Statement
STATEMENT BY PREMIER AND MINISTER OF FINANCE HONOURABLE ANDREW A. FAHIE
DURING THE ELEVENTH SITTING OF THE THIRD SESSION
OF THE FOURTH HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
Thursday 12th August 2021
21 DAYS PRAYER AND FASTING
Mister Speaker, the Virgin Islands is built on the ‘Solid Rock”—Abba our Father.
One of the things we know for sure is that our ancestors took refuge only in the Hands of GOD and they saw victory prevail.
That is why your Government has always and will continue to keep God in everything that we seek to do on behalf of the people of the Virgin Islands.
On August 1, 2021, as one Virgin Islands we culminated the 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting in a virtual service held live from the New Life Baptist Church at 4:30 p.m.
We would have started this collective journey from Sunday, July 11 to July 31, from 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily for 21 consecutive days.
Your Government thanks all those who joined hearts and hands in agreement and in unity for the safety and protection and that of the economy. Several pastors and prayer warriors came forward and contributed prayers and daily scriptures. I saw many instances of churches doing their part to hold prayer and worship sessions, and they too prayed for others, remembering the lives of those affected, whether by death or illness.
The church is core in the Virgin Islands history and economy. I thank the kingdom ambassadors for seeing that this was not a Government event, but rather the Virgin Islands call on God.
During the 21 days, persons chose their own time in the day and individually or collectively petition GOD to continue to keep us all safe and protected during this challenging time.
The Prayer and Fasting was inspired by scriptures of Ezra 8:21-23 which states, …I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions….So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.”
Mister Speaker, our prayers, praise and worship is important and I thank God that we continue to set time aside to go to his throne of grace.
In 2019 your Government started the monthly praise and thanksgiving service, whether it meant a physical service, call-in radio service or virtual service.
When I announced the need for the ongoing service, I said that it was important for us to open the year and collectively seek God to terminate tragedies as we celebrate triumphs of 2020 and seal our faith and our future as we go the future with God’s hand ordering our steps.
On January 1 2020, at the beginning of that year, we came together as one Virgin Islands at the Queen Elizabeth II Park. We took an important pause and joined together in one accord to petition God for His favour as a journeyed through the year 2020.
On January 1, 2021, we started the beginning of this year at the Queen Elizabeth II Park with a praise and thanksgiving service offering up waves, upon waves of thanksgiving and praise.
We will continue as a people to petition God for He is merciful and faithful. I know that there are persons who think that God and State should be separated, but in the Virgin Islands we know this cannot be the case since it was God who paved the way for our people to be liberated to chart their own course and develop their state—the Virgin Islands.
You Government thanks the combined praise and worship team from the different congregations and all members of the clergy, including members of the BVI Christian Council for their continued support and leadership in celebrating GOD’s love.
Together, we will all continue to remain close with GOD, we will continue to win this battle. I am asking the Church and the people to continue to pray for our Virgin Islands, for its only through prayer that we will recognize the time and season that we are in. Whereby God will give us the strategies to guide our work and actions. Only through this would we as a people of the Virgin Islands be able to successfully navigate our way in and through challenging times.
I look forward to us continuing to come together as we pray, fast, petition, repent, praise and believe, and move forward in GOD together.
Mister Speaker, I thank you.
