Parties, Church for prayer service

Patterson and Seaga

LEADERS OF the JLP and PNP will join members of the church community for 75 minutes tomorrow in a National Prayer Service aimed at bringing lasting peace to a nation torn by strife.

The service which begins at 11 a.m. will take place at the Northern Caribbean University Chapel, Mandeville, Manchester.

A joint statement issued by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson and Opposition Leader Edward Seaga speaks to their commitment to a peace initiative of Governor-General Sir Howard Cooke. He has signed a proclamation declaring tomorrow, October 13 and Sunday, October 14 "Special Prayer Days" - peace and unity being his aim.

The Governor-General, in his proclamation, pointed to the increasing levels of crime in the country "both quantitatively and in wanton and callous disregard for life, limb, property and decency evidenced in the offences being committed".

Nearly 900 Jamaicans have been killed since the start of the year, most by gunmen. More than 100 have been killed by the police. With political violence breaking out in sections of the Corporate Area, ahead of a general election due by March 2003, a growing number of groups and organisations have been hammering the Government over its failure to arrest the crime wave.

The joint statement issued by the Prime Minister and Jamaica Labour Party leader Edward Seaga, notes that "neither economic development nor social cohesion can take place in the present context of a callous disregard for life and property and without an equal concern for justice".

"We pledge to provide examples worthy of emulation, as we lead the Jamaican people in a national effort to restore the primacy of the value of life and the importance of decency and civility in our relations with each other," the statement said.

The two leaders however, cautioned that prayer was not a substitute for action. But, they stressed that "it is our fervent belief that we need divine guidance as we confront the awesome challenge of crime and violence and work towards building a society of peace and justice for all".

Tomorrow's church service will be conducted in three sessions. Session one entitled "Forgiveness" will be led by Bishop Carmen Stewart, Custos of St. Andrew. The second session, "Supplication" will be led by a representative from the Ministers' Fraternal, while the third session, "Restoration" will be moderated by Dr. Patrick Allen, president of the West Indies Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists.

Bishop Ronald Blair, chairman of the Committee of National Religious Services, organisers of the event, told The Gleaner that Saturday's service will highlight three things: The proclamation from the Governor-General, the joint statement issued by Mr. Patterson and Mr. Seaga, and a litany of prayer prepared by the church.

Yesterday the committee was rushing to get copies of the prayer to churches throughout the country. The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission is assisting with the distribution.

"The main emphasis will be on prayer rather than preaching and in the end we will be praying for the leaders," Bishop Blair said. He said Sunday worshippers were asked to read the special prayer during their services. He appealed to those involved in criminal activity to "consider their own lives and just as they value their own, value the lives of others". "The killing is not really helping the country nor communities nor individuals so we must strive to live together in peace," Bishop Blair urged.

"What I want to see achieved is that there is peace and harmony in the country. I still believe that all things are possible with God and where man has failed God will achieve," Canon Weeville Gordon, Custos of Kingston said.

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