After serving in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, for many years, Bishop Omar Ricketts knows, without a doubt, that there has been a spiritual shift in the city, which is prophetically deemed the womb of the nation.
Bishop Ricketts and several church leaders had organised a National Day of Repentance, Restitution, and Restoration at the Spanish Town Prison Oval in March. Less than two months later, he says there is physical evidence that things have changed.
“Ever since the prayers, we have seen significant reduction in the crime numbers and also the kind of crimes, [and] the pattern of crime. The prayers and the declarations are really, really working,” he told Freedom Come Rain.
The town has made national headlines over the years for some of the most violent crimes, and it has also given birth to two of the country’s most notorious gangs. Earlier this year, residents were forced to stay home, and businesses and schools had to shutter early, following the killing of an alleged gang leader by the police.
Bishop Ricketts, who pastors the Harmony Gospel Chapel, noted that there is now a calm and people are moving about freely. Men are distancing themselves from criminal activities, and there is a buzz of economic activities that is providing jobs and creating wealth for families. More importantly, “Folks are returning to churches,” he observed.
Bishop Ricketts is aware that there is a quiet revival taking place globally and is happy to see that a spiritual fire has been lit in Jamaica.
“It is gradual, but it is going in the right direction,” he said.