How a Homework Program Became a Church in Trinidad

What began as a simple effort to help children with their homework has grown into a thriving church community and an emerging model for mission across the Caribbean.

The story of Onessa Hughes-Mitchell, 33, a records management research professional at the Caribbean Union Conference, captured the attention of delegates attending the recent Intercultural Mission Church Planting Summit at the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC), where church leaders explored practical ways to engage communities and plant new congregations.

Onessa Hughes-Mitchell believes mission begins with meeting community needs. Through education and mentorship she helped establish a ministry that grew into the McBean Seventh-day Adventist Group in Trinidad. [Photo: Courtesy of Onessa Hughes-Mitchell]

Hughes-Mitchell’s story offered delegates a practical example of how community service, relationship-building, and disciple-making can lead to church growth.

A Burden for the Community

Long before she became involved in regional discussions on asset mapping and disciple-making, Hughes-Mitchell was responding to the needs she saw around her.

While attending USC in her early 20s she spent time walking through the nearby community of McBean, speaking with residents, and learning about their challenges and aspirations. One need stood out clearly—many children required academic support.

In 2016 she used funds she had saved for graduate studies to establish a homework center in her parents’ home. What started as an educational outreach soon became much more.

Music teacher Christa Collymore engages children during an interactive session at the McBean Homework Center in 2022. [Photo: Courtesy of Onessa Hughes-Mitchell]

As relationships deepened, the ministry expanded beyond academics to include mentorship, spiritual guidance, and support for families. Children who came for tutoring found encouragement and belonging, while families developed trust with volunteers and ministry leaders.

“Rather than focusing on what the community lacked, we focused on the people God had already placed there,” Hughes-Mitchell said. “We learned that when you invest in relationships and serve people genuinely, ministry opportunities naturally follow.”

From Community Service to Church Plant

The homework center soon became a gateway to Adventurer and Pathfinder ministries, drawing children and their families into church life.

As relationships strengthened, interest in spiritual matters grew.

In 2018 the McBean Seventh-day Adventist Group was officially organized. Hughes-Mitchell served as church clerk, while her father, Oscar Hughes, a church elder, provided leadership to the growing congregation.

Children engage in a special program that provided opportunities to learn biblical values, build friendships, and deepen their connection with God. [Photo: Courtesy of Onessa Hughes-Mitchell]

Today the church has 64 members on record and regularly attracts more than 75 worshippers, including community residents. Since the COVID-19 pandemic the congregation has continued meeting in the downstairs section of Hughes-Mitchell’s parents’ home—the same space that once housed the homework center.

“The room where children learned mathematics and reading became a place where people learned about Jesus,” Hughes-Mitchell said. “It reminds us that mission often begins with meeting practical needs.”

Asset Mapping and Disciple-Making

Hughes-Mitchell’s experience has since become part of a broader conversation taking place across the Caribbean and the Inter-American Division (IAD).

Members of the McBean congregation pose together for a group photo to celebrate the granting of company status in December 2022 alongside conference and district leaders. [Photo: Courtesy of Onessa Hughes-Mitchell]

In January 2026 she and Noel Brathwaite presented a seminar on asset mapping during the IAD Secretariat Advisory in Cancún, Mexico. Their presentation explored how churches can identify and mobilize gifts, talents, relationships, and resources already present within congregations and communities.

The concept has since gained momentum, with the South Caribbean Conference approving a pilot project in seven congregations to test the framework as a disciple-making tool.

“Asset mapping helps us see communities through the eyes of Christ,” Hughes-Mitchell explained. “Every person has gifts. Every community has strengths. When we recognize those assets and connect them to God’s mission, disciples are made, and communities are transformed.”

The framework encourages churches to identify members’ gifts, skills, and community connections as resources for mission, emphasizing that every believer has a role to play in disciple-making.

Camp coordinators Onesha Hughes, members of the Kelly family, Oscar Hughes, and participating children enjoy inflatable activities during a Children’s Weekend Camp hosted by the McBean congregation in 2024. [Photo: Courtesy of Onessa Hughes-Mitchell]

For summit delegates the McBean congregation provided a tangible example of how service and relationship-building can open doors for church planting. The summit challenged delegates from across the IAD to move beyond traditional approaches to ministry and embrace mission that is community-centered, relationship-driven, and led by ordinary church members.

Hughes-Mitchell said her experience demonstrates how mission grows when members engage their communities, identify opportunities for service, and allow relationships to create pathways for disciple-making.

“Mission is not about waiting until everything is in place,” Hughes-Mitchell said. “God often starts with what is already in our hands. When we offer that to Him, He can do far more than we ever imagined.”

What began as a homework center became a church community. A home became a center of influence, and a simple act of service became the foundation for a congregation.

“Every congregation can become a disciple-making church,” she added. “Every member can become a missionary. And every community contains opportunities for God to work.”

The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-American Division news site.