BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, November 29, 2021 (MMS-SKN) — A church service and a luncheon on Sunday November 28 brought down the curtain on the month-long activities, held under the theme ‘Touching Hearts, Transforming Communities since 1993’, to commemorate the 28th anniversary of Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris as an elected member of the Federal Assembly.
“I acknowledge the presence of so many high officials here this morning as I commemorate my 28th anniversary as a member of parliament for the wonderful people of St. Christopher Seven, Bellevue, Tabernacle, Mansion, Christ Church, Molineux, Phillips, Bourryeau, Lodge Village, Lodge Project, and Ottley’s, and to say a huge, noisy ‘thank you’ to all of my constituents for being so wonderfully good to me,” said Dr Harris.
The Honourable Prime Minister, who has been a Federal Parliamentarian since November 29, 1993, made the remarks at the House of Deliverance New Testament Church of God on Main Street, Tabernacle Village, where Senior Pastor Octavia Charles-Warner welcomed the Prime Minister and his delegation to the morning worship service.
Present at the service included Governor General’s Deputy His Excellency Michael and Mrs Cynthia Morton, Speaker of the Federal National Assembly the Hon Michael Perkins, Deputy Speaker, Senator the Hon Dr Bernicia Nisbett, and Cabinet Secretary Mrs Josephine Huggins.
“I want to say thank you to all of you who were there in the beginning, (and) who joined only yesterday,” said Dr Harris. “Your presence, your support means quite a lot to me, so thank you.”
He added: “Without your engagement, without your comforting words, without your kindness, without your attempting to put yourselves in my shoes, I would not have made it for the last 28 years, for it has been a journey of good times, and bad times, and the bad times sometimes when they come, because of the message that Octavia Charles-Warner our lead pastor gave, sometimes you have to go through those moments alone.”
Prime Minister Harris is the National Political Leader of the Peoples Labour Party (PLP), one the three parties in the ruling Team Unity Administration. The party’s Deputy National Political Leader, who is also the Minister of Health et al, the Hon Akilah Byron-Nisbett, who was accompanied by Ms Jacinth Francis, on behalf PLP Constituency Number Three Branch, presented him a plaque to thank him for the 28 years he has served the people of Number Seven and the country.
Other gifts followed, including from the Constituency Number Seven Women Group presented by Mrs Sonia Henry, from the House of Deliverance New Testament Church of God presented by Senior Pastor Octavia Charles-Warner, from Gospel Singer Ms Shirley Williams, and from Miss Sheville Franklyn who shares the same birth date with Dr Harris.
While thanking those who sent him gifts, he advised that he would accept them until Monday November 29. However, Ms Violet Williams who moderated the worship service told the congregation not to worry but to hold on to their gifts and bring them out on Monday December 6 when Prime Minister Harris would be celebrating his birthday.
Seven members of the Church’s Youth Group read out Paul’s admonition to Timothy by spelling out the acronym for TIMOTHY. For each letter in the name ‘Timothy’ they quoted the relevant verse, all of them from the two books by Timothy in the New Testament.
Miss Shervincia Charles said ‘T’ stood for Timothy (2 Timothy 1:7); Miss Omicha Crawford said ‘I’ stood for inspiration (1 Timothy 3:14); Miss Glenniqua Williams said ‘M’ stood for motivation (1 Timothy 4:12); Miss Sherné Charles said ‘O’ stood for open minded (2 Timothy 2:7); Miss Nadesha Brown said ‘T’ stood for being TRUE to your calling (2 Timothy 2:22); Miss Jahvela Brown said ‘H’ stood for humility (2 Timothy 2:25); and Master Devon J. Williams said ‘Y’ stood for yielding yourself to God (2 Timothy 4:5).
“I want to say thank you especially to all the prayer warriors, in this church, in every church, who have been holding me up, holding up my leadership, and holding up the Team Unity in Government in prayers,” said Prime Minister Harris in conclusion. “Challenges will come but I hope at the end of it, I would have proven myself worthy of service to you the people who I love.”
Also present in church were Ambassador His Excellency Sydney Osborne, Ambassador His Excellency Vance Amory, Ambassador His Excellency Kevin Williams, Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China on Taiwan His Excellency Michael Lin, and Charge d’ Affaires of the Embassy of Venezuela Mr Marco Antonio Guzman Adrian.
Others included the entire Peoples Labour Party’s National and Branch executives, led by National Chairman Mr Warren Thompson, and Secretary Ms Myrtilla Williams who organised the entire calendar of activities to mark the anniversary, PLP Founder Member Mr William Phillip, Director of Social Security Mr Antonio Maynard, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Dr Delores Stapleton-Harris, and National HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator, Dr Mathia Afortu-Ofre, among others.
All in the congregation were invited by Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris to join him for a luncheon which was hosted on the grounds of the neighbouring Edgar T. Morris Primary School. At the school, a cake specially baked for the occasion, was cut by the Prime Minister assisted by Speaker of the National Assembly the Hon Michael Perkins, and Minister of Human Settlements et al, the Hon Eugene Hamilton, who is also the Leader of Government Business in Parliament.
