Thursday, 17 October was recorded in history as Grenada Chaplaincy Association’s first-ever graduation ceremony and certification of 50 Community Service Chaplains in Grenada.
The graduation was the climax of an intensive 3-day training workshop for a total of 60 people, comprising of bishops, pastors, ministers and leaders who were the first to be trained as Community Service Chaplains in the region. The training was delivered by Doctors Brenda and Richard Pace of the Church of God Chaplains Commission based in Cleveland, Tenessee, USA.
Bishop Dr Philip Bonaparte, who is the Overseer of the New Testament Church of God (Grenada) & Pastor and District Overseer at New Hope Church of God, USA; congratulated the graduates for establishing the first-ever Chaplaincy Association in the Caribbean. Through his passionate address, he charged the graduates to ensure that they showed care, concern and compassion to the least, the lost and the last in society, and in doing so that they would be fulfilling the mandate given by Christ himself.
Referencing the well-known Bible story of the Good Samaritan, Bishop Bonaparte encouraged the many local pastors present to tangibly show love and compassion, which he added was ‘much more powerful than any message one could preach’. In addition, he reminded graduates of their responsibility to demonstrate the love of God in care, concern and compassion by “doing-something” for an individual in need, whether it is to – just be there, to listen, to counsel or extend a hand of care.
Pastor Jude Hector, Chairman of the Grenada Chaplaincy Association Steering Committee, pledged that through its membership, it has already started providing spiritual and emotional support in various institutions such as the hospital, prison and police services, workplaces and schools and will continue to impact the lives of Grenadians through other institutions in need of this service.
The ceremony was attended by various organisations and institutions including Her Majesty’s Prisons, the Royal Grenada Police Force, NaDMA, Special Victim’s Support, Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies and the Alliance of Evangelical Churches.
Grenada Chaplaincy Association
