Pastor calls for ‘invasion’ to rid Jamaica of evil
Published:Monday | February 24, 2025 | 12:11 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Ezekiel Clarke, the pastor of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Praise Temple in Falmouth, Trelawny, believes that Jamaica has taken its various blessings and advantages for granted and needs to return to godly principles in order to grow and prosper as a nation.
While addressing Sunday’s launch of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group’s 21st annual Region One Cross Country Invasion, held at his church, under the theme ‘One Nation, One Family’, Clarke suggested that Jamaica needs a “national invasion” to tackle the societal wrongs currently plaguing the country, including inequality, crime, and violence.
“Israel meant a lot to God, and God did all he could do for Israel, but Israel continued to drift away from God into idolatry. God is asking the question here today for Jamaica, What more do you want me to do for you, Jamaica?” said Clarke, referencing his sermon’s keynote text of Micah 6:1-8.
“When God is not pleased, who can appease God? God is kind of angry with us because we have passed some stupid and ridiculous laws, our Parliament is not so functional, our churches are kind of non-functional, and every sector of our society is falling apart, all because we departed and diverted from the principles that God asked us to uphold,” Clarke continued.
Pointing to specific examples of societal issues that need to be addressed, Clarke referenced an article in The Sunday Gleaner this past weekend that highlighted a 78-year-old woman’s loss of approximately J$60 million to the fraud at investment house Stocks and Securities Ltd that saw 200 clients, including Olympic legend Usain Bolt, together losing more than US$30 million.
“As we say in Jamaica, What a nice place to live!. But somebody says, ‘Money naah run’. But money deh run if one man [Bolt] can lose so much millions of dollars in one investment. I read this morning [Sunday] in your lovely newspaper where a 78-year-old woman lost millions, so money deh run, but sometimes it runs in the wrong direction, and sometimes people run with your money,” Clarke quipped.
“We need some ‘invasion’ in some other places. We tried states of emergency, zones of special operations, curfews, and all kinds of interventions, but what we need is an invasion,” Clarke added. “I am going to use today to declare a national invasion across this country. We need a spiritual invasion in this country, and I am not talking about churches speaking in more tongues. Where evil abounds, you can launch an invasion because we need to get rid of evil.”
In the meantime, Milton Walker, the RJRGLEANER Group’s deputy general manager of broadcast and cable news and sports, described Sunday’s church service as an opportunity for reflection by the media conglomerate’s members ahead of the Cross Country Invasion’s upcoming series of activities.
“Our choice of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Praise Temple is deliberate, worshipping and fellowshipping at a church that has deep roots here in this historic town of Falmouth as it fits well with this year’s Cross Country Invasion,” said Walker. “Cross Country Invasion offers a good opportunity for the RJRGLEANER Group to mix and mingle with the people who we serve and empower every day with information, news, and entertainment.”
The Cross Country Invasion’s planned events for this week will include a number of outdoor broadcasts, plus a street event in Green Island, Hanover, this upcoming Friday and a family fun day at the Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay, St James, the next day.