(Pastor Joseph Bernard absent)
A two-week Evangelistic Crusade in Anguilla, with the theme “Take Up Your Bed and Walk”, is geared towards unity and hope among other spiritual and community objectives. That is according to Pastor Lucien MacDonna, of the Life Impact Centre, the host preacher and President of the Anguilla Evangelical Association.
He has co-opted three other pastors with him in the crusade which begun on Saturday night, June 20, under a tent at North Side. They are Pastors Philip Gumbs of the Church of God (Holiness); Gareth Hodge of the Hilltop Baptist Church; and Bernard Joseph of the New Testament Church.
“It is one of many crusades we will the hosting across the island over the coming months,” he told The Anguillian. “I believe that Anguilla needs a revival and God has placed it on my heart to do so. One of the objectives is to unite the church. It is also to bring mental and spiritual freedom to our people. Many may not see it, but we are going through mental and spiritual oppression and we, as a church, are able to release our people. Jesus has told us to go into the highways and the byways and invite them in. The church has been silent, as many people have been saying, for a long time. We have kept ourselves indoors for many years, and I believe that now is the time, on God’s calendar, to step out and evangelise the country and let people know that Jesus loves them – and no matter what they are experiencing, He is able to bring them through.”
Pastor McDonna continued: “Our second goal is to bring hope to the hopeless in Anguilla. That’s what this crusade is about. The theme of it is: ‘Take Up Your Bed and Walk’. God is able to take you out of your situation and make you strong and victorious. Nothing is impossible with God.”
Careful not to tread in the political arena and the recent bitter election campaign, the pastor said: “Our people are in state of tenseness and my concern right now is that the church should take its place as the church victorious and triumphant and lead our country where God wants it to be. I believe, as I said earlier, Anguilla is in a very dark place and we are the ones who are responsible for bringing the nation out of darkness into light.
“We have a lot of problems with our young people. There is a lot of violence and a lot of broken homes. People have lost a sense of God and my aim is to see that their hearts are drawn back to God. It is out of these and other concerns that this crusade has come about.
“In addition, the church has too much fragmentation and it is one of the challenges we have. I believe that by taking this initiative, and many more initiatives after this, will begin to bring the body of Christ together. As you noticed, we have four speakers in this crusade, with other churches having joined in. I think that for years we have had pastors coming in from overseas to conduct crusades. I believe God has given men and women the opportunity to do the same. Instead of looking for help overseas, I think that help is right here. There are men and women who can do the job in Anguilla and this is what I want us to do going forward.”
While there are four pastors officially involved in the crusade, others from several churches, holding membership in the Evangelical Association as well, have lent solidarity to the event.
