March has been dubbed Baptist Month by the National Congress of Incorporated Baptist Organisations of T&T (NCOIBOTT).
According to public relations officer, Canon Desmond Griffith, the time has come for members of the faith to stop hiding and being ashamed of their religious beliefs.
Urging all followers to proudly don their traditional attire at all functions during the month, Griffith said they also had to establish their “home” at Maloney and stop “going to all kinds of places” to host their various activities.
Griffith made the brief remarks as he delivered the vote of thanks at the media launch of the NCOIBOTT calendar of events for March 2016, at the St Francis Spiritual Baptist Church, Second Caledonia, Morvant, yesterday.
The theme for this year is Jesus Christ The Same God, Yesterday, Today and Forever.
Welcoming the small group who turned out for the launch, secretary of the Archbishops Council, Archbishop Winston Ironside, called on all members to remember the older heads who had fought for freedom and the opportunity to openly practise their religion.
He said although they were liberated, followers were previously denied many opportunities but now had a chance for equality in schools and employment.
Chairman of the organisation Rev Dr Hazel Ann Gibbs De Peza presented the calendar of events which she explained, sought to educate both the young and old as to the contributions made by the faith.
School visits, open-air service sessions, public lectures, lunch-time concerts, a skills display, a procession, youth rally and visits to elderly homes, orphanages and prisons have been scheduled to take place during the month, as part of the run-up to the liberation day celebrations on March 30 at Baptist Boulevard, Maloney.
De Peza said the main objective was “to build awareness and appreciation for the contribution of the Spiritual Baptist faith to the national fabric and to dispel some of the myths and misconceptions about the faith.”
With activities scheduled to take place across both islands, De Peza said the NCOIBOTT was about “offering prayers for the nation and to make people conscious of the role of the Almighty in bringing changes to the nation.”
She added, “We will be getting back to our roots.”
The NCOIBOTT comprises eight local Baptist organisations including the West Indian Spiritual Baptist Sacred Order; the Tribune Shouters Baptist Inc; the National Ecclesiastical Council of Spiritual Baptist Churches of T&T Inc; Garazin Shouter and Baptist Archdiocese; Mt Zion Independent Spiritual Baptist Church Incorporated of T&T; International Spiritual Baptist Ministerial Council of T&T; Levitical Council of Spiritual Baptist Ministers Inc; and St Ann’s Church of Spiritual Metaphysics Inc.