July 28, 2009 – Mandeville, Jamaica…[Nigel Coke/IAD]
As Jamaica prepares to further tighten its belt with a return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), coupled with the malignant crime and violence, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is not relenting in its belief in the power of prayer to heal the nation.
Head of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica, Pastor Derek Bignall, is reminding congregations across the island to set aside Sabbath, Aug. 1, 2009 (Emancipation Day), to seek the Lord's face on behalf of the nation in light of the relentless crime, violence and economic woes.
“God made Israel a promise which we must claim for Jamaica,” said Pastor Bignall. “If we would turn from doing wickedness and give our lives to God, He will hear our prayers and He will heal our country. We need to fulfill our side of that contract. We who believe in the power of prayer and the ability of God to reconcile us to Himself must petition His throne ceaselessly on behalf of our nations.”
Special Area Targeted
The Church, through its central region covering St. Catherine, Clarendon, and Manchester, is planning to have a special outreach in the afternoon of Aug. 1, in Central Village near Spanish Town, which over the past week has seen an increase in gang related violence.
“Our purpose is to seek to unite the people in Central Village through various means,” said Pastor Levi Johnson, executive secretary for the church in Central Jamaica Conference. In addition to visiting and praying with families in the community, we will present them with “Hope Packages” which will include a copy of the Bible and other Christian literature. Entertainment, which forms a part of the community's life, will also be touched through the distribution of religious CDs to clubs and bars in order to encourage the airing of these types of music. Also, twelve unofficial sport clubs have been identified and these will be given footballs as a starter.”
Later in the afternoon, after the walk through the community, members of the church and community will gather at the main entrance to the community for what is dubbed a “Prayer Explosion”.
“We hope that through this special outreach, the faith of members of the community will be strengthened in this time of fear,” Pastor Johnson added.
Pastor Bignall was very forceful in his declaration that “We need the sincere fervent prayers of every Christian. Crime, violence and the economic recession are threatening to engulf all of us. It is going to be a weekend of prayer because while we will be praying on Sabbath other Christian organizations will be praying on Sunday. May God indeed hear and answer our prayers.”
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has broadened the scope of the annual ‘Day of Prayer', which had its genesis four years ago, to include the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Cayman Islands — the other territories comprising the church in the West Indies Union. Each territory will conduct the service in respect of its particular needs.
Each congregation is expected to organize its own service in line with the objectives of the ‘Day of Prayer' with the main church service for Jamaica to be held at the Andrews Memorial Church in Kingston. Pastor Bignall will be the main speaker.
The “Day of Prayer for the Nation” is an annual event of the Adventist Church in West Indies Union, in collaboration with other Christian denominations, in a call for nation-building.
