Gospel gang gears up to help Grenada

The Gospel fraternity of Trinidad and Tobago raised $21,000 plus in cash in a matter of hours on Saturday night, in its efforts to raise funds for Grenada, which was devastated by Hurricane Ivan two weeks ago. The country’s top Gospel artistes, Sherwin Gardener, Ja Dee, Sean Daniel, Rev Peter Regis, J Errol Lewis and the Flow Masters Crew, came together in one accord at Miracle Ministries Christ Castle, Chase Village in Chaguanas, to hold a grand charity concert where performers and patrons were asked to contribute non-perishable food items and a minimum of $10 in what was deemed as “There Is A Cause” for Grenada.

Newsday understands that in addition to the cash raised at the event, concert officials estimate receiving 92 cartons of foodstuff and 14 cases of clothing. A team of 50 persons, including three doctors, four nurses and one pharmacist, are expected to go to Grenada on September 24 to have the food and other items distributed among the victims of Ivan. Radio personality Avonelle Hector-Joseph, who had just come back from Grenada, quickly made her way to the concert and was brought on stage to relate her experiences in Grenada to the audience. “I saw that everyone became equal, whether they had a shack as a dwelling place or a million dollar den — everyone was equal, ending up with nothing but hopelessness,” she said. “Whatever you all are seeing reported in the media, the pictures on television, the newspapers, it is so real and even worse, more than your minds could ever begin to imagine,” she said.

Hector-Joseph urged the audience to do their best by praying and continuing to contribute to the re-development of the island because, “They are in dire need of it and Grenada needs a considerable amount of time to build back and we are the ones to ensure that it happens.” Popular gospel artiste Sherwin Gardener told Newsday he was trying to have a sound system for a church, whose own was washed away by the floods, replaced. He said he found the experience of throwing a concert where artistes have to pay was a form of expressing love to the people of Grenada, and was in line with what God taught his people through His Holy Scriptures. Agreeing with Gardener was another popular artiste, Ja Dee, who described his experience as feeling confident and good within himself for getting involved in an event that would be contributing to the changing of people’s lives.
He also said that one of the church’s main responsibility was to help others in need.