Female priest helms BXC

The Barbados Christian Council (BXC) has elected its first female chairman.

Reverend Dr Cicely Athill-Horsford of the Moravian Church was appointed at the Annual General Meeting which was held on Monday in the Conference Centre of St Paul’s Anglican Church on Bay Street.

Dr. Athill-Horsford, who in 1982 was also the first woman to be ordained by the Moravian Church in its 200-year history in the Caribbean, told Barbados TODAY that she is ready to work with member churches to propel the Christian Council.

She said together with the members of the executive, she will continue to foster relationships among the Christian community of member churches.

She said: “What I want to see is for us to have a common understanding and neighbourliness as possible to cooperate with any personal association for the well-being of society, and act on moral and social issues.

“I want to see personally that we assist in advocating for the poor, the less fortunate and against any discrimination whatsoever. We should try to highlight it and help to stamp it out and allow especially the Christian aspect of our lives to stand out.”

The BXC Chairman also noted that moral values and traditions are on the decline and declared that efforts must be made to bring them back to a place where all can live in harmony and in peace.

She said the council has also been paying attention to the ongoing national debate on Government’s proposal to put the relevant framework in place to allow for same-sex unions to be legally recognized in Barbados and indicated that it is a topic that has been on the council’s agenda.

“In fact, we have looked at it from a legal perspective and morally and that would be on our agenda,” the chairman said. She did not disclose the council’s stance on the measure.

Dr Athill-Horsford formerly held the post of the BXC’s 1st Vice Chairman since 2004, and succeeds Major Darrell Wilkinson of the Salvation Army.

She extended gratitude to member churches and promised to execute her duties to the best of her ability, with God’s help.

Dr. Athill-Horsford, who was born in Antigua and educated in Jamaica, also served as President of the Trinidad and Tobago Christian Council for five years. (AH)