BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, August 2, 2021 (MMS-SKN) — Prime Minister, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, on Sunday August 1 joined the leadership and membership of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Lemon Hill, Bourryeau, in what was the first of mass worship after the recent lockdown.
“I just want to say, and to give God thanks on behalf of the nation, that we can open up our country again – open up safely,” Prime Minister Harris said, to loud cheers, when he was invited to greet members of the congregation.
He added: “We can in particular allow our places of worship another opportunity to interact with its membership, and beyond its membership to interact with the entire community to spread God’s love, God’s mercy, God’s power, and God all-knowing nature. All will be well if we believe.”
The service was led by members of the youthful Praise and Worship Team, while the sermon under the theme ‘God can do what He did before’ was delivered by Senior Pastor Michael Penny. Evangelist Valston Johnson prayed for the Prime Minister, while Deacon Melvin James welcomed all to church and read notices.
“We have come through a difficult period since March with the arrival of the Covid last year, and the last several weeks of it have been very difficult,” Prime Minister Harris reminded the congregation.
Advising that the country is not yet out of the woods, Dr Harris thanked God as St. Kitts and Nevis was doing well, but he reminded them that they just have to continue to do the right things, by wearing their masks, sanitising their hands, and “doing all the nice things that the church is doing this morning, and each of us must practise each day for our own safety.”
At the entrance, names and temperatures of persons entering the church were taken and recorded for contact tracing in future if need arose, and hands were sanitised.
“We do not know who has the Covid-19, so we have to protect ourselves, and we have to encourage all those with whom we come into contact to do the right thing to protect themselves, to get vaccinated so that your environment and your space will be safer and we have to continue to pray that through God’s help and interventions we will see the back of the Covid-19,” Dr Harris commented.
He in the meantime asked the congregation to do the right thing and to give God the glory that they are alive and well on the day that heralded emancipation celebrations (August 1), noting that people say that emancipation marks the beginning of the end of slavery, and that emancipation is about their freedom.
Turning to the church’s Praise and Worship Team which ministered in songs, the Honourable Prime Minister thanked the Mount Carmel Baptist Church for giving young people the opportunity to excel. He also thanked all the Sunday school teachers, “who are helping and moulding our young men and young women for a stronger and safer future.”
ENDS
