Barbados has now fallen to a new level of behaviour and its redemption must be rooted in humility and the fear of God.
So said Bethel Methodist Church preacher Michael Worrell, who spoke yesterday as celebrations to mark the 16th Week Of Excellence programme began yesterday.
The steering committee organising the week comprises representatives of the Central Bank, Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), Productivity Council, Office of Public Sector Reform and the National Initiative for Service Excellence (NISE), Barbados Employers’ Confederation and the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Many of their representatives were in attendance at the Lower Bay Street, St Michael church.
Worrell said the country needed healing, but it could only be done through reverence.
“There can be no culture change in an organisation or in a country except the leadership knows the God of power and compassion. Unless the leadership of this country is prepared to come in with repentance and humility before God seeking new righteousness, a new mindset based on reverence, productivity will be nothing more than an interesting discussion topic. And the detailed plans will be reduced to an exercise except unless the leadership will do as God says,” Worrell said.
Senior assistant general secretary at the BWU, Orlando “Gabby” Scott, also said God’s inclusion was important. He added the country needed to get back to foundation values and small forms of civility such as saying ‘good morning’, ‘thank you’ and ‘excuse me, please’.
“These traditional niceties seem to have become foreign to our way of life. Our backward steps may have been the foundation elements for the culture of violence which now pervades our society, especially among a section of our youth demographic,” he stressed.
He said the Week of Excellence programme was geared to a wider Barbados, which embraced the church. (TG)
