EDITOR: As members of the Christian community in St Vincent and the Grenadines, we are soliciting the support and cooperation of all Christians and all Vincentians who are serious about addressing, with a view to eliminating, the threat that crime and violence pose to our society. The New Testament Church of God will be hosting an ecumenical service on Thursday, April 5, 2018, at its Wilson Hill church, under the theme “Heal Our Land”. The service is as a direct result of the alarming state of crime and violence plaguing our land, mindful of 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land”.

Evidenced by the spate of crime and violence in our country, we recognize that there is a definite need for Divine intervention and are confident that all right-minded citizens of our beloved homeland will agree that our land needs spiritual healing. We propose that this healing process must begin with those who are called to lead. We are calling on the political leader of our country and members of the Cabinet, as well as the Leader of the Opposition and members of his party, to show intent by joining with the church and other civic leaders in this service. There has to be a time of reconciliation in our land and the one that can effectively facilitate this process is the Church, which was given “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). The Prime Minister and his Cabinet are invited; the Leader of the Opposition and his party are invited; the Commissioner of Police and his officers are invited; the Bar Association is invited; the Human Right Association is invited; the Judiciary is invited; all leaders and stakeholders in our country are invited.

The service will commence at 9 a.m. at the Wilson Hill New Testament Church of God and will conclude at 11 a.m. The keynote speaker will be Church of God Caribbean field director, Vincentian Bishop Ishmael Prince Charles. There will be prayers and brief addresses by other church leaders. The moderator of the service will be New Testament Church of God, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia and Dominica administrative bishop, Bishop Wendell Davis.

We are calling on the public sector, other stakeholders and everyone with vested interest in peace and harmony in our country, to come and let us seek healing for our land. Special invitation is extended to members of the Christian community to come and stand together, as we lift our nation and its people to God. The scripture is clear that when the leaders and people of a nation seek God with broken and contrite hearts, the healing process is amplified and accelerated, as is evidenced in Jonah 3.

Hear the words of Joel 2:15-17, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”

Come, let us join together and take back our land from the drug culture, lawlessness and divisions that prevail. It is within our powers to cause positive, lasting change, where our children can be safely nurtured.

Administrative Bishop of the New Testament Church of God

St Vincent and the Grenadines/St Lucia/Dominica