Rattray

Starting this weekend, residents of all major towns across the country should see their urban centres getting a facelift in time for Cricket World Cup, thanks to the Church.

The $6.5-million campaign is being spearheaded by the umbrella church organisation, HOPE 2007, led by Evangelist, Errol Rattray.

"We are mobilising the minister's fraternal outside of Kingston and St. Andrew in different parishes," Evangelist Rattray told The Gleaner.

"We are hoping that the project will get momentum. We will go on every radio, television and print media ... it is going to hit the whole country," a richly energised Evangelist Rattray declared.

The Kingston activities are slated for this weekend and should see some 10,000 Christians ready to give a helping hand in improving the physical aesthetics of the Corporate Area to meet the world's third largest sporting event.

The clean-up excercise will take place over two weekends, February 24 and 25, and March 4 and 5. It is being funded by donations from several private sector organisations and private individuals, $500,000 of which came in as we interviewed the evangelist.

HOPE has developed a strategic team of public and private sector bodies to assist with the exercise. They include the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation, the National SolidWaste Management Authority, the Social Development Commis-sion, the National Water Commission, Red Cross and the Jamaica Defence Force, and others. The PSOJ is also expected on-board.

15 sites

"There will be 15 sites across the Corporate Area and each site will have an expert supervisor and the day is gonna run from nine to five," Evangelist Rattray said.

Evangelist Rattray pointed out that while the excercise is physical it will have spiritual emphasis. He said as the country with the most churches per square mile, the Church has a responsibility to lead the way at all times.

"The Church is the most powerful and most powerful organisation in this country," he said.

He added, "This (the campaign) is one of the most powerful things to hit the country at this time where the Christian community will come together to clean up Jamaica. The church is the world's hospital ... the Church is always there at all times."

Earmarked properties

The properties in Kingston earmarked for makeover are the

St. William Grant's Park in downtown Kingston;

the Kingston Craft Market; old buildings along Harbour Street;

areas along North Street in the vicinity of the Kingston Public Hospital;

the Papine Park; the Maverley Park and the Mandela Park in Half Way Tree.

The Hellshire Beach in Portmore will also be cleaned up for Cricket World Cup.