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Last Updated: Jan 21, 2019 - 1:12:23 PM |
 Nassau, The Bahamas – Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis congratulated recipients of the JCN ‘Person of the Year Award’ for contribution to their respective religious communities and nation building.
The Prime Minister delivered congratulatory remarks at the ceremony held Friday, January 18, 2019 at Jones Communications Network media centre on University Drive. Also present was Governor General, Her Excellency the Most Hon. Dame Marguerite Pindling who presented each honouree with a plaque saluting his contribution to nation building and the religious community.
Honoured were Rev. Dr. Timothy Stewart, pastor of historic Bethel Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist church in The Bahamas, and president of Progressive National Baptist Convention of the United States; and Pastor Leonard Johnson, the first pastor from an English speaking territory to become Executive Secretary of the in Inter-American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
“Thank you Rev. Dr. Stewart and Dr. Johnson for your respective ministries and witness to faith and the common good,” said the Prime Minister.
He added, “These two esteemed religious leaders are being recognized for their contributions to the development of our nation. Awards like this one remind that there are many Bahamians who are doing their part to build a better Bahamas.”
Both men received the Jones Communications Network Person of the Year Award for 2018. This award also honours outstanding Bahamians who have made significant contributions to the political, social, civic and economic development of The Bahamas.
“I am the proud recipient of the 2017 Person of The Year Award,” said the Prime Minister.
The award was started 18 years ago by the CEO of JCN, Wendall Jones. And, its past recipients have included former prime ministers well-known members of the clergy, businessmen, athletes and physicians.
“Religious leaders play a powerful role in our society. They help shape attitudes and opinions and influence behaviors,” the Prime Minister acknowledged.
For almost four decades, Rev. Dr. Timothy Stewart has served as pastor of the Bethel Baptist Church on Meeting Street; and, as the Prime Minister described, the church has anchored its community’s spiritual life for over two centuries. History records that Bethel Baptist Church played an important role in the struggle for social equality leading up to Majority Rule. “Rev. Dr. Stewart has preserved the trailblazing legacy of the church that was first formed by Samuel Scriven and Prince Williams in 1790 as Bethel’s Meeting House,” the Prime Minister noted.
This year, Rev. Dr. Stewart will serve as President of the Progressive National Baptist Convention in the US, which has an estimated membership of 2.5 million. Rev. Dr. Stewart is described as “an inspiration to clergymen and members of the community of faith in The Bahamas and the Americas.”
Regarding Dr. Johnson, the Prime Minister acknowledged that he was recently installed as the first pastor from an English-speaking territory to become executive secretary of the Inter-American Division of Seventh Day Adventists. The Division has a membership of more than three million and oversees the church’s work in 42 countries. Dr. Johnson has served in ministry for many years. He is celebrated for outstanding preaching ministry.
In 2016, Dr. Johnson was the first Seventh-Day Adventist minister to receive the CMG medal in The Bahamas.
“Let me also thank the Baptist community and the Seventh Day Adventist Church for their tremendous contributions to our Bahamas, including in education and social development,” the Prime Minister said. He deemed it essential to honour those who contribute to the development of the society.
“Public recognition helps to ensure that their contributions do not fade from our national memory. It also helps nurture a strong sense of community and national pride. It sets a good example for others, and offers young people a source of inspiration,” the Prime Minister said.
He thanked JCN CEO Wendall Jones for seeing value in recognizing citizens who make a difference.
© Copyright 2019 by thebahamasweekly.com
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