember Mary as a faithful and devoted servant of God. She was the first secretary of the Welfare Committee of the Christadelphian Bible Mission of Jamaica (CBMJ) and held that post for nearly 40 years. She was deeply involved in every aspect of ecclesial activities.
She was a dynamic Sunday school teacher, a youth circle leader, as well as being a teacher and organizer of adult classes. At the sister’s classes, in addition to scriptural lessons, she taught us to do knitting with wool and other handcrafts. She was also very active in the weekly Bible study classes. She was also a pianist and the typist. Her knowledge and creativity emerged like a shining light.
Speaking of her as a typist – I remember in the early days, the preparing of the ecclesial magazine, known as the Caribbean Pioneer, was the total responsibility of Mary. She had to type up all the articles that were sent in and she did this on a manual typewriter as there were no computers around in these days. She had to collate the pages and then stapled them together in order to produce the finished product. Everything had to be done by hand and that was on a monthly basis.
This multitalented sister was a source of inspiration and motivation to us, the sisters especially. She was a role model for us. We learnt so much from her, and not just verbally and physically by her hands but by just patterning and imitating her attitudes and conduct and zeal towards the things of God that mattered so much to her.
Most of us Jamaican sisters are a bit fussy about the way we dress. Not so with Mary. She dressed simply and modestly. Even in her speech she was soft-spoken, but polite and gracious words came from her lips. Even if she had to reprove or to rebuke for something that went wrong, she never frowned, she never shouted, she did it with such grace and politeness that no spark of offence dared to enter into your mind.
I remember Mary as a lover of people and especially children and young people. Apart from dealing with us at the ecclesial level, she invited us to her home, individually and in groups, and the youngsters would sometime spend long periods with her and her family, especially in the holidays.
Mary’s hospitality knew no bounds. She actually mothered and schooled youngsters who were not hers biologically. No wonder she is so lovingly called ‘Mom’ by most of the young people. Even now that they have become adults, they still refer to her as ‘Mom.’
After over 40 years of assiduously hard work, unflinching devotion and loyal dedication in the service of her Lord and Master, she began to experience the ‘winter’ of her days. Her health began to fail, her body began to grow weary with the illness; she could no longer cope with the usual hard work, but she did what she could. She wrote articles for the Caribbean Pioneer while she was on her sick bed and dictated the recent ones to her husband as her mind was still sharp: “I understand, but I can’t write.”
As her end drew near, I am sure that she was comforted with the thought of the coming Glory when forever troubles cease, for she knew the blessed story, that there shall be endless peace.
May she rest in that peace in God’s glorious Kingdom
When Christ returns to select his own.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One