Published 17 February 2020
Buckie Got It. St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
PM Harris: Gospel Concert is Team Unity’s gift to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, February 17, 2020 (PLP PR Media Inc.) — Hundreds thronged Greenlands Pasture on Sunday evening February 16 to participate in Team Unity’s Gospel Concert which was headlined by Pastor Donald Andrew ‘Donnie’ McClurkin, Jr. 60, an American gospel singer and minister.
Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, while addressing the supercharged patrons, thanked the electorate for having chosen wisely on 16th February 2015 when they gave Team Unity the mandate to run the government. He noted that five years after, the country is moving in the right direction, and Team Unity is sending a clear message that they will not go back.
“So from the bottom of my heart on behalf of all my Cabinet colleagues, we have come tonight to say thank you – thank you again for giving us the opportunity to serve the people of St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Prime Minister Harris. “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to create more jobs; thank you for giving us the opportunity to improve healthcare; thank you for giving us the opportunity to deliver $500 per month to the needy in our country.”
The Honourable Prime Minister was widely cheered when he said: “We know last time it was not just our will – it was the will of God. It was the will of God because God puts up and God takes down, and that is why we have come tonight and our gift to you the people of St. Kitts and Nevis is this massive gospel concert.”
Team Unity Gospel Concert which was held under the theme ‘869 moving in the right direction with God’ was hosted by Mr Carl Springate. Supporting acts, before Donnie McClurkin came on stage, were by Euphony Praise, Dejohn (on steel pan), Ms Lawyne Hutchinson, Mrs Dawn Williams, Ms Venelle Powell out of Nevis, and Mr Vakiel Herbert.
Governor General’s Deputy, His Excellency Mr Michael Morton and Mrs Morton were in attendance. Also present were ambassadors, His Excellency Michael Powell, His Excellency Sydney Osborne, and His Excellency Jonel Powell.
Deputy Prime Minister the Hon Shawn Richards was also present as were his Cabinet colleagues, Senior Minister and Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs the Hon Vance Amory, Minister of Tourism the Hon Lindsay Grant, Minister of Public Infrastructure the Hon Ian Patches Liburd, and Attorney General the Hon Vincent Byron.
Members of Cabinet present at the Gospel Concert, along with Ambassador Jonel Powell, were invited on the stage by Prime Minister Harris who introduced them to the audience.
In introducing the Hon Vance Amory, Prime Minister Harris said: “He is the former leader of the CCM, and we thank them for the support. You know it is a wonderful feeling for the people of Nevis to have a government in Basseterre that looks well after the people of Nevis and looks well after the people of St. Kitts. Unity is strength – how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity.”
Before leaving the stage, Prime Minister Harris told the audience: “One last special gift we will leave with you – Ian Patches Liburd will do a song selected for you to show how talented we are.”
Feature guest artiste Donnie McClurkin, as he is best known, is the winner of three Grammy Awards, ten Stellar Awards, two BET Awards, two Soul Train Awards, one Dove Award and one NAACP Image Awards. He is one of the top selling Gospel music artists, selling over 10 million albums worldwide.
The gospel singer, who told the supercharged audience “I like it down here because we have worshippers”, belted out a number of songs which the crowd lustily sang along including a song in a Nigerian dialect which the crowd sang along as well, as they waved hands in the air.
