From Archbishop Kenneth Richards
Chairman of the Umbrella Group of Churches
Dear Colleagues in Ministry,
The time is at hand!
Saturday July 30, and the following day, Sunday July 31, are the Two Days designated to Pray for our Nation! It is our sincere commitment to appeal to Our Lord God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, for an intervention that will transform the temporal order in our Nation. Our intercession rests on God's promise:
…if my people who bear my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my presence and turn from their wicked ways, then I will listen from heaven and forgive their sins and restore their country (2 Chronicles 7:14).
May our hope in Our Lord's promise be manifest by our personal repentance, as we lead our people in repentance. For with Daniel we declare:
I pleaded with The Lord my God and made this confession: 'O my Lord, God great and to be feared, you keep the covenant and show faithful love towards those who love you and who observe your commandments: we have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly, we have betrayed your commandments and rulings and turned away from them. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our chief men, our ancestors and all people of the country (Daniel 9:4-6).
May the Lord make sincere the cry of our hearts, as we seek His providential purpose.
In consideration of our hope that The Lord will "Emancipate" our Island of commonplace murders and criminal activity, may The Holy inspire the petitions we will formulate in raising our voices to Heaven. May each of us humbly pray:
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer (Ps 9:14).
Peace,
Archbishop Kenneth Richards
Chairman
Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches
