The 49th annual Red Cross Ball – the first to kick off the 2023 Ball season - was certainly one for the books! Held last Saturday evening under the theme,” We Ballin’, Lights Camera, Action,” hundreds showed up at the Grand Ballroom of the Atlantis Resort to show their support to the outreach organization. BTC was a $20,000 Platinum title sponsor of the Ball, and several members of team BTC were in attendance, including its CEO, Sameer Bhatti who delivered remarks, and BTC’s Deputy Chairman, Valentine Grimes. 

GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — The countdown to the country’s 50th anniversary of independence began with a Grand Unveiling of the Official 50th Independence Logo and Theme in Rawson Square on Thursday, January 19, 2023.

Residents in Grand Bahama, including Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey, Senator Kirkland Russell and other dignitaries, gathered on the lawn of the Harold Degregory Complex for a Logo and Theme Launch 'Watch Party.'

Residents throughout the Family Islands gathered in a similar fashion and watched the celebrations, Bahamian culture, music and of course a rush out from the reigning two-time Junkanoo parade champions, One Family, officially kicking off the road to the country’s Jubliee.

The theme for this year’s celebrations: One Nation. Our Legacy. Our Future.

In Grand Bahama, those watching on the big screen feasted on Bahamian treats, from traditional cakes to flavored drinks to bush and medicinal teas.

Prime Minister Philip Davis, during his address, encouraged residents to make 2023 a year to remember by pledging to participate in at least one
activity planned for the 50th celebration and to making the community stronger.

Chairwoman of the Independence Secretariat Leslia Miller Brice revealed Thursday that the logo was the creation of a compilation of three Bahamian artists — the top three finalists — whose work was chosen after hundreds of concept submissions.

Minister Moxey, who is a member of the 50th Independence Cabinet subcommittee, was excited about the official kickoff, the turnout from the residents and the fact that the opportunities Bahamians have today is as a result of our forefathers’ struggles.

“I know that Grand Bahamians are excited about the journey moving forward. We’ve had two events already for Grand Bahama island for independence and we have a lot more in store, and we’re excited about what’s to come for Grand Bahama,” she said.

Community Outreach

Responding to the call to go into all the world and broadcast the news of God’s infinite love; pointing others to Christ, impacting hearts and changing lives, the Church of God of Prophecy East Street Tabernacle, under the guidance and leadership of Senior Pastor Bishop Hulan Hanna, hosted a special community outreach effort to help usher in the Christmas season featuring talented youth bands, free food and entertainment for the children.

“After coming out of the pandemic, I decided it was time to show our face to thepublic again, so I sought the Lord and it came into my spirit that we needed toleave the year connected with our young people and our community,” BishopHanna said. “And I further wanted to have the involvement of the community fromthe churches that we connect with and of course the wider community.”

COGOP East Street Tabernacle has for several years been involved in anevangelistic ministry called Manifestation with area churches. The communitypartners include Zion Baptist Church Shirley Street, Salem Union Baptist Church,Big Harvest Tent Ministry, Church of God East Street and Lily of the ValleyCorner, Mt Pleasant Green Baptist Church, Wulff Road COGOP, Golden GatesWorld Outreach and East Street Gospel Chapel.

Initially, the plan was to have the praise team of each partnering church be a part ofa massive praise and worship session, singing more seasonal songs. As the workbegan, through the direction of Minister Daren Seymour and his team – KatherineBeneby II and Travis Edgecombe - the vision and objective evolved to includeyouth bands instead…the Bahamas Brass Junior Band, the Golden Gates AssemblyBand and the Urban Renewal Band.

Bishop Hanna explained that while scheduling conflicts prevented some of thepartnering and community churches from being directly involved, several of themgave generously, as did persons from the wider community, including HG ChristieReal Estate. As a result of the support and donations, each of the youth bands waspresented with a donation of $500 towards ongoing efforts. The decision was alsomade to feed the children with hamburgers and hotdogs. Additionally, churchmembers were asked to bring toys that could be wrapped and donated to childrenin the community. “I thought it was a very good effort, we had the bouncing castle,and we were able to defray the entire cost with the partnerships and walked awayowing no one, I thank God for that.”

