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LET THE CHURCH compassion and love. I have heard about of a son of the soil, a Methodist minister, Rev.
LET THE CHURCH
Donald C. Henry, who delivered the sermon on
governance and dreams and aspirations. And
I have watched as people who could not freely
enter the church in the 17th and 18th centuries that historic day, that clearly explained what our
independence really meant:
SAY ‘AMEN’
SAY ‘AMEN’ slowly became the main worshippers – and then “It is only from today that we are able to affirm
the teachers, preachers, deacons, priests and
that we belong to the family of nations. Authority
bishops.
to rule and govern and to decide, concerning this
- Barbara A. Arrindell
I digress. nation and all its affairs, now and henceforward,
belongs absolutely to us as a nation and people.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:12 That’s what happens when you ask an old building But finally, it is we who belong to this nation,
like me to remember; my thoughts will wander who will have the sovereign rights to make the
f course I know about Independence! I There have been very few official events over way back. But, yes, I remember November 1st, decisions about our national lives.”
played an important role on November these last 350 years with which I have not been 1981, and the days leading up to it, and the days
O1st, 1981. I let all who had ears to hear directly involved. The events that I did not witness right after. Pulling wisdom from the Psalms, he ended his
know that an independent sermon by reminding all within his voice that
nation had just been born. As I remember the service. Oh, what a glorious “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
they raised our flag at midnight, service!
my bells were rung; and I,
like everyone and everything Just hours before they came here to worship, the
Antiguan and Barbuadan, had new Prime Minister, V.C. Bird, Sr., had admonished
pride coursing through every those gathered at the Antigua Recreation Ground
part of me. not to squander the newly minted independence
– “lest we achieve freedom and, later, through

I have been around for unconcern, selfish disinterest, humility, or lack of
hundreds of years, so I have watchfulness allow ourselves ever to become the
a feeling that witnessing mere tools of the powerful.”
Independence might have held
more meaning for me than it It was an impressive group of very important
might for others. Let me try to people who gathered that day, filling my
explain why. pews. The Premier, overnight, had become the
Prime Minister. The Governor had become the

My cornerstone was laid in Governor-General.
1845, and in October 1847
they started using me for I already had an important title: I was the
worship, even though I was not Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine and that
technically complete. But the I would always be. But was I still the Church
spirit of the two churches that of England? No one ever really answered that
stood on this site before me live on in me. I can myself, I knew of through the gossip or prayers question for me. But in my heart, encased in both
therefore say that my memory extends as far of my parishioners. If my walls could talk, there wood and stone, I knew that I, too, had been
back as the late 1600s. would be no secrets. transformed and had become not merely The
Cathedral, not just Big Church, but I was now the
I know what the island was, and so I have reason I have heard all there is to hear about slavery, official church of Antigua and Barbuda.
to be proud (in some circumstances) of what it discrimination, and hatred. Fortunately, I have
has become. also heard talk about emancipation, education, When all was said and done, it was the words

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