Maranatha’s Methodist Church at Blowing Point climaxed a series of celebrations for its 50th Anniversary with a dinner and an awards presentation at Flavours Restaurant at La Vue Boutique Hotel on Saturday, February 4, and Church Service on Sunday, February 5.
Minister-in-Training, Rev. Wilmoth Hodge, speaking at the Flavours Restaurant, told the large number of guests and members of the clergy: “We share in the joy and the ministry of Maranatha that began some fifty years ago in Blowing Point. It was a time when the Methodist Church expanded its witness in that community. Over the years we have seen the fruits of that ministry. This is therefore a time of great celebration.”
Rev. Hodge said the Anguilla Methodist Circuit was privileged to have its honoured guests, Reverend Rueben Telemaque, a former Minister in Anguilla originally from the Commonwealth of Dominica, and his family at the event. He noted that Rev. Telemaque served in the early days of the Maranatha congregation. The Minister also played a very important role in the conception of the Anguilla Chorale Circle, now known as the Mayoumba Folkloric Theatre.
Following a performance by the musical and cultural group, Rev. Telemaque took the opportunity to highly congratulate its members for their contribution as culture bearers in Anguilla.
“They remind us of who we are as a people,” he observed. “We are reminded that despite of the distance between the islands, whether by sky or sea, the people have been one from the beginning. The songs that you heard are echoed in other islands and it has blessed my heart to hear the Anguillian version. We are truly one people. There are things that divide us, but if you examine them very carefully you will see that most of them are meaningless – have no story to tell. West Indians have a root; we are hard workers and these stories remind us of how hard our forefathers worked… and that we have to look back and value the hard work that was done.”
The visiting Methodist Minister added: “If we must glory in anything, we should glory in the love of our parents, grandparents, and our great grandparents. We should glory in their hard work, their faith and tenacity. My wife, my daughters and I are very proud of the Mayoumba group.”
During the dinner, awards were received either by various individuals or their representatives for their outstanding service to the Maranatha Methodist Church.
The last of the anniversary activities was the church service where the preacher was Rev. Telemaque who reflected on the work of the ministry in Blowing Point and the overall work of the Anguilla Methodist Circuit.
Other officiating Methodist Clergy were Rev. Dunstan Richardson, Ministers-in-Training Rev. Candis Niles and Rev. Wilmoth Hodge. The organist was Devaunie Richardson and the pianist, Lois Hazell-Carbon.
