There was hardly sitting or standing room at the Church of God of Prophecy at West End on Sunday, September 8, the fourth time that Friendship Sunday was observed there so far.
The large roadside edifice, with the sanctuary on the first floor, and a spacious conference and reception area on the second floor, is the last church building at West End for some distance. For all, the service at the remote church was both a spiritual and social experience worthy of their journey, time and participation.
Friendship Sunday is an annual event, decided on by the leadership and members of the church, when relatives and friends are invited to share in a fellowship service following which they are entertained at lunch.
Sunday’s congregation included Walcott Richardson, the representative for West End; Evan Gumbs, Minister of Infrastructure; Jerome Roberts, Minister of Home Affairs; Haydn Hughes, Parliamentary Secretary Tourism and Sports; and Samuel Webster, Fisheries Adviser; and many other invited persons from other churches and organisations.
“We are very pleased that you have chosen to spend part of your day with us,” Rev Dr Samuel Daniel, District Overseer for the Church of God of Prophecy in Anguilla, said in his introductory remarks. “It is a great time for us to gather together as friends, and what better thingcan friends do than to share words of good cheer?”
He took his sermon from St John 16:33 which states as follows: “These things I have spoken unto you that indeed ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the world.”
Dr Daniel, known for his powerful delivery, prefaced his 30-minute sermon by drawing attention to some of the recent local and international news headlines which he said showed that the world was in trouble. He pointed to the need to reverse the situation through a spiritual reawakening and commitment.
“So concentrated is the magnitude of the problems and the sufferings that exist – locally, regionally and internationally – that it would seem that trouble is the order of the day,” he declared. “People are glued to the news media daily hoping to find conciliation in the news items presented, but they often seem to be disappointed.”
The District Overseer took the opportunity to mention certain criminal activities in Anguilla, pointing to the negative effects on Anguilla. In his concluding intercession, during which the Government officials were invited to the altar, he prayed for positive events on the island. He particularly mentioned the need for economic growth, investment and job creation.
He later told the invited local media that everyone in Anguilla should be mindful of how he or she approaches the economic situation in these challenging times. “As I said, things may be difficult now, but we must be hopeful,” he observed. “Things will improve economically and, with good economic growth, there will be less crime because people will be gainfully employed, happy and frustration will be lower.”
In addition to his religious duties at the Church of God of Prophecy, Dr Daniel is a lecturer in the Guidance Department of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School.
