Cayman Islands Older Persons Month 2017 opens with Agape church service

Older Persons Month 2017 officially opened with a church service at the Agape Family Centre on Sunday, 1 October 2017.

Government officials present included His Excellency the Acting Governor Franz Manderson and his wife Nuvia Manderson; Acting Premier/Minister Community Affairs, Hon. Roy McTaggart; Acting Chief Officer for Community Affairs Teresa Echenique; and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Director, Felicia Robinson.

The event was also attended by Lindburg Eden, one of this year’s Older Persons Month Ambassadors.
The Agape church service started with uplifting worship songs. Mr. McTaggart delivered the Older Persons Month message in which he extolled the many, significant, past and current contributions made by the islands’ senior citizens to the development and stability of the Cayman Islands. The Hon. Minister referenced the Older Persons Law, 2017 and the Policy for Older Persons as proof of Government’s ongoing commitment towards elder rights.

Mr. McTaggart closed his address by thanking Ms Echenique and Mrs. Robinson for their staff’s year-round management of services for the elderly and, in particular, their planning of the month-long observance. He also praised those in the private sector who helped through funding initiatives geared towards improving the care, wellbeing and safety of older persons.

Older Persons Month Committee Chairman Leanora Wynter-Young read 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. This was followed by prayer by DCFS staffer Dorline Welcome and a reading of a self-penned poem celebrating Older Persons Month by one of last year’s ambassadors, Janilee Clifford.

Vernice Myles demonstrated her artistic flair when she delivered a remixed rendition of the song “Thank you Lord for your Blessings on me” by inserting into the lyrics her thanks to social services.

The Pastor, Andrew Ebanks framed his sermon around the Older Persons Month theme: “Stepping into the Future: Contributions of Older Persons in Society.” Making reference to the biblical characters Moses and Joshua, he enjoined the congregation to honour and appreciate the hard work and wise counsel of elders who had helped shape the prosperity of the Cayman Islands for successive generations. Pastor Andrew emphasised that many of the decisions that older persons had made decades ago were still positively impacting today’s society.