Leaders Gather for Prayers
With every speaker lauding the special spirit pervading the 20th annual Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast, Cayman’s leaders gathered Friday, 23 November morning to give thanks, sing hymns and invoke divine blessings for all. The event underscored the need for tolerance.
His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Duncan Taylor, CBE; Premier the Hon. W. McKeeva Bush, OBE, JP; Legislative Assembly Speaker the Hon. Mary Lawrence, MBE, JP; Deputy Governor the Hon. Franz Manderson, Cert. Hon., JP; Cabinet Ministers the Hon. Rolston Anglin, JP; the Hon. Mike Adam, MBE, JP; and the Hon. Mark Scotland, JP; Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Alden McLaughlin, MBE, JP; National Hero, former Speaker, the Hon. Sybil McLaughlin, MBE and former Speaker Dr. the Hon. Linford Pierson, OBE, JP, joined MLAs, past parliamentarians, spouses, members of the clergy and guests at the Westin Casuarina in the inspirational prayer meeting.
The Speaker set the tone for the event in her welcome address. She offered the Biblical analogy of the blind man meeting Jesus Christ to coax all to correct their own faults, which, she noted, would make for a better community.
The Governor and Grand Court Judge Hon. Justice Alexander Henderson, QC, provided scriptural readings. Other participants were MLAs Mr. Arden McLean, JP and Mr. Dwayne Seymour; Pastor Alson Ebanks, Cert. Hon; Rev. Dr. Dave Hazel and Pastor Shian O’Connor.
The Premier performed two robust hymns while other featured singers were Mr. Rudy Myles and school student Miss Jaedyn Hanna whose superb rendition caused the Governor to liken her singing to a Cayman’s Got Talent performance.
Guest speaker Deputy Chief Officer in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Development, Mr. Samuel Rose, gave a stirring message using the Biblical story of Nehemiah’s commitment to “rebuilding the wall” to urge community members in the Cayman Islands to do their individual bit to tackle collective problems.
He also impressed on the gathering the need to quell the constant bombardment of “noise” to enable divine interaction.
Offering thanks for the event, Minister Anglin emphasised the efforts of the LA staff, notably Assistant Clerk of the LA Ms Nana Bothwell, for ensuring a successful prayer breakfast.
(GIS) Photos by Bina Mani
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