Several Bahamian vendors also came alongside the church to support the initiative,including Donkey Cone and LimeadeBahamas. “We were able to display a level ofBahamian entrepreneurial spirit by these persons who came in.

For Bishop Hanna and the members of East Street Tabernacle, the event was areintroduction of sorts, to let persons in the surrounding communities of SunlightVillage and Sunlight Cottage and beyond know that they had not been forgotten.And the Church remains a beacon of light, a reflection of God’s love and a sourceof support.

“Sometimes we look at things and we may feel, from where we sit, we may feel asif we operate in abundance, so we may not be able to appreciate fully what thesecommunities go through,” Bishop Hanna said. “There was a woman who came,and she got excited by the fact that we would be giving toys and [following theevent], I communicated with her, because she was really intrigued by the idea thather children would get gifts from us, so we were able to provide gifts for herchildren.”

Bishop Hanna said the objectives of the event was to connect with the community,to make it a Christmas event before going into the Christmas holidays and into theNew Year, and to bring the community together.

“We were streamed live on Facebook and other media platforms and that gave useven greater reach if only to be a witness to communities to let them know wewere doing something. These communities that are depressed, economically so, itcannot be that the only entity that is reaching out to them are persons from thepolitical class, their member of parliament or others. I thought that as a church weneeded to do this in a big and meaningful way.

“For me, the highlights coming out of this, it was good to see the smiles onchildren’s faces. It was good to see a mother, who when she found out about thetoys, and when I saw the look on her face that she was going to get something forher children, for her two boys, I saw how it resonated with her in such a positiveway, it really, really touched me deeply.

“The third thing, I was able to witness, there were hundreds of young people whocame throughout the duration, I saw hundreds of young people who came, got theirfood, some of the younger children in the bouncing castle, and there was not asingle incident, no fighting, no cursing, in fact we saw a few children, youngpeople, from Street Reach (a COGOP East Street Out Reach Programme ) who areall grown up now. Some of them are in their late teens and they’ve done pretty wellfor themselves in terms of adjusting to life as young adults. We took photos withsome of them, and it was so important for us to see what happened to thosechildren.”

As he reflected on the day, Bishop Hanna identified an important takeaway; to seethe transformation of the young men, in particular, who passed through the StreetReach Ministry: “young men who when they first came to us were deep in hostilityand anger and frustration and wanting to lash out and some of them we saw thepotential for some of them to either become a problem to others or to get inproblems at the hands of others and so, it was good to see them in a very positiveway.”

Bishop Hanna credited Philip and Anita Beneby for launching the ministry and forits lasting success – even though it has been on hiatus. He noted further that it ishis intention to look at relaunching the ministry early in the New Year, and he ishopeful that he can engage a newer generation of young people who are coming upthe ranks.

“It’s unfortunate some of the young people fell through the cracks, but for the mostpart the ones that we saw there that day, have done well. Some are in the DefenceForce Rangers, others are working, some have even finished high school, so we arevery encouraged and by the grace of God we pray that God will continue to keepthem, particularly, when you think about the amount of crime going on in thecommunity, we certainly need God to keep these young people.”

As for the holiday extravaganza, Bishop Hanna said that he would like to think thatit will blossom into an annual event, if it is the will of the Lord. “I'd like to see itremain and become an annual institution in the community, which simply meansthat we would have to go out into the community much earlier and [connect with]the donors much earlier and engage people in a positive way who would want toparticipate in, what I believe, has been a very meaningful community and churchactivity.

“My message for the community, and my wish for the community, is that duringthis holiday season, the main thing will be that man was lost, and God in his divinemercy, had a plan for man’s redemption and that plan involved the first Christmas,it involved God sending his son Jesus Christ. We encourage everyone to enjoy theseason, we don’t celebrate a day, we celebrate the birth, we celebrate salvation.

