Kingston, Jamaica…[Nigel Coke/IAD]
Adventist Pastor Robert Williams called all Seventh-day Adventists to the 'battlefield' in the fight to free Jamaica from the grips of crime and violence, which threatens to throw the society into turmoil. The call was issued on Saturday, May 5, during a 10 Commandments Day rally organized by the church in the East Jamaica region and the Adventists Lay-person Services and Industries (ASI).
With a World Bank (WB) study revealing last week that Jamaica and the Caribbean had the highest murder rate, a fact the bank said was impeding the island's growth rate, Pastor Williams said the time for Adventists to act was now.
“I suggest to you tonight that the problem is that Jamaica has forgotten is God,” said Pastor Williams.
“Come hell or high water, let's stand firm for Jesus,” said Pastor Williams, who currently serves as pastor of the Hall's Delight Adventist Church in St Andrew. ” If we stand firm under the banner of Prince Emmanuel, if we live the love, if we enact the justice and if we share the peace we possess, we can make where we are a different and better place,” he told thousand of Adventists and non-Adventists who were gathered at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Center in Kingston, Jamaica.
“I suggest and submit to you tonight that the church of the living God must rally around the banner of the Almighty,” he stated. “The church was born on the battlefield. The church lives on the battlefield, but the church will not die on the battlefield. It is time for us to rise up and live out the principles of God's word.”
The 10 Commandments Day rally provided the opportunity for praise and worship with the spoken word and inspiring singing from several Adventist choirs, groups and individuals. It also served as a reminder to Jamaicans of the value of the commandments.
In greetings the audience on behalf of the East Jamaica Conference President Pastor Adrian Cotterell said the theme 'Love, Peace and Justice' is appropriate for the occasion particularly within the context of the prevailing situation in Jamaica.
Referencing 1 Corinthians 13, he said “we have forgotten the golden rule.
It is base on love. It does not point a gun at the next person's head or a knife at the next person's neck. Love is needed to build better relationships, better families, better churches, better communities and a peaceful nation,” he purported.
“As a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, I stand with my brothers and sisters of the other religious communities and all well-thinking, peace-loving Jamaicans in decrying all forms of violence, crime, abuse and corruption. I stand here to raise my voice in the denunciation of human trafficking and the exploitation of women, children and workers in this country. Family violence and sexual abuse even among our children have become commonplace in our society. We denounce these sinful and cruel acts most vehemently and call upon all peace-loving Jamaicans to help in making our communities safe for all, in particular, our children, and assist in whatever way we can to combat abuse and to bring the guilty to justice,” he added.
“We want to draw the attention of the society to the laws of God, the commandments of God. We feel these laws are very important for a society to abide by,” said Elder Cecil Foster President of ASI. “The Ten Commandments could well be the answer to the mayhem and the massacre, the crime and the corruption, the violence and vices of Jamaica Land we love.”
The weekend events had its launch on Friday evening at the Kencot Adventist Church with guest speaker Pastor Michael Harvey, President of the North Jamaica Mission.
Among the many persons who came out to support the program on Saturday were civic, church and political leaders who brought messages and greetings.
