Carlyle woos Clarendon with Prayer Breakfast message
HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE would be an understatement in describing how some stakeholders in Clarendon viewed the Reverend Astor Carlyle’s message, which was delivered at the 38th National Leadership Prayer Breakfast at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston yesterday.
At a special Gleaner Prayer Breakfast Forum at Juici Patties in the parish, several prominent residents gathered to watch the televised event and gave a rousing applause at the end of the message, indicating that the pastor of the Webster Memorial United Church in Kingston delivered a sermon Jamaica urgently needed to hear.
“He was excellent. However, over the years, we have had excellent speakers. That has never been the issue. Where the problem lies is with application of whatever was said. We know the right thing, but just not doing it,” Evangelist Sandra Brooks said. “I believe he spoke the truth and delivered his message very well.” BATTLING MORALITY
Damion Young, justice of the peace, expressed similar sentiments, noting that the message should stir persons to reflect and fix what has gone wrong.
“From his message, I realise that the real issue is within us. How we have restrained ourselves from loving and being sincere and how easily we slide into corruption and moral decay. As a result of losing that moral compass, we find ourselves in the predicament that we are now in,” he said. “I find Pastor Carlyle’s message to be almost spot on. It touched almost every sector of society and it was relevant to everyone. It’s a call to everybody to become morally conscious.”
What stood out for Dei Rasi Freckleton, founder of Peace and Love in May Pen Movement, was the fact that the pastor stressed the importance of leaders reaching the communities.
“One of the things that jumped out at me was that he called for a moral structure from a community standpoint. I believe that it’s really important because too many decisions have been made from up top that really have little to do with those at the top and have so much to do with those at the community level,” said Freckleton.