Men from several church-related organisations in Anguilla have made their mark in the Upper and Lower Valley communities where they staged a march, on Saturday 31st March, to influence the lives and responsibilities of other menfolk on the island.
The more than 80 marchers represented the Anguilla Evangelical Association and the Anguilla Christian Council, and were accompanied by the Pathfinders Drum Band and the Boys Brigade Band.
Among the specific churches were the Seventh-day Adventist Church, whose Resident Minister, Pastor Trent Berg, invited other churches to participate in the event; the Church of God (Holiness) in The Valley, through Pastor Philip Gumbs and “Men Embracing Their Purpose”; the Adventist Men’s Ministry under the banner “Men driven to empower Men, Church, Family and Community”; the Ebenezer Methodist Men’s Fellowship; the Hilltop Baptist Church and the Kingdom Vision Apostolic Church represented by Pastor Gareth Hodge and Apostle Edmeade Allen respectively.
A number of male students from the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School also participated in the march in an arrangement with their teacher, Mr. Karl Woodley.
The march was to enforce that “it is time that men, both young and old, be positive role models; that men in Anguilla take their stand as fathers; and that men come together to empower other men in the family, community and the church to take their stand on various issues of national importance and concern.”
The marchers carried banners some of which read: The greatest wants of the world are real men; Men who will not be bought or sold; Men who in their inmost soul are true and honest; Men who do not care to call sin by its right name; Men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole; and Men who will stand for the right, though the heavens fall.
The keynote speaker was the Deputy Governor, Mr. Perin Bradley, who spoke about certain experiences and responsibilities in his own life, growing up in the family home, and as adult and partner in the marital home. He also spoke about behaviour problems in community and society life and the need for responsible men to set an example to others found wanting. “We need to speak up and say enough is enough,” he stressed. “We hear stories in Anguilla of police reports where grown men are abusing young girls; domestic violence, rape and on and on.
“We men have a duty to call out this bad behaviour when we see it, and to add our voices to that of our women to end this nonsense; to lift up and empower the women of our communities. While some of us are acting appropriately, it is not enough. We have to do a bit more and speak out against this poor behaviour when we see it. If the jokes are inappropriate and uncomfortable; if your friend is making unwanted advance against a female that you know is not welcoming to her, tell him to stop. Say something. I am very tired hearing our women being so mistreated.”
Mr. Bradley continued: “The second point I would like to make is that we men should be present at home – not just physically present but emotionally present as well. I know a lot of persons who were single-handedly raised in single parent homes who were very successful as responsible members of society. We salute those mothers and fathers who are getting it done all by themselves. However, I know about a lot more young men especially who, when you ask them why they chose such a deviant path and why they are always embroiled in the criminal justice system, it always comes down to one common theme: an absent father or no credible role model. We keep seeing it over and over again.
“As a matter of fact, social scientists report this ‘as the absent father hypothesis’. Some simply do not appreciate the significance that we, as men, play in our children’s lives. Too many of our young men in particular are caught up in the criminal justice system. There is a whole body of research on this issue and all indications point to the fact that a father’s love is just as important as a mother’s love. A father’s and a child’s relationship is a unique bond and attachment. It can be one of the most important and influential relationships in a child’s life. This relationship has a powerful effect on the health and emotional development of a child – and becoming a productive member of society.”
The Deputy Governor added: “My challenge to all the men here today is to do the right thing for your family; protect them; provide for them and love your children. You men, who are doing that all along, continue to do so. We salute you. Not only should you be present for your children, but for your wife as well. Give her the support and encouragement she needs. Be there for her; comfort her; and make sure she can rely on you when the going gets tough.”
Pastor Phillip Gumbs said in part: “I believe that this is a gathering together of men who understand the times, and that God’s plan is to use men to lead our nation, to rise up from the shades and be counted. I was impressed when Pastor Berg called me and told me of his vision because it shows that God is speaking to our hearts – and that we have a passion and understanding that for Anguilla to change we do not need a bigger police force or bigger and air-conditioned high schools; bigger hospitals or bigger hotels. We just need some real men because men and God’s instruments of transformation.
“Statistics show that 85 percent of men in prison are men who are angry at their fathers. Boys who end up in gangs are fatherless and most girls who get pregnant early are girls without strong fathers in their lives. Obesity and depression have a major father link…It is fathers not mothers who develop in their children instinctively the ability to empathise. Without fathers in their lives that is why our boys can take guns and shoot and kill – and they don’t care. It is because fathers are missing from their lives why boys can take pictures of persons fighting without caring that lives are at risk and that blood is being spilt.”
He added, “The social scientist has said that if we could solve the problem of fatherlessness we would solve 85 percent of the problems in any society. While we want more basketball courts, and more improvement in our social structure, the real solution is for men to rise up, be counted and make a difference.”
Pastor Gareth Hodge commented: “There comes a time in every male’s life when he has to show himself a man; and today this march was really for us to know and understand that it is time for men to stand up and be men. A man does not get his identity as being a man from having children by more than one woman; he is not a man when he does not stand up to his responsibilities; support his children; be an example to them; be there for them and be their mentor. It is time for our men to stand up and be strong.”
Pastor Trent Berg thanked all the other pastors and their church members for supporting his initiative and delivered the closing prayer.
