The Divisional Commander of the Salvation Army, Major Darrell Wilkinson, is calling on all sectors of society to become engaged in the process of building one Barbados.
Major Wilkinson said the people of the nation must use their skills, gifts, resources and Godly values for the ultimate purpose of developing a better Barbados for persons to live, work, do business, raise families, and most importantly, honour God.
“Oneness always releases God’s blessing on a nation that does right, and treats its people right,” he said.
Delivering the sermon at the annual National Thanksgiving Service held at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex on Sunday, the head of the local Salvation Army church noted that the country must also understand that nothing happens without God’s approval. He said the call for one Barbados is not merely for the present generation, but also for those to come.
Speaking to the congregation, which included Governor General Dame Sandra Mason and Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, Major Wilkinson reminded that Barbados’ future depends on how the country’s affairs are conducted today.
“[The future depends on] the sacrifices, the choices, the decisions, the investment, and the actions we engage in on a regular basis,” he said.
The Major said Barbadians must also recognize and accept the true conditions of the situation as a people and a nation.
“This involves taking note of where we are; we need to figure out what needs to be discarded, what needs to remain, and what needs to be improved upon. It involves individual self-examination, to see what changes we as individuals need to make in our personal, private, public, and corporate lives. It involves being culturally sensitive. We are quickly becoming a cosmopolitan country. Therefore, embracing differences among people of different cultures living among us is critical and beneficial for us…” he said.
Barbadians must also accept that they cannot exist without each other and should sensitively and constantly affirm the worth of all, Major Wilkinson said.
“We need to bear in mind that religion is what we choose; nationalism is what the Government and society impose on us. But we don’t have a choice when it comes to treating each other well. God’s word, Matthew 27: 37 teaches us this simple, but important truth,” he added.
The man of God also preached that Barbadians must have pride in their country, because if there is to be one Barbados, participants in the process should be wheeling the “we principle, rather than the me principle”.
“Someone said one’s pride for their country should not come after the country becomes great. Our country becomes great because of our pride in it. There must be selfless sacrifice, sharing appropriate ideas and making the required sacrifice that would propel the growth and development of our nation. Sacrifice has great value, in that it not only achieves personal success, but builds successful communities, nations, and humanity,” he said.
During the hour-long service, there were intercessory prayers and musical presentations. (AH)
This shows that he recognizes that there are many Barbados.
BLACK Barbados at the bottom of the heap.
WHITE Barbados and INDIAN MUSLIM Barbados at the top of the heap.
Has been this way post independence under both Bees and Dems Carson. The black financial administrators appointed to chair vital agencies under Errol Barrow made a mess of managing those agencies.
Now due to that mismanagement we have been taken back four decades in our development as a race in our country. That’s why its difficult for black people to conduct business in this country and we need as a people to address that. Yes the other races have done the same things, but they have the means of bailing out each other, we on the other hand simply laugh at one another, and speak ill of each other.