Jamaican pastor still very
active since retirement
By Nelson A. King
Once would think that when
the veteran, Jamaican-born,
United Methodist Church Pastor
the Rev. Patrick Perrin retired
last June that he would hang
up his preaching garments and
voice. Not at all!
Rev. Perrin — whose last
assignment was pastor of St.
John’s United Methodist Church
of Elmont, Long Is., where he
served from 2008 until retirement
— has not slowed down
much.
Since his official retirement
on June 30, Rev. Perrin, 72, who
had served as pastor at several
United Methodist Churches in
Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life
in an exclusive interview that
he’s been engaged in numerous
church and church-related
activities.
“I try to keep myself active,”
he said, disclosing that he delivered
NYC Health+ Hospitals / Kings County Heart Health Center
Caribbean L 28 ife, Feb. 28-Mar. 5, 2020
the sermon, “It’s About
Time” at the Jamaica 57th Independence
Service, at Bethany
Baptist Church in Brooklyn, on
Aug. 4, 2019.
Rev. Perrin said he has been
invited to preach in churches
in Mt. Vernon, Brooklyn, the
Bronx and Queens, and served
as guest organist on three
occasions at churches in Long
Island, Queens and the Bronx.
He said he preached in an
Episcopal church in Brooklyn
at its Men’s Day celebration,
and worshipped at churches in
Houston, Tx, where one of his
sons resides with his wife and
two daughters.
Rev. Perrin said he traveled
to his home church in Spanish
Town, Jamaica for the dedication
of a new Johannus 270
Organ, which was bought after
he led a fundraising effort in
the US, raising over US$14,000.
He was one of the guest musicians
at the dedication concert
on Aug. 18.
Since retirement, Rev. Perrin
said he also participated in
the Annual Meeting of the Caribbean
Ministers and Spouses
Fellowship, which included a
visit to Nassau, Bahamas for
worship and fellowship from
July 19-22.
He said he continues to
chair the Caribbean Mission
Partnership (CMP) of the New
York Annual Conference of the
United Methodist Church. The
CMP offers support to mission
projects in the Caribbean, providing
work teams and financial
support for projects.
In addition, Rev. Perris said
he chairs the Board of Directors
of the Choose Life International
USA (CLI - USA), a suicide
prevention ministry founded in
Jamaica by Dr. Donovan Thomas
and his wife, Faith, “which
has been doing significant
intervention work in parts of
the Caribbean and Latin America,
and is celebrating the first
year of its USA inauguration.”
Rev. Perrin said he has been
invited by Bishop Bickerton,
bishop of the New York Area, to
be the interim pastor at Janes
United Methodist Church in
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn,
beginning July 1 this year, on
the retirement of the Rev. Robert
O Simpson, who has served
Janes for the past 47 years.
But though he’s retired, Rev.
Perrin shared that “there are
some well-known stressors in
life and, along with death and
divorce and relocation, retirement
scores very highly among
them.”
The United Methodist Elder
said there is a mandatory age
of 72 “at which we all have to
retire.
“We may offer afterwards to
be appointed to a church at the
pleasure of the bishop,” he said.
Rev. Perris — who completed
47 years in appointive ministry,
50 years since he began seminary
1969 — said he chose to
retire ahead of the mandatory
age for several reasons.
He said his wife, Pansy, a
former supervisor with the city’s
Human Resources Administration,
retired four years ago, “and
I have been aware for a number
of years that she has given up
so much of her life and what
started out as a brilliant career
in the Jamaica Civil Service, to
accompany me on my various
stations — the USA, Trinidad
and Tobago, Jamaica — that I
believe I should become available
to her and to spend quality
time with her.
Rev. Patrick Perrin.
Black History Month
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The heart symbolizes love,
so it makes sense that each
February, during American
Heart Month, we are reminded
to look after the organ
that keeps us ticking.
This tradition began in
1964, started by President Lyndon
B. Johnson, nine years after
he had a heart attack.
While we have made a lot
of progress since then, the
American Heart Association
tells us that heart disease
kills more people than cancer,
so it’s a good time to schedule
a visit to the NYC Health +
Hospital/Kings County Heart
Health Center in East Flatbush.
The Center offers comprehensive
services designed
to improve the health of this
important organ. Specifically,
it is an integrated facility
that offers an array of
services to patients who have
suffered heart failure. Dr.
Inna Bukharovich, Chief of
Cardiology and Director of
the Heart Health Center, says
that Center is staffed by a fullservice
team of professionals
such as cardiac specialists,
psychologists, psychiatrists,
nurse practitioners, nutritionists,
pharmacists, and social
workers, all working together
to benefit the patient.
By offering all of these
services at one convenient
location, patients can meet
with these service providers,
and be tested, all in the same
day. As a result, the road to a
healthy heart begins faster.
Patients are not forced to run
all over town, waiting weeks
for appointments. They are
not sitting around, stressing
about test results. Instead,
they leave with test results
and treatment plans, in hand.
This multidisciplinary
outpatient clinic is one part
of the many cardiac services
available at the hospital, and
it has helped to reduce hospitalizations,
re-admissions,
and emergency room visits,
says Dr. Bukharovich.
She cites the findings of
a U.S. News & World Report
study that recognizes hospitals
for various specialties.
More than 4,500 medical centers
were evaluated nationwide.
She says, “NYC Health +
Hospitals/Kings County was
recognized as ‘high performing’
for heart failure.” This
recognition was published
as part of the national magazine’s
“Best Hospital” issue
for 2019-20. Dr. Bukharovich
is proud of that accomplishment,
and says, “The annual
rankings are designed to assist
patients and their doctors
in making informed decisions
about where to receive care.”
In fact, many of the programs
at NYC Health + Hospitals/
Kings County have received
national recognition,
including the cardiac, stroke,
and diabetes units. The hospital
has claimed many “firsts”
in the field of medicine. For
example, it was the site of the
first open-heart surgery performed
in New York State.
Physicians there invented
the world’s first hemodialysis
machine, and conducted
the first studies of HIV infection
in women. The hospital
was named the first Level 1
Trauma Center in the U.S.
Built in 1831 as a one-room
infirmary for publicly supported
care of the sick, NYC
Health + Hospitals/Kings
County continues to be a leading
health care facility. Its
mission is to provide care to
everyone, regardless of the
ability to pay.
The hospital remains on
the cutting edge of technology,
and provides the most modern
procedures with state-of-theart
equipment.
NYC Health + Hospital/
Kings County Heart Health
Center, 451 Clarson Ave.
between New York and Albany
Avenues in East Flatbush.
(718) 245-7388, www.
nychealthandhospitals.org/
kingscounty. Open Monday
through Friday, from 8am -
4:30 pm.
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