The Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) Council of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Mission of Seventh-day Adventists will host a public forum under the theme “Unity of Church and State: Implications for Religious Liberty in SVG” on Thursday February 22, 2018 at NIS Conference Room from 5:30pm to 8:00pm.
From the early inception of the Seventh-day Adventist Church there has been a strong focus on the promotion of religious liberty as a fundamental, God-given human right.
It is for this reason we have organized a public forum which will bring together representatives from varying religious persuasions to discuss issues relevant to the unification of Church and State in SVG. The PARL Council in SVG has hosted annual conventions over the last six years to celebrate and promote religious liberty for all people, no matter their beliefs.
Panelists participating in this public forum are:
Dr. Clive Dottin – Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventists
Rev. Dr. Cecil Richards – Senior Pastor, Kingstown Baptist Church
Mr. Sydney Harry – Islamic Center of SVG
Representative – The Spiritual Baptist Archdiocese of SVG
Representative – The Christian Council of SVG
The objectives of the forum are as follows:
- To advocate the importance of religious liberty to persons in SVG;
- To inform participants of the varying positions on religious liberty issues, clarifying any myths and or misunderstandings where necessary;
- To provide a forum for participants to share their views and ask questions in relation to religious liberty issues in SVG;
- To retell the Spiritual Baptist experience in the Pre-2000 era of SVG; and
- To foster dialogue between various faith groups regarding religious liberty in SVG.
We anticipate the presence of members of the Government, the Opposition, the judiciary, the civil service, the private sector and the church. The forum will be filmed and may be carried live by radio broadcast and social media.
The Convention continues into the weekend with two further events – a Vesper Service on Friday, February 23, 2018 at 7:00 pm at the Kingstown SDA Church with Pastor Dermoth Baptiste, President of the SVG Mission of Seventh-day Adventists; and a Church Service on Saturday February 24, 2018 at 9:00 am at the Barrouallie SDA Church with guest speaker, Dr. Clive Dottin, Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty at the Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago.
The full program for the conference can be viewed at: http://svgadventists.org/updates/.