“And I pray that we will understand that the God we serve is bigger than everybarrier, every hindrance that has plagued us during 2022 and that we will go byfaith which is the victory into 2023. I am also looking up, looking to God to supplyall those things that we need, I am looking up to him that salvation will sweep thecommunity, that revival will be in the land.”

 

Responding to the call to go into all the world and broadcast the news of God’s infinite love; pointing others to Christ, impacting hearts and changing lives, the Church of God of Prophecy East Street Tabernacle, under the guidance and leadership of Senior Pastor Bishop Hulan Hanna, hosted a special community outreach effort to help usher in the Christmas season featuring talented youth bands, free food and entertainment for the children. “After coming out of the pandemic, I decided it was time to show our face to the public again, so I sought the Lord and it came into my spirit that we needed to leave the year connected with our young people and our community,” Bishop Hanna said. “And I further wanted to have the involvement of the community from the churches that we connect with and of course the wider community.” COGOP East Street Tabernacle has for several years been involved in an evangelistic ministry called Manifestation with area churches. The community partners include Zion Baptist Church Shirley Street, Salem Union Baptist Church, Big Harvest Tent Ministry, Church of God East Street and Lily of the Valley Corner, Mt Pleasant Green Baptist Church, Wulff Road COGOP, Golden Gates World Outreach and East Street Gospel Chapel. Initially, the plan was to have the praise team of each partnering church be a part of a massive praise and worship session, singing more seasonal songs. As the work began, through the direction of Minister Daren Seymour and his team – Katherine Beneby II and Travis Edgecombe - the vision and objective evolved to include youth bands instead…the Bahamas Brass Junior Band, the Golden Gates Assembly Band and the Urban Renewal Band. Bishop Hanna explained that while scheduling conflicts prevented some of the partnering and community churches from being directly involved, several of them gave generously, as did persons from the wider community, including HG Christie Real Estate. As a result of the support and donations, each of the youth bands was presented with a donation of $500 towards ongoing efforts. The decision was also made to feed the children with hamburgers and hotdogs. Additionally, church members were asked to bring toys that could be wrapped and donated to children in the community. “I thought it was a very good effort, we had the bouncing castle, and we were able to defray the entire cost with the partnerships and walked away owing no one, I thank God for that.” Several Bahamian vendors also came alongside the church to support the initiative, including Donkey Cone and LimeadeBahamas. “We were able to display a level of Bahamian entrepreneurial spirit by these persons who came in. For Bishop Hanna and the members of East Street Tabernacle, the event was a reintroduction of sorts, to let persons in the surrounding communities of Sunlight Village and Sunlight Cottage and beyond know that they had not been forgotten. And the Church remains a beacon of light, a reflection of God’s love and a source of support. “Sometimes we look at things and we may feel, from where we sit, we may feel as if we operate in abundance, so we may not be able to appreciate fully what these communities go through,” Bishop Hanna said. “There was a woman who came, and she got excited by the fact that we would be giving toys and [following the event], I communicated with her, because she was really intrigued by the idea that her children would get gifts from us, so we were able to provide gifts for her children.” Bishop Hanna said the objectives of the event was to connect with the community, to make it a Christmas event before going into the Christmas holidays and into the New Year, and to bring the community together. “We were streamed live on Facebook and other media platforms and that gave us even greater reach if only to be a witness to communities to let them know we were doing something. These communities that are depressed, economically so, it cannot be that the only entity that is reaching out to them are persons from the political class, their member of parliament or others. I thought that as a church we needed to do this in a big and meaningful way. “For me, the highlights coming out of this, it was good to see the smiles on children’s faces. It was good to see a mother, who when she found out about the toys, and when I saw the look on her face that she was going to get something for her children, for her two boys, I saw how it resonated with her in such a positive way, it really, really touched me deeply. “The third thing, I was able to witness, there were hundreds of young people who came throughout the duration, I saw hundreds of young people who came, got their food, some of the younger children in the bouncing castle, and there was not a single incident, no fighting, no cursing, in fact we saw a few children, young people, from Street Reach (a COGOP East Street Out Reach Programme ) who are all grown up now. Some of them are in their late teens and they’ve done pretty well for themselves in terms of adjusting to life as young adults. We took photos with some of them, and it was so important for us to see what happened to those children.” As he reflected on the day, Bishop Hanna identified an important takeaway; to see the transformation of the young men, in particular, who passed through the Street Reach Ministry: “young men who when they first came to us were deep in hostility and anger and frustration and wanting to lash out and some of them we saw the potential for some of them to either become a problem to others or to get in problems at the hands of others and so, it was good to see them in a very positive way.” Bishop Hanna credited Philip and Anita Beneby for launching the ministry and for its lasting success – even though it has been on hiatus. He noted further that it is his intention to look at relaunching the ministry early in the New Year, and he is hopeful that he can engage a newer generation of young people who are coming up the ranks. “It’s unfortunate some of the young people fell through the cracks, but for the most part the ones that we saw there that day, have done well. Some are in the Defence Force Rangers, others are working, some have even finished high school, so we are very encouraged and by the grace of God we pray that God will continue to keep them, particularly, when you think about the amount of crime going on in the community, we certainly need God to keep these young people.” As for the holiday extravaganza, Bishop Hanna said that he would like to think that it will blossom into an annual event, if it is the will of the Lord. “I'd like to see it remain and become an annual institution in the community, which simply means that we would have to go out into the community much earlier and [connect with] the donors much earlier and engage people in a positive way who would want to participate in, what I believe, has been a very meaningful community and church activity. “My message for the community, and my wish for the community, is that during this holiday season, the main thing will be that man was lost, and God in his divine mercy, had a plan for man’s redemption and that plan involved the first Christmas, it involved God sending his son Jesus Christ. We encourage everyone to enjoy the season, we don’t celebrate a day, we celebrate the birth, we celebrate salvation. “And I pray that we will understand that the God we serve is bigger than every barrier, every hindrance that has plagued us during 2022 and that we will go by faith which is the victory into 2023. I am also looking up, looking to God to supply all those things that we need, I am looking up to him that salvation will sweep the community, that revival will be in the land.”

