THE MONTHLY GLEANER | APRIL 6 - MAY 3, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 5 NEW YORK, NEW YORK: BISHOP DR C. B. Peter Morgan has been named the new chairman of the Jamaica Diaspora Day of Prayer and Fasting (JDOP) Committee as preparations gear up to rally Jamaicans across the diaspora to pray and fast for the island. The 19th annual Jamaica Day of Prayer and Fasting is scheduled for Saturday, July 15, this year as Jamaicans begin celebrations for the country’s 61st anniversary of Independence. Returning to the in-person format, JDOP 2023 will also be live-streamed over various online platforms, including YouTube. A founder of the Deeper Life Ministries and Convent Community Churches in Jamaica and a respected Christian leader in Jamaica, the Caribbean, and the diaspora, Dr Morgan was unanimously affirmed and appointed to lead the movement at a planning meeting in January. Bishop Morgan succeeds Rev Newton Gabbidon, who led the previous year, having succeeded Rev Andrew Bennett, who had, for the previous nine years, led the initiative founded in 2014 by Rev Dr. SamVassell. Vassell, now Church of the Nazarene New York Metro District Superintendent, oversees some 150 churches in the NewYork-New JerseyConnecticut (Tri-State) area. Now residing in North Carolina, Bishop Morgan has been engaged with JDOP since its beginning. Among other roles, he has prepared the global prayer agenda for the special oneday, annual gathering that coincides with the Jamaican Emancipation and Independence holiday celebrations. “The annual Day of Prayer and Fasting preceding the Emancipation and Independence Week in August is the central event for us,” Bishop Morgan stated in accepting to lead JDOP, a consortium of Jamaican clergy and Christian and community leaders who have remained spiritually engaged in the affairs of their island home. He noted the JDOP’s significance “within the global Jamaica diaspora community in the growth and development of the homeland.” Preparations for the event include identifying more sites to serve as “prayer hubs” within areas where Jamaican communities are concentrated, especially in Britain, the USA, and Canada. Dr Peter Morgan, new chairman of Jamaica Diaspora Day of Prayer and Fasting Bishop Dr. C.B. Peter Morgan. CONTRIBUTED NEW JERSEY: GRACE FOODS has announced that it has renewed its partnership with the Penn Relays Carnival over the next three years. The 2023 track and field meet, which will be held between April 27 and 29 at the University of Pennsylvania’s historic Franklin Field, is now in its 127th year and continues to be an excellent opportunity for Jamaican high school athletes to showcase their prowess on an international stage. Don Wehby, Group CEO of GraceKennedy (GK), the parent company of Grace Foods, explained: “Sports is one of the greatest vehicles to promote fairplay, discipline, and a drive for excellence among youth. GraceKennedy’s support of youth sporting activities is well-known. We view this support as amajor investment in nation building – an investment in our youth, our schools, sports development, and our country.” The 2023 Penn Relays Carnival will be staged a month after the spectacular ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys & Girls’ Championships, popularly called ‘Champs’, which is the foundation event for Jamaican junior track and field athletes, many of whomgo on to the Penn Relays to further showcase their talents. Wehby continued: “Our support of Champs in Jamaica began 16 years ago in 2007 and is our single largest sponsorship anywhere in the world. We are proud to continue our support of Champs and of the Penn Relays Carnival year after year. Each year, these meets set the stage for the youth of our nation to showcase their talent in track and field not only to Jamaica, but to the world.” INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE At the 2023 Penn Relays, Grace Foods will sponsor eight championship races, including the High School Girls’4x100m and 4x400mChampionship of America; the High School Boys’ 400m Hurdles Championship; the High School Boys’ 4x100m, 4x400m, Distance Medley and the 4x800mChampionship of America; as well as the College Men’s 4x200m Championship of America. Grace Foods’ sponsorship also includes onsite sampling and giveaways. “We are happy to continue our sponsorship of the Penn Relays, which spans over a decade,”said Andrea Coy, CEO of GK Foods International. “The Relays offer our athletes well-needed international exposure, and the opportunity to engage with athletes, coaches and volunteers from across the region. It also gives Grace Foods the chance to exhibit our products and engage with our consumers who attend the event from all across the United States,” she added. ScottWard, executive director of the Penn Relays, is equally thrilled about the renewed collaboration. He said, “We are excited to continue our longstanding partnership with Grace Foods. Their significant presence every year at the Penn Relays adds to the festive atmosphere in Carnival Village and their support towards our Jamaican and Caribbean participants and fans is magnificent. We look forward to partnering with GraceKennedy at the Penn Relays for many years to come.” Grace Foods renews partnership with Penn relays Scott Ward, executive director of the Penn Relays Don Wehby, Group CEO of GraceKennedy (GK). The Jamaica College team copped top relay honours at Penn 2022. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS With prayer and fasting as the focus, the JDOP 2023 programme revolves around Jamaican Christians across the diaspora coming together on July 15, seeking divine intervention amid stubborn, national challenges, notably public safety and insecurity, abused and at-risk children, poverty, corruption, the healt care and education systems, as well as other pressing socio-political and economic problems. JDOP 2023 will feature, as in past years, messages from leaders in the three key diaspora divisions: the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Interested Jamaicans will be able to join in a multidimensional service that includes prayer, inspirational messages, and music. A major investment in nation building - Wehby
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