The Committee for the Promotion of National Religious Services (CPNRS), responsible for the planning and promotion of the annual national thanksgiving services including the Independence Thanksgiving Service, Workers’ Week Thanksgiving Service, and the Heritage Week Thanksgiving Service, received a new chairman today, during the committee’s final annual meeting and appreciation ceremony at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s (JCDC) Head Office in Kingston.
Bishop the Honourable Conrad Pitkin CD, JP of the Jamaica Association of Full Gospel Churches will assume the responsibility as committee chairperson beginning January 2022. He relieves outgoing chairman Rev. Dr. Peter Garth of the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance who served as committee chairperson from 2019 to 2021.
The ceremony also saw acknowledgement and appreciation being shown to Elder Dr. Fredrick Thompson representing the Jamaica Pentecostal Union Apostolic and Rt. Rev. Gary Harriott representing the Jamaica Council of Churches, two of the committee’s now retired members who had served faithfully for a combined total of almost 30 years.
The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange in her remarks expressed gratitude to the members of the committee for their service and congratulated the CPNRS on continuing to dutifully conduct the country’s spiritual affairs.
“As a nation who pledges to, under God, play our part in the advancement of the whole human race; we have been blessed, to be guided by a body of persons whose very lives and purpose are to promote the word of God in every element of national life. And such, I want to especially thank those who have been a part of the CPNRS for many years,” Minister Grange said.
“Today, I would like to recognize two retiring members of the committee who have served faithfully for a total of 30 years; Elder Dr. Fredrick Thompson and Rt. Rev. Gary Harriott. I want to thank you both for the work you have done as you toiled tirelessly and with great dedication to ensure celebrations are always anchored in the spirit of God. We acknowledge your invaluable service and timeless devotion as part of the legacy that you will leave behind”, Minister Grange continued.
“Special commendation and thanks to stalwarts like Rev. Dr. Peter Garth, who has served as the chairman for the period of for the past 2 years from 2019 – 2021 and Rev. Courtney Gordon representing the Church of God in Jamaica who also served as our former chairman, 2017 – 2019. I acknowledge the leadership as I applaud the fellowship and the exemplary unity that has become the bedrock of all your deliberations and decisions,” shared Minister Grange.
Participants of the ceremony were also treated to a soulful and energized performance by Minister Darron Mitchell, the second place winner in the Jamaica Gospel Star Competition 2021, who sang “Make You Smile” by Jermaine Edwards and “My Tribute” by Andrae Crouch.
The CPNRS is a network of persons at the leadership level of the Umbrella Group of Churches and is comprised of representatives from various national religious groups. The 2021 membership of the Committee is as follows: Reverend Dr. Peter Garth, CD, JP representing the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance – Chairman; Bishop the Honourable Conrad Pitkin, CD, JP representing the Jamaica Association of Full Gospel Churches – Vice Chairman; Bishop Albert West representing the Jamaica Association of Full Gospel Churches; Bishop Christine Gooden-Benguche representing the Jamaica Council of Churches; Reverend Harris Cunningham representing the Jamaica Council of Churches; Bishop Devon Brown representing the Jamaica Pentecostal Union – Apostolic; Elder Dr. Elaine McCarthy representing the Jamaica Pentecostal Union- Apostolic; Bishop Dr. Alvin Bailey representing the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance; Pastor Adrian Cotterell representing the Jamaica Union of Seventh Day Adventists and Reverend Courtney Gordon representing the Church of God in Jamaica.
