The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

OVER the past decade I have been watching the steady proliferation of churches throughout the Bahamas. This is particularly evident in the capital of Nassau, the island suffering most from social unrest, violence, poverty and poor educational development. 

While I find no issues with the increases made within the religious community, I must, however, admonish them to do more within their immediate communities. After all, The Bahamas was founded on Christian principles.

Based on my current observation, churches nowadays seem to be larger than life edifices used solely for Sunday worship and closed throughout the week, as if the Sabbath was the only day to worship.

These days you can’t seem to travel two blocks within an inner city, and not observe a massive church or the groundbreaking of one in the making. Think about this for a second, all churches contain a cross section of the community with a plethora of qualifications and skill sets inter alia (teachers, nurses, doctors, tradesman, business owners, and accountants).

Why not use this massive resource pool to assist in providing a much needed assistance throughout the immediate communities, a few day of the week.

Consider this, an after school programme for three hours a day (one member per hour) could provide an invaluable resource to help already struggling communities battling the grips of crime, poverty and poor education levels. Churches can, need and must do more to assist. After all was it not Jesus that entered the temple of sinners to teach the gospel? Why not the church? A perfect example of how a church could assist a community would be the Great Commissions Church led by Bishop Walter Hanchell. This church in my view epitomises community assistance, based on its ongoing commitment and service to helping those in need. Every opportunity I get, I do my best to assist this organisation because they truly make a difference not only in Christian Ministry but in the development of the community as well.

Imagine if 50 per cent of the churches within The Bahamas dedicated it’s time, efforts and bountiful resources (i.e. its congregation) to mirror the efforts of the Great Commissions Church, the country would see immediate changes overnight. Regardless of affiliation, both political and religious, we all can agree that the country must take immediate steps to deviate from its current trajectory, and who better to lead the charge than the church.

With this, I send a clarion call to all churches and its many members to initiate much needed after school and adult development seminars using its knowledgeable and skilled congregants to aid in the development of our struggling but resilient Bahama land.

This, I believe would create a dual benefit by allowing churches the opportunity to assist more in nation building while helping fulfil their primary goal of advancing the word of God to all they encounter.

Concerned citizen and proud, proud Bahamian.

CLIFFORD WILLIAMS

Nassau,

January 13, 2017.