Flavours Restaurant at La Vue was filled to capacity for the formal dinner marking the 175th Anniversary of the Diocese North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba (NECA), one of the premier activities held by the Anglican Church in Anguilla in celebration of that diocesan event.
The Right Reverend L. Errol Brooks, Bishop of NECA, delivered the main address at the dinner on Friday, September 23, during which he welcomed the visiting Anguillian Clergy.
“I am pleased that so many of our parishioners and friends have decided to support this function,” he said. “We give thanks to Almighty God for bringing us to this place and, as you have been hearing, we are the first island in the Diocese to kick off the celebrations for the 175th Anniversary of the Diocese. Now, technically, we are still 174 years but on the 24th of August, 2017, we will, God’s willing, celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the Diocese – and the celebrations will conclude on the island of Antigua where we hope to have the Fiftieth Session of the Synod in the Diocese during that time.
“God has been good to us and we are extremely grateful to Him for all His blessings. He is present with us now and we feel confident that He will be with us in the future. The theme for this celebration, over these twelve months, is “Celebrating our Heritage, Seizing the Moment, Embracing the Future”, and, quoting our Chairman, we do indeed have ‘a goodly heritage’. Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone of the Christian Church and He entrusted the good news to His Apostles who, in turn, passed it on to others who, in turn, passed it on to others who came to our shores to bring the good news of the gospel. We thank God for Clergy, Bishops and Lay Persons, some of whom rejoice on another shore; and we thank God for all that they did to lay the foundation for us.
“While we cannot get fixated on the past, we need to understand that the past is important; and we must not get so attached to the past that we can’t move forwards…We cannot be complacent or satisfied with whatever achievements we would have attained. We must make use of every opportunity that God gives us to serve Him, His Church and our fellowmen. We must guard against putting off what we can do today. There is a little adage that says: ‘Yesterday is history; tomorrow is a mystery’; today is a gift’. That is why it is called the present and we have to make use of the present opportunity that God gives us. So we seize the opportunity as a people of God to do God’s will. Embracing the future, there is much in our community, and the world at large, to make us feel despondent at times.
“I was looking at a WhatsApp that somebody sent me to see a Chinese establishment being robbed by people with high-powered guns. That’s not the Anguilla we know, and we need to understand that in spite of these things God holds the future in His hands. We need not give up. God is in control even at times if it seems as though it is not so; but I warn you that, in the final analysis, God has the final word…The victory is God’s. In spite of all the confusion that is going on in the world – love, justice and peace must conquer and, as Christians, we need to remind both ourselves and our fellowmen of the fact that God hasn’t given up on us and God will have the final word. Our challenge, as a people of God, is to participate in what He is doing in the world. He wants us to love and respect each other and to make a difference where we are – to leave our community and the world a better place than we would have met it.
“I hope that the end of 175th Anniversary celebration that our people will be renewed and reinvigorated to give of their best in the future for God. May God bless us all.”
The Bishop was followed by Methodist Minister, Reverend Joseph Lloyd, who offered congratulations to all Anguillian Anglican Ministers for their work at home and in the neighbouring islands. He observed that there was a need to harness the energies of the young people of Anguilla and to encourage them along the lines of Christian values. He intimated that, among other things, there was a need to encourage a number of them to join the ministry of both the Anglican and Methodist Churches – taking example from those now involved in ministerial work.
Other speakers were several members of the clergy as well as lay persons. Chief Minister, Mr. Victor Banks, a staunch Methodist, congratulated the Anglican churchmen and parishioners and brought greetings and best wishes on behalf of his fellow members of Government.
