PHOTOS BY JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
At left is SIMPSON MILLER. At right is Rev. Phillips Phinn at his office at Maxfield Avenue on April 19.
Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter
The Rev. Dr. Phillip Phinn has said that Local Government Minister, Portia Simpson Miller will be the next prime minister of Jamaica. Her future in Jamaica House, he said, was confirmed to him by God through prophetic insights.
The Rev. Dr. Phinn, who is the senior pastor at the Word of Life Ministries International, which meets in Hagley Park Plaza in Kingston, said, "I believe in the gifts of the Spirit and one of the gifts of the Spirit is prophecy. It is not just me, but over the last five years, the prophecy has been coming from several
persons."
He believes too that Mrs. Simpson Miller will be a good prime minister. He said he had conveyed this prophetic insight to Minister Simpson Miller.
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, he said, has been good for the spiritual climate of Jamaica. "He is a God-fearing man. He loves the Lord. I don't know if he is born-again. He has definitely opened his heart and his office. He has really been a
blessing to the church. He has never done anything to upset or fight the church," said the clergyman who has been
privately ministering to politicians of the two major political parties.
The Rev. Dr. Phinn, who is one of the leaders of the local Charismatic/Renewal movement, is also chaplain to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Office of the Prime Minister.
A former central banker, the Rev. Dr. Phinn, is a sought-after speaker on matters of economic empowerment many thereafter have testified to substantial financial breakthrough having put into practice the things he taught. But, most of his speaking invitations, he acknowledged, came from overseas.
While at the Bank of Jamaica, he worked as unit supervisor with the Export Development Fund (a World Bank project) and several other areas in the international banking department. During his six years with the Central Bank he represented the institution as a liaison officer at the 18th Meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and 35th Meeting of the World Bank. Other duties with the bank have taken him to Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.
In 1993, the pastor went to Barbados to give a talk on economic matters to a group of Christians. That nation was at the time experiencing significant dislocation occasioned by
structural adjustments to the economy. Many people had lost their jobs and the economic future seemed bleak.
He articulated a vision for
economic developments which he dubbed the Mustard Seed Model. It reasonated with his audience. Within eight weeks, the group began to reap dividends after implementing his ideas. He was invited back to give a similar talk. This time his talk was broadcast on national television. A Barbadian
government minister saw the broadcast and was impressed and invited him to speak at the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) conference, which Barbados was hosting in 1994.
At the SIDS conference he again made an impression and in 1995 he was again invited to a United Nations (UN) world
summit on Social Development in Copenhagen, Denmark. He continued to impress and in 1996, the UN accredited World of Life Ministries International and made him chief UN representative. With this position, the Rev. Dr. Phinn represents 40 million
persons before the UN. This 40 million includes a number of Charismatic/Renewal-minded churches and organisations notably the International Third World Leaders Associations which is headed by the Rev. Dr. Myles Munroe.
He has placed his ideas for economic empowerment in a small book, which was published in 2000, entitled 7 Keys to Economic Empowerment: How to earn Multiple Income.
The holder of a master of Business Administration and a Master's degree in Christian counselling, Dr. Phinn believes that many churches have not caught a vision concerning the best use of money to fund ministries that will cater to the needs of persons holistically. He argues in his book for what he describes as The Mustard Seed Principle. This idea is grounded in scripture (St. Matthew 13:31-32) and is built on the precept that states for entrepreneurship, one should not be afraid to begin small. The principles outlined in his book are not unlike those written in other books about entrepreneurship. The major difference is that he frames much of his insights
with biblical insights. The
principles cover: vision and
purpose, the validity of beginning small, working hard and smart, investment, perseverance, faith, goal-setting.
pervasive negative talk
He is alarmed that there is
pervasive negative talk, even among church folk, that the country seems hopelessly
destined for poverty and high rates of crime. He said, the church needed to cater to
persons in a way which helps
members of the congregation to discover their missions in life. The Church's job, he said, is to equip persons with the critical tools they would need to fulfil this calling. This he hinted involves the church demonstrating greater creativity and vision for
economic empowerment of its members and the wider community.
Meanwhile, he maintains that Jamaica is going to experience an economic turnaround which will be inspired by God, Himself. But, until this breakthrough happens, he continues to preach the gospel of the mustard seed.
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