Vision
By the grace of God, to become a prayerful evangelical fellowship with trained people implementing Christ’s Great Commission within Healthcare Field and its associates.
Mission
Hospital Christian Fellowship Trinidad & Tobago (HCFTT) strives to inspire and equip Christians serving in healthcare to manifest Jesus Christ in their daily life and work.
Therefore, we seek to prayerfully implement this vision through building a global collaborative network of frontline workers and national fellowships that seek to:
- Mobilize prayer for healthcare in Trinidad and Tobago
- Evangelize, disciple and train healthcare staff and associates
- Promote compassionate Biblical Healthcare and servant leadership
The three (3) pillars of Hospital Christian Fellowship are:-
1-PRAY (Join prayer & Worship)
2-EVAGELISE (Equiping Witnesses)
– Medical Outreach (Taking Physical & Spiritual Healthcare to communities)
– Saline Process
3-MAKE DISCIPLES (Fulfilling our great commission)
– Discovery Bible Studies
– Biblical Healthcare
HCFTT evangelical outreach include the distribution of literature, personal counselling, home and hospital meetings, Bible studies and prayer, leadership training, retreats, luncheons, pot-lucks, banquets, local, national, and international seminars, conventions and conference, tapes, movies etc.
Hospital Christian Fellowship Trinidad & Tobago is the local chapter of the global, Healthcare Christian Fellowship International. We are a Non-Profit, International and Interdenominational Organization among all who directly or indirectly care for the sick. Our aim is to unite believers in hospitals, in a fellowship of prayer and bible study, by witnessing to colleagues and patients.
National Fellowships worldwide are linked together by the Healthcare Christian Fellowship International (HCFI). Membership is open to all Christian Fellowships and Unions in the medical field, provided they include in their Constitution an adequate Statement of Faith. Individual Membership is offered in countries where no Fellowship exists or where National Fellowships are not yet members of the HCFI.
To quote Francis Grim (HCFI Founder) – “More people pass through the hospitals of the world than through its churches”. So, We strive to inspire and equip Christians serving in Healthcare to manifest Jesus Christ in their daily life and work.
Our Leadership Team
We are blessed to have these leaders helping us spread our mission: “Encouraging Christians in Healthcare”
HCFTT Board Chairman
Healthcare Christian Fellowship International (HCFI)
Francis Grim, a Christian businessman in South Africa, visited his elderly father daily in a local hospital. During these visits, he noticed that patient’s physical needs were well taken care of, but their spiritual needs were largely ignored.
Mr. Grim was alarmed and concerned about the lack of spiritual care. He realized that many patients pass through the healthcare systems of our world who do not pass through our churches.
Yet, when they are ill, they often want to reach out to God: A God they don’t know. They need someone to tell them the Good News of Jesus’ forgiveness, care, healing, joy and salvation.
He began to train a small group of student nurses how to share their faith with their patients and fellow workers. This was the beginning of what has now become Healthcare Christian Fellowship International (HCFI), a world-wide movement among all branches of healthcare active in over 100 countries around the world.
Hospital Christian Fellowship Trinidad & Tobago (HCFTT)
In 1965 the Lord opened a door of opportunity for a young Minister, Kenneth Ragoonath; a freshman student pastor at the Open Bible Institute of Theology in San Fernando, to work at the San Fernando General Hospital, as an Attendant. Being a Bible Student, he would carry his books to work; this earned him the nickname “Reverend”. After some encouragement, he and two other Christian colleagues, sort the Lord’s guidance and started their first meeting on Tuesday, November 2nd, 1965, at Matron Moore’s office, San Fernando General Hospital, with seven in attendance.
In March 1967, Mr. Francis Grim, the International President of the Nurses Christian Fellowship, (which was later changed to Hospital Christian Fellowship International (HCFI), visited Trinidad. Mr. Grim addressed a cross-section of staff of the San Fernando General Hospital.
Later that evening, Mr. Grim learned that believers working in the health-field in Trinidad were doing a similar work. There was already a group of Nurses meeting at the Nurse’s Hostel of both the Port-of-Spain and San Fernando General Hospitals; known as the Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF).
That same year a national steering committee was formed that incorporated both NCF and the HCF with Mr. Gerald Chen, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health serving as the Chairman.
A year later, 1968, a National Executive Committee was elected. Mrs. Ruth Griffith-Phillips became the first elected President. Shortly afterwards, HCFTT was inaugurated into the HCFI and became an international member on September 18th, 1968.
Reverend Kenneth and his wife Faith Ragoonath are the founders of the HCF in Trinidad and Tobago, and their work rippled down to the Caribbean region. Reverend Kenneth Ragoonath had the distinction of serving at all three levels of HCF – Nationally, Regionally, and Internationally. We honour him as a faithful and excellent servant of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Reverend Ragoonath was appointed to the first Board of HCFI in 1982 and pioneered the vision of HCF in the Caribbean, Canada and wherever he travelled.
His presence on the International Board brought with it a sense of serenity and wisdom, which served as a ‘balm’ to Board members, especially when dealing with sensitive matters. He would often quietly add a perspective to the discussion, which brought clarity and unity, and which enabled the Board to reach the desired objectives.
The Global Action Team of the Fellowship, was able to proceed with its work in the knowledge that there was, in Reverend Ragoonath, a Spiritual Father on the Board, who would support and advise on its decisions where and when necessary. His pastoral heart was always in evidence and was similarly, a comfort to most if not all Action Team members at some point on the journey.
He faithfully carried out his task as Regional Promoter for the Caribbean, and later Canada was added to the list. The HCFTT serves as a regional base for the Caribbean, from which pioneering trips were made to most of the countries in the region. There was a definite witness in the health field of more than twenty-five countries in the region and Staff and leaders from Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, French Guyana, Guyana, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, St Vincent, Suriname and the Trinidad and Tobago Fellowships were trained at the HCF International Training Centre in Europe and later in South Africa.
After serving the Lord in HCFI in various capacities for more than 52 years, Reverend Ragoonath retired from his position as Vice-Chairman of the HCFI Board on his 75th birthday, in September 2020, and continued to take a keen interest in and participate in what was happening in the ministry of HCF.
Today we honour a faithful servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, Reverend Kenneth Ragoonath. He has touched the hearts and lives of more than a million healthcare workers globally, as he took the love of Jesus into the health fields of the world. He will be greatly missed, and His legacy will live on in the hearts of those he has touched.
The HCFTT Family honours a faithful servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, Reverend Kenneth Ragoonath.
Video
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