We have a country to build

Fri, Oct 21. 2011

BISHOP SONNY E. WILLIAMS – PRESIDING BISHOP, PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLIES OF THE WEST INDIES – St. Vincent and the Grenadines District

Many are of the mistaken view that St. Vincent and the Grenadines is owned by our political leaders. Hence they act as though the success of failure of our country rests solely on these leaders.{{more}}

This is so far removed from the reality. As leaders, we are cognizant that nothing moves until our people can make it move. We Vincentians are the largest most valuable assets of our country. All governmental plans are carried out or fail to be carried out by our people. Some excellent advice, therefore, in this regard is found in the old Chinese poem.

“Go to the people, live among them, learn from them, love them, start with what they know, build on what they have, but of the best leaders, when their task is accomplished, their work is done, the people will remark, we have done it ourselves.”

National Development cannot happen without “we Vincentians”: Young and old, at home and in the diaspora. A deepened sense of patriotism, service, responsibility, honesty and hard work are the cornerstones of nation building.

We must, therefore, educate our young people to be good citizens, respecting and obeying our laws and traditions as well as their parents and elders. High on our list of priorities must be the empowerment of the family. We must build on parenting skills as the family is the backbone of the society and that the nation is as strong as its families.

As Vincentians, we must all work tirelessly in dedicated service and leave no room for idleness nor criminality. We must build a culture of service and volunteerism. Each should engender a sense of ownership for the blessed land of our birth and feel an obligation to contribute something back to its development.

The psalmist reminds us of an indispensable aspect of nation building: “Except the Lord builds the house they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keeps the city, the watchman waketh in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Solomon warns all of the utter futility of attempting to build without God. History and particular events of our day corroborate this passage. If God were not so ignored in so many of the homes of our nation, we would not have to endure the moral decline, juvenile delinquency, child abuse, drug abuse, crimes and violence.

As we celebrate our 32nd anniversary of National Independence, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies recommits to continuing to be a partner in nation building. May we find strength and purpose in the words of our National Anthem: “What ere the future brings, our faith will see us through.”