By Clayton Goodwin, Gleaner WriterLONDON:
HUNDREDS OF Jamaicans, many of them representatives of Jamaican organisations throughout the United Kingdom, packed the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London for the Service of Praise and Thanksgiving on the occasion of the 41st Anniversary of Jamaica's Independence and to hear High Commissioner, HE Maxine Roberts CD, read Prime Minister
P. J. Patterson's message.
The weather, too, played its part in the celebrations because the heatwave returned to the city after several days of rain and overcast skies.
Highlight of the service was an amazing sermon preached by Reverend Eve Pitt from the Emmanuel Church of England in Birmingham. It was one of the best I have heard in all my years and there are enough of the latter for me to have travelled to the church on my senior citizen's pass.
Rev Pitt held the congregation spellbound as she preached on the 'thanks' of thanksgiving and warned of the changes that would have to be made if the expression of "thanks" was indeed genuine.
Honourable Willard White OM and for many people present it was a particular honour and privilege to see the great singer in person and Robert Anderson B. Mus (Honours) sang solo. The choir was the Wood Green Gospel Choir, Carl Jackson MA, ARAM, FRCO was the organist, and the dancers/singers/pianist Michael McCartney, Kirk Patterson, Brenda Edwards, Leonie McPherson, Myrtle Forrester and Karl Frasor were choreographed by Jackie Guy.
The service started with the bearing of the Jamaican Flag by Officer Cadet Hendrick Gordon and Officer Cadet Roxanne Newman. Reverend Liz Russell welcomed all present, after which Reverend Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance UK, who has a high public profile in the national community of the United Kingdom, led the prayers.
LESSONS
The lessons were read by Councillor Anne Mallinson OBE, JP, the former Lord Mayor of Westminster, and by Sasha Blackwood, a student of the Shiefton Youth Group and Supplementary School in Notting-ham. Mavis Stewart MBE, who chairs the Association of Jamaicans UK Trust, read the poem 'Flame Heart' by Claude McKay.
The National Pledge was recited by the children of the staff and friends of the Jamaican High Commission and the National Prayer was led by Mr Travis Johnson OBE, BH(M), who chairs the Jamaica Society in Leeds.
During the service a collection was taken in aid of Dare to Care and Falmouth Infirmary. Honourable Willard White led the singing of the National Anthem.
I have witnessed many impressive contributions to services at St. Martin-in-the-Fields but nothing that quite matched the passion and the humour of Reverend Eve Pitt. Even so it fitted in well with the overall character of a congregation which had attended to acknowledge that there were faults in Jamaica which needed to be put right and as a matter of urgency but there was also much for which to give thanks both in the 41 years of Independence, now and in the prospect of the future. As the motto on the Order of Service stated Reflection on our past, our guide to the future.
