THE CHURCH IS PLAYING its role in trying to combat the violence and set the island’s youth on the right path.
Led by Pastor Pauline Rawlins, leader of the Meet Me At the Gate initiative, around 14 groups gathered at secondary and primary schools across the island yesterday evening on the eve of the new school term.
Scores met at Milton Lynch, Christ Church Girls’, St George Secondary, Deighton Griffith, Parkinson, Springer Memorial, Combermere, Frederick Smith Secondary, Alexandra and elsewhere, to pray for students, teachers, parents, and institutions.
Some of those institutions included the Child Care Board, School Meals Service, the University of the West Indies and public and private day-care centres.
Rawlins, who was joined by six other people outside St George Secondary, told the DAILY NATION she had seen some positive changes since she began the initiative in 2008.
“I’ve seen a change at this school. I know that there are still the little fights but I have definitely seen a change.
“When I prayed at this school, I prayed to the Lord not to let another scandal come from this school and I haven’t heard of any,” she said.
“We’ve been praying at Foundation and we have seen them produce their first Barbados Scholar and a sixth form, so we can see that the prayer is working.”
Rawlins said she thought the initiative was needed now more than ever, considering the rise of violence and the direction in which school children seemed to be headed.
“Right now we need this. We need help from God, especially with all of this madness which is happening.
“When you look around, all you are hearing about is a shooting or a murder. God is the only one who can deliver us from this,” she insisted.
One of the organisers, Errol Griffith, and a small crowd gathered outside the Deighton Griffith School in Christ Church.
He said what was especially pleasing was the fact that the group was made up of mostly strangers who just came together to be part of the initiative.
“Most of the people who turned up didn’t know each other. They just wanted to be part of the praying group. It was a good sight to see strangers come together and unify in close prayer and worship,” Griffith said.
His wife Suzanne was a short distance away at Milton Lynch Primary, where five people turned up.
One of the bigger groups was at Combermere, where over 20 people converged at the gate around 4:45 p.m.
Once there, they prayed, danced and sang songs, before taking a brief walk around the compound for more prayers.
