Priest urges empathy in servant leadership

An Anglican priest has emphasised the importance of service and empathy in leadership, saying the service of others is the highest calling.

Fr Wayne Maughan also urged leaders to prioritise understanding the community's needs.

"In a world in which we have so many things that cause us to be broken as a people, we must make it our business to be about healing. We must be able to create an environment that fosters emotional and spiritual healing, helping individuals to recover from their challenges and to grow," he said.

"We must be willing to conceptualise, to think beyond the day-to-day challenges, and see what is taking place around us and see a brighter picture."

Maughan delivered the sermon at an interfaith service at the St Paul's Anglican Church on Harris Promenade in San Fernando on November 1, commemorating the city's 36th anniversary.

He echoed calls for healing and unity, urging leaders to listen and seek to understand the plight of others and show genuine care for their experiences and needs.

He added, "Listening actively and attentively is a central quality of servant leadership."

He thanked the city council for choosing to open the month-long celebration with an act of worship.

The move, he said, was a reminder that "we are under God's direction and our journey is to form a relationship with him.

He cited the sacrifices and lessons passed down through generations.

"We must be willing, as civil leaders, to draw the experiences of those who have gone before and to anticipate what is to come so that we can make wholesome decisions for those who entrust their life and welfare in us.

"We must act as responsible caretakers of the organizations placed in our trust, the resources placed in our trust, and prioritising communities' welfare over ours. We as leaders must remain committed to the growth of our communities."

San Fernando mayor Robert Parris gave greetings, saying San Fernando is a city of diversity and not divisiveness.

He called on burgesses, especially leaders, to come together and put aside differences. This is to set better examples for San Fernando schoolchildren who are looking and listening attentively.

He reflected on some accomplishments in the past year, including removing illegal street vendors and creating local economic zones throughout the city.

"It is the goal of this council, along with the support of the MPs. Faris Al-Rawi and Brian Manning, to ensure equitable development throughout the nine electoral districts," Parris told the gathering.

"We were able to give each council member projects to improve people’s lives.

"San Fernando can brag that 95 per cent of all developmental contracts were completed throughout the city. The city was also successful in hosting two major sporting events."

He also spoke about the memorandumof unerstanding between the Agriculture Ministry and the council.

"San Fernando Hill is now under the remittance of San Fernando City Corporation, and we have been engaged in discussions about operationalising this national historic landmark," he said. "We see the potential to the relevant subsectors in tourism to effectively market the potential of creating business to meet the mutual benefit of all in the city."

He also thanked Agriculture Minister Kazim Hosein, a former mayor, for his support.

Parris said the council is also networking with the Tourism and Works and Transport Ministries on the possibility of having cruise-ship guests use water taxis to visit the city.

Several councillors also offered prayers for the nation, among them Ryaad Hosein, John Alibocus, Sasha Ali and Nigel Couttier.

As preparations for City Month events ramp up, a stage has been erected on the promenade, blocking traffic, in anticipation of the festivities.