BARBADOS Gospelfest had a rousing launch before a congregation of more than 300 yesterday, with executive producer Adrian Agard calling on church people to “come on board”.
During a thanksgiving service at Covenant Life Teaching Centre in Green Hill, St Michael, Agard said that if corporate Barbados could recognise that Barbados needed the festival and helpto bankroll it, then congregations across Barbados ought to embrace it as well.
Addressing the congregation under a large tent where there was only standing room, Agard said the business community had told him it liked what he was doing because it was “good for Barbados”.
He later told the DAILY NATION that the festival was a lot more than just entertainment.
“It’s about transforming people’s lives and inculcating certain values,” he said. “What we hope to be able to do with this festival is to showcase what is good and the best that has been given to the world is Jesus Christ.
“If, through this festival, people can come to a better awareness of God and the need for Him to be at the centre of their lives and they’re willing to make that commitment to him, we feel we would have achieved our objective.”
He said that over the years he had seen some “transformation” in lives because of the impact of the festival, which was growing in popularity.
The annual festival runs for a week with highlights including the annual Joseph Niles Legacy Lecture in Queen’s Park on Thursday; Laughter & Jazz at Divi Southwinds on Friday; the Ultimate Gospel Concert on Saturday at the Wildey Gymnasium; and the One Awesome Day concert at Farley Hill National Park next Sunday.
Grammy Award-winning gospel music artistes Hezekiah Walker and Tye Tribbett are among the performers listed to take part in Gospelfest.
Delivering the sermon, Bishop Wesley Dear said Gospelfest had had its share of problems and had overcome them.
At one time or another in their lives, people would face problems but no problem was too big for God to fix, Dear told the gathering.
He said it was important that those who asked God for help “take the first step” to tackle the hurdle, rather than sit back and expect it to disappear.
With God’s help, “obstacles give way to miracles”.
Highlights of the service included performances by members of the centre’s dance ministry in their white and gold outfits, the energetic dancing of the congregation and the singing of soloist Ni-Cola Witter of Britain.
(TY)
