MARIGOT--Apostle Rosemond Romney and his wife Clémence were honoured with an appreciation service organised by Radio Maranatha in Sandy Ground Cultural Centre on Friday evening, to mark their many years of spiritual service to the community.
The uplifting evening was opened and closed by Worship of Thankfulness Choir, and filled with tributes from church ministers and pastors, song and dance, prayers and scripture readings.
The opening prayer was given by Apostle Lucien McDonna, followed by a scripture reading by Anayah Cook. Singer Malaïka Maxwell sang a worship song that was followed by a dance performance by Wind of Change Dancers.
Invited guest President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams paid a tribute to Apostle Romney.
A special guest for the evening was Dutch-side President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams. “I’m sure many of you can recall how long you have known Apostle Romney, or have grown up around him and his wife, and from what I’ve heard, he knew me long before I knew him,” said Wescot-Williams. “So I do acknowledge and recognise that since I returned to St. Maarten in the early 70s, as far as I can reflect back, Apostle Romney and his wife have been a stable part of the faith community of St. Martin/St. Maarten through thick and thin. You could count on them being there, even with their own hardships.
She added: “St. Maarten has changed, we have changed, the people have changed, the congregations of the churches have changed, couples have changed, and young people have changed. But in giving counselling and encouragement they must have had to adjust as they went along. It could not have been easy and it is not easy today to be counselling and giving answers to questions we all have. But they remained steadfast and faithful. They showed that with Christ all things are possible.
“May God bless you both and bless your work as you continue to watch over St. Martin/St. Maarten. Continue to pray for us and give us the encouragement to never give up.”
Other persons giving tributes to Apostle Romney included Independent Territorial Councillor Jules Charville, Charlie Rollan, Pastor Jerome Thomas and Claudine Thomas, and Pastor Jerome Harrigan and his wife Ruthlyn, managers of the New Beginning Radio Station (99.3FM) in Anguilla.
Songs were sung by Nadia Collins and Ruthlyn Harrigan, and Cecil Griffith performed a saxophone solo.
Apostle Romney and his wife were presented with bouquets of flowers and an appreciation award. The couple also received gifts, including a weekend stay in a hotel and a dinner for four.
Emcee Fanalia Baly disclosed the couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on December 16. They have served in the church ministry for more than 38 years.
The evening closed with blessings and words of thanks from Apostle Romney and his wife.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/64180-apostle-romney-honoured-with-appreciation-service
