A PENTECOSTAL CLERIC is warning that selfish feelings and frivolity appear to have taken root in today's society.

However, they have no place in marriage, which is a covenant and must be taken seriously, said Reverend Dr Michael Crichlow yesterday.

He was delivering the sermon at People's Cathedral to mark the Barbados Co-operative & Credit Union League's 50th anniversary.

"A covenant is a solid agreement that is binding on all parties and many persons don't treat covenants seriously today, that's why many covenants are broken," he told the congregation that included members of the credit union movement and Minister of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Business Development, Senator Lynette Eastmond.

Crichlow said the marriage covenant was treated with scant respect.

"We're seeing that survey after survey is showing us that the average life of a marriage in the developed world is now less than 12 years. It therefore means that there are a lot of marriages not lasting 12 years . . . . We do have marriages lasting around 25, 30, 40, 50 years . . .," said the pastor.

He noted that there was a survey in the United States, which showed that the average marriage there lasted seven years.

He reminded the congregation that people would do well to remember their vows which spoke of "forsaking all others" and staying together for "as long as you both shall live".

"Yet everything seems to have to be fun and feelings. Everything is based only on feelings and frivolity. If you don't feel good you don't do it. The fun has gone out of the marriage and therefore we split up. Today many marriages don't last two years . . .," Crichlow observed.

He said that when the church got together to eat and drink as part of the Eucharist, the communion, and the Lord's Supper, it should "stop, hang on a minute [because] there is some seriousness going on here. It's a covenant that's involved, don't be frivolous and very superficial as though nothing is happening".

In his remarks, president of the Barbados Co-operative & Credit Union League, Michael Alleyne, said the credit union boasted a membership of "just over" 147 000 with assets of $1 billion.

He said that while the numbers were "very impressive" the real story of the success was the "positive difference" they had made in the lives of thousands of people.

The organisation is marking its 50th anniversary on Wednesday. (DS)