Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 26, 2019 (SKNIS): The Triennial Conference of the Diocesan Council of the Mothers’ Union of the North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba (NECA) convened in St. Kitts and Nevis on Thursday, April 25, at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church Multipurpose Centre in Palmetto Point.
The conference, which runs from April 25-28, is held under the theme: “Listen, Observe, Act – In Step with God”.
Senior Minister and Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs, the Honourable Vance Amory, welcomed the overseas delegates and commented briefly on the theme during the official opening of the conference on April 25.
“I am aware that you have set yourselves a very interesting theme for your conference and I am certain that at the end of this conference you will all have a much deeper and clearer understanding of your individual and collective role as members of this very important organization – the Mother’s Union – within the church,” said Senior Minister Amory.
Minister Amory noted that the church plays a vital role in any society.
“The church and its organization have been the bed rock of our societies. The church has been seen as the moral compass of human kind and for the peaceful and cohesive arrangement of our societies and nations,” he said. “It therefore stands to reason that any organization of the church shares that moral responsibility. It is then necessary for the Mother’s Union to examine its position, do a stock taking, measure its effectiveness so that you can take necessary action, listen, observe and act in step with God.”
The senior minister noted that “we are living in a very challenging period in our history when the morale and the discipline of our people seem to be in decline.” He added that against this backdrop there is a need to resurrect the grounding principles of spirituality that have contributed to the many successes of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“There is the need for new approaches to encourage growth of the organization to carry on the work and to strengthen the clay ministry in our churches. There is the need for more outreach programmes to give greater visibility to the Mother’s Union Organization and to enhance the relevance of the church and its organization for the present age,” he said. “Members of the Mother’s Union can become mentors for the young people in our societies to get a new focus then pass on those values and the discipline to stir them away from negative behaviours and influences of gangs and such anti-social behaviours.”
Minister Amory commended the Mother’s Union, noting that it acts as a “strong organization in our churches and society generally to inculcate or re-establish those values which have been the bed rock of our caring and loving societies”.
