TO: UCJCI CONGREGATIONS RE: COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Warmest Christian Greetings.
You wouldn’t have known that we were on the cusp of initiating a series of pastoral letters to our members and adherents of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands encouraging you to engage with us on some significant issues affecting our lives and societies. This one has intervened.
As you know, we have in the last forty eight hours been advised of the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Jamaica. As we watched and waited as the virus continued its spread across the
globe, like you, we have prayed to be sustained by the hand of God. God is faithful; He never leaves us nor forsakes us. The delay in the entry of the deadly virus on Jamaican shores has given us an
opportunity to prepare and to gather knowledge that is vital for the fight we now have on our hands in both nations.
As people of God, we know that fear and panic are not an option for “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). As we stand firm, let us be
an example of faith in our neighborhoods and communities. I encourage you to pay attention to the recommendations of our church leaders and directives of the legitimate state authorities, exercise care and compassion for those most vulnerable in our societies and those who are medically fragile. Let us impress on our children, by our own examples, the importance of personal hygiene and a clean environment.
United, we shall see this through together. Let our fervent prayers continue to rise to God, our Deliverer. We have declared next week Wednesday, March 18, 2020, a Day of Fasting and Prayer.
Let our supplications be made known to the Lord. God is able.
Sincerely Yours, In Christ,
Rt. Rev. Dr. Gordon Cowans
Moderator, UCJCI..