Given the several thousands of church members of various religious denominations across Anguilla, just over fifty persons attended a Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, November 26, not only in observance of the official end of the 2017 hurricane season, but also for the protection which we were provided against Hurricane Irma.
But despite the smallness of the congregation, which nobody mentioned, it was nevertheless an effective service which had as its theme: “An Attitude of Gratitude”.
The joint service, an annual event involving the Anguilla Christian Council and the Anguilla Evangelical Association, was held at St. Mary’s Parish Church in The Valley. The participating clergy were Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs, Superintendent of the Methodist Circuit and Chairman of the Christian Council; Rev. Wilmoth Hodge, Methodist Minister in training; Pastor Philip Gumbs of the Church of God (Holiness) and Chairman of the Evangelical Association; and Rev. Menes Hodge of the Anglican Church. Other ministers present were Rev. Joseph Lloyd and Rev. Dunstan Richardson, both Supernumerary Methodist Ministers, who sat in the congregation.
The Anguilla Government was represented by Mrs. Evalie Bradley, Ministerial Assistant in the Ministry of Home Affairs, who also spoke on behalf of her son, Mr. Perin Bradley, Deputy Governor.
Citing the category 5 Hurricane Irma, which struck Anguilla on September 2017, Mrs. Bradley said this year’s hurricane season was one that would long be remembered. She thanked the first responders and many persons and organisations, in and outside Anguilla, for their assistance and relief work following “this most traumatic experience.”
She went on: “We give thanks to those persons who came to our aid when we so needed it – those who offered relief and other assistance in kind or whatever, on behalf of the Government and the people of Anguilla, to make life easier for us. The road ahead is a long one, but we must give thanks for how we are recovering so far. ANGLEC has been doing a phenomenal job, working late at night, to ensure that we get electricity. It is a little difficult, but we are asking that you exercise patience and, of course, the aim is for everyone to have electricity by Christmas. Through it all, we give thanks to God Almighty and, again, to all who have assisted in one way or the other in bringing us this far.”
Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs spoke broadly about human suffering with particular reference to the Biblical story of the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelis – on their way to the Land of Canaan – with the Egyptians in hot pursuit, and the historic account of the enslavement and dehumanising of people of African descent and how, in both cases, God had brought deliverance to them.
He took the opportunity to trace the hurricanes that had impacted Anguilla from 1950 to 2017. Speaking particularly about Hurricane Irma, he said that, despite its ravages, God was very present in the storm although some of us did not know it, and had brought us this far [in our recovery effort] by faith.
“God is with us,” he added. “Let us have an attitude of gratitude…Let us, in all things, acknowledge that God is with us; that He is the same God yesterday, today and forever. Then we can say with the psalmist: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord for God is good. His steadfast love endures forever and ever.’”
Given the several thousands of church members of various religious denominations across Anguilla, just over fifty persons attended a Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, November 26, not only in observance of the official end of the 2017 hurricane season, but also for the protection which we were provided against Hurricane Irma.
But despite the smallness of the congregation, which nobody mentioned, it was nevertheless an effective service which had as its theme: “An Attitude of Gratitude”.
The joint service, an annual event involving the Anguilla Christian Council and the Anguilla Evangelical Association, was held at St. Mary’s Parish Church in The Valley. The participating clergy were Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs, Superintendent of the Methodist Circuit and Chairman of the Christian Council; Rev. Wilmoth Hodge, Methodist Minister in training; Pastor Philip Gumbs of the Church of God (Holiness) and Chairman of the Evangelical Association; and Rev. Menes Hodge of the Anglican Church. Other ministers present were Rev. Joseph Lloyd and Rev. Dunstan Richardson, both Supernumerary Methodist Ministers, who sat in the congregation.
The Anguilla Government was represented by Mrs. Evalie Bradley, Ministerial Assistant in the Ministry of Home Affairs, who also spoke on behalf of her son, Mr. Perin Bradley, Deputy Governor.
Citing the category 5 Hurricane Irma, which struck Anguilla on September 2017, Mrs. Bradley said this year’s hurricane season was one that would long be remembered. She thanked the first responders and many persons and organisations, in and outside Anguilla, for their assistance and relief work following “this most traumatic experience.”
She went on: “We give thanks to those persons who came to our aid when we so needed it – those who offered relief and other assistance in kind or whatever, on behalf of the Government and the people of Anguilla, to make life easier for us. The road ahead is a long one, but we must give thanks for how we are recovering so far. ANGLEC has been doing a phenomenal job, working late at night, to ensure that we get electricity. It is a little difficult, but we are asking that you exercise patience and, of course, the aim is for everyone to have electricity by Christmas. Through it all, we give thanks to God Almighty and, again, to all who have assisted in one way or the other in bringing us this far.”
Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs spoke broadly about human suffering with particular reference to the Biblical story of the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelis – on their way to the Land of Canaan – with the Egyptians in hot pursuit, and the historic account of the enslavement and dehumanising of people of African descent and how, in both cases, God had brought deliverance to them.
He took the opportunity to trace the hurricanes that had impacted Anguilla from 1950 to 2017. Speaking particularly about Hurricane Irma, he said that, despite its ravages, God was very present in the storm although some of us did not know it, and had brought us this far [in our recovery effort] by faith.
“God is with us,” he added. “Let us have an attitude of gratitude…Let us, in all things, acknowledge that God is with us; that He is the same God yesterday, today and forever. Then we can say with the psalmist: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord for God is good. His steadfast love endures forever and ever.’”
