Thanksgiving Gathering Set For Wednesday
The Anglican Bishop of Bermuda has joined with other churches and community groups to hold a special service to thank Bermuda’s “hurricane heroes.”
The service will be held on Wednesday [Oct 29] between 12.30pm and 2pm at City Hall, with the Anglican Cathedral on Church Street as the alternative site in case of rain.
Bishop Nicholas Dill said the service would also remember those whose homes suffered serious damage and the thousands left without power for several days.
He added: “It’s good to be seen to be coming together and to have an opportunity to thank those people who have helped the community and for those who are still in dire straits.
“We want to thank God for bringing us through two storms and for Bermuda’s resilience and acknowledge and thank all those groups that help and to pray for those for whom life continues to be a struggle.”
And Bishop Dill said: “We do want to acknowledge the Bermuda Regiment – I know a lot of them have been helping everyone else when their own homes may be in a mess.
“Along with many others, they put their lives on the line and their lives on hold and we want to recognize that spirit in our community.”
But Bishop Dill said the Regiment was, of course, not alone – and that the Fire Service, police, Government workers from Parks and Works & Engineering as well as teams from power firm BELCO and staff from telecoms firms also deserved thanks for their round-the-clock efforts to get the Island back to normal as quickly as possible.
And he added: “The media have been very important in keeping us informed of what’s going on. They all had a role to play in keeping us connected, informed and safe.”
The service, to be held at lunchtime on Wednesday at City Hall in Hamilton, was organized in conjunction with community group Imagine Bermuda, the Family Centre and other churches, including the Catholic church, the AME church, Seventh Day Adventists, the First Church of God and the New Testament Church of God among others.
Imagine coordinator Glenn Fubler said: “With two storms, we’ve been through probably the most challenging week that Bermuda’s seen in decades.
“This event is to show appreciation for those organisations like the Regiment, especially so because they have to go the extra mile, and BELCO, BTC, the police and others who were out there – all those who were more vulnerable than most of us.”
Bermuda Regiment CO Lt Col Michael Foster-Brown said: “The Regiment is humbled and appreciative of this gesture.
“I’d encourage our soldiers to attend in their combat uniforms if they can and we hope employers will allow them to wear their uniforms to work to show their support for our citizen soldiers.”
Col Foster-Brown added: “These storms have highlighted the Regiment’s enduring importance as the Island’s insurance policy.
“Our soldiers are predominantly part-time and we ask a lot of them but, as I knew they would, in Bermuda’s time of need they rose to the challenge with enthusiasm and professionalism – just as they will when the next emergency inevitably comes.
“Our soldiers are tired after a busy two weeks – but morale is high. The gratitude for our work has been sustaining and, like Bermuda itself, the Regiment is resilient.”