Junkanoo is back! After a three-year hiatus, the beloved all-time cultural entertainment of the year is returning to Grand Bahama on Monday, January 2, 2023 and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture is encouraging the community to show their support.

Representatives from the ministry, along with the Grand Bahama Junkanoo Corporation and the Royal Bahamas Police Force, announced at a press conference on Friday, December 30, 2022 held at the C.A. Smith Building that all systems are a go for the 2023 New Year’s Day Junkanoo Parade.

Monique Leary, Cultural Affairs Officer in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture congratulated the groups for readying themselves for the big come back on Pioneer’s Way, now just three days away.

Tickets are on sale at the C.A. Smith Building. 

“It will give all persons in Grand Bahama the opportunity to view the parade. We will have over 47 vendors to support you and cater to you. We will have food, novelties, you name it,” she said. 

Grand Bahama Junkanoo Corporation Chairman Andrew Been revealed that despite the fact that the island has endured a major hurricane, which was followed closely by the COVID-19 pandemic, the groups have been anxiously waiting their return and are ready to put on a spectacular show for Junkanoo enthusiasts.

The first group out of the gate on Monday will be Sting, followed by, the Swingers, Showtime, Superstar Rockers, Da Women Dem, Classic Dancers, Bushwackers, Platinum Knights and Kingdom Ambassadors.

Chief Superintendent Brian Rolle, Second Officer in Charge of Grand Bahama for the Northern Bahamas District, is reminding the public that the parade is a no bottle zone and noted that the force has a zero tolerance towards those with ill intentions on the night of the parade.
Rolle also pointed out that the New Year’s Day Junkanoo Parade will be the first event of its magnitude staged in Grand Bahama for some time and while they are anticipating a large crowd, the Royal Bahamas Police Force will also be beefing up security and will have roaming teams to identify troublemakers.

