The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church on Wednesday expressed deep concern about the rise in violence in society, particularly in schools, calling for a return to spiritual values and community-centred living.
At a press briefing held at the church’s Brittons Hill headquarters, the President of the East Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Pastor Anthony Hall highlighted the increasing calls for the church to intervene in social issues. But he noted the contradiction in these appeals given the pushback the church has historically faced from society.
While acknowledging the SDA church’s silence during the peak of the violent crime wave, Pastor Hall insisted that the religious community has been actively working behind the scenes to offer long-term solutions.
He attributed much of the current societal issues to the breakdown of family life and poor parenting.
“We are concerned that children are not being parented in the way that they should…. There’s a slight pushback and deemphasising of the role of the church in people’s lives on an ongoing basis,” he said. “It concerns us, it worries us, and sometimes maybe slightly angers us that only when something bad happens do people raise their voices to say, ‘what is the church doing?’”
Pastor Hall urged Barbadians to embrace spiritual values rather than only turning to God during crises: “We cannot live as we please and when ugliness and squalor and violence captures the society, then cry out to God. We do not believe that God is a matter of convenience.”
The church, he revealed, has been engaging with the government to address youth violence, noting a troubling increase in violent behaviour among young girls.
“We want to send a strong message to Barbados that violence is not a solution to any of the problems that we are experiencing,” he said.
In response to the escalating violence, the church has ramped up its efforts to engage with communities.
“We’ve been on the blocks talking to young men, trying to get them to put away the guns, stay away from the violence. We’ve been conducting workshops and seminars on conflict resolution and parenting skills,” Pastor Hall explained.
Pastor Dale Haynes, Personal Ministries Director and Head of Disabilities and Possibilities Ministries, pointed to specific initiatives aimed at addressing societal issues.
He noted the church’s collaboration with the Astra Babb Reading Clinic, where eight professional reading experts worked with 80 boys over five weeks during the summer to improve literacy.
“We are aware that the inability to read can help persons to prey on them and lure them into crime and violence,” Pastor Haynes said.
The church also offers reading clinics at multiple locations across Barbados, including CXC English and Math classes for young people at the Black Rock Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Pastor Haynes also highlighted the church’s partnership with the National Peace Programme, affirming the church’s commitment to playing an active role in improving the fabric of society.
Adventists have also expressed a willingness to assist schools in addressing the issues they face.
“This church has the resources, human and otherwise, to provide that for schools,” Pastor Hall said.
As part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen family life and community, the church will launch a three-week evangelistic campaign titled ‘Homes of Hope and Healing’ on October 26 at Long Gap, Grazettes. The programme will focus on improving family life, health, relationships, and spirituality.
Pastor Hall said: “You’re gonna hear about Jesus, but you’re also gonna hear about how to love your husbands and your wives, your boyfriends and your girlfriends, how to manage your children, the respect and dignity that children should have for their parents and how to manage stress.”
(LG)