“The police intend to make sure that all persons, participants and spectators alike, have a joyous and safe parade, free of incidents. But to do that we will need every person who will be in attendance, group members and participants, to put on what I refer to as their church behavior,” Rolle said.

“However, if there are some whose intentions are nefarious, we will not hesitate to act and provide them with four walls to watch, instead of the parade.”

As far as public access in and around the downtown area on Monday, January 2, the public is advised of a number of road closures between 3:00 pm and 1:00 am Tuesday, January 3, inclusive of East Mall Drive between Explorer’s Way and Adventurer’s Way; Pioneer’s Way between West Atlantic Drive and East Atlantic Drive; McKenzie Street between Adventurer’s Way and Pioneer’s Way; and West Mall Drive between Adventurer’s Way and Pioneer’s Way.

Superintendent of Police Alphonzo Pinder, officer in charge of Police Traffic Division, made an appeal to the motoring public leaving work on Monday to utilize the West Atlantic Drive or East Atlantic Drive to make their transition out of the area smoother.

 

Junkanoo is back! After a three-year hiatus, the beloved all-time cultural entertainment of the year is returning to Grand Bahama on Monday, January 2, 2023 and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture is encouraging the community to show their support. Representatives from the ministry, along with the Grand Bahama Junkanoo Corporation and the Royal Bahamas Police Force, announced at a press conference on Friday, December 30, 2022 held at the C.A. Smith Building that all systems are a go for the 2023 New Year’s Day Junkanoo Parade. Monique Leary, Cultural Affairs Officer in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture congratulated the groups for readying themselves for the big come back on Pioneer’s Way, now just three days away. Tickets are on sale at the C.A. Smith Building.  “It will give all persons in Grand Bahama the opportunity to view the parade. We will have over 47 vendors to support you and cater to you. We will have food, novelties, you name it,” she said.  Grand Bahama Junkanoo Corporation Chairman Andrew Been revealed that despite the fact that the island has endured a major hurricane, which was followed closely by the COVID-19 pandemic, the groups have been anxiously waiting their return and are ready to put on a spectacular show for Junkanoo enthusiasts. The first group out of the gate on Monday will be Sting, followed by, the  Swingers, Showtime, Superstar Rockers, Da Women Dem, Classic Dancers, Bushwackers, Platinum Knights and Kingdom Ambassadors. Chief Superintendent Brian Rolle, Second Officer in Charge of Grand Bahama for the Northern Bahamas District, is reminding the public that the parade is a no bottle zone and noted that the force has a zero tolerance towards those with ill intentions on the night of the parade.   Rolle also pointed out that the New Year’s Day Junkanoo Parade will be the first event of its magnitude staged in Grand Bahama for some time and while they are anticipating a large crowd, the Royal Bahamas Police Force will also be beefing up security and will have roaming teams to identify troublemakers. “The police intend to make sure that all persons, participants and spectators alike, have a joyous and safe parade, free of incidents. But to do that we will need every person who will be in attendance, group members and participants, to put on what I refer to as their church behavior,” Rolle said. “However, if there are some whose intentions are nefarious, we will not hesitate to act and provide them with four walls to watch, instead of the parade.” As far as public access in and around the downtown area on Monday, January 2, the public is advised of a number of road closures between 3:00 pm and 1:00 am Tuesday, January 3, inclusive of East Mall Drive between Explorer’s Way and Adventurer’s Way; Pioneer’s Way between West Atlantic Drive and East Atlantic Drive; McKenzie Street between Adventurer’s Way and Pioneer’s Way; and West Mall Drive between Adventurer’s Way and Pioneer’s Way. Superintendent of Police Alphonzo Pinder, officer in charge of Police Traffic Division, made an appeal to the motoring public leaving work on Monday to utilize the West Atlantic Drive or East Atlantic Drive to make their transition out of the area smoother.