FROM THE INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT’S DESK

Published on August 19, 2020

Calvary greetings to all my GB sisters around the world. These are strange times that we live in and not one of us saw this coming. But God knew this would happen.

By this time, I would have been writing this update after our annual IPC meeting for 2020. But as with everything else this year, we cancelled our planned face to face meeting which was to be hosted by GB Europe in May 2020.

So what has been happening in GB around the world in this pandemic?

All our member countries have been on lockdown since late March and GB face to face has been suspended. We praise God that our leaders around the world stepped up and created new ways of staying connected with the girls. This pandemic sent us all into creative mode! Some countries produced resources for online activities for the different age groups every week. Thank you to all our leaders who were generous enough to share the resources they produced with the GB worldwide families. Granted, not all of us are talented and have access to facilities to enable us to be creative, so we really appreciate the family spirit. As GBI we also produced a two part GB Connected Resource to help parents and leaders across the world to support children and young people. We hope you have been able to tap into some of these resources that are readily available on our GB worldwide Facebook page and website.

We are happy to learn that some countries have lifted some restrictions and other groups have started face to face meetings, with restriction guidelines to keep us safe.  I urge all those who are going into this phase, to please do so with extreme caution to keep us and our girls safe. It cannot be business as usual when we reopen, as this pandemic is not over yet. Let’s continue to follow guidelines given by our Governments and health authorities.

As IPC, we felt there was a need to go back to the drawing board in terms of our plans for 2020/21 and beyond. The resources that were launched at the beginning of the year, and all the activities planned for 2020 could not be implemented because most, if not all, were tailor made to face to face interaction.

What have the IPC been up to?

• We have held weekly Zoom meetings since April.
• Embarked on a workshop on ‘Planning in the midst of a crisis’ to help us focus on planning for GB Worldwide. We have had six equipping sessions during our scheduled Zoom meetings for June/July. This is helping us look at the areas (Riverbanks) that feed into our Purpose and Vision as GB, such as our Ethos, Values and behaviours. In our need to find new ways of doing GB what are the things that we should hold on to or that we do not want to lose.
• Used our Facebook page to regularly share information.
• Acknowledged our front-line workers who are risking their lives to serve in various aspects.  Thank you to those who sent in their pictures and stories. We appreciate and value their services, even those that are not GB members. Someone has to do it and they answered the call.  Let us continue to pray for them and their families.
• We have received and shared words of encouragement from our Elders including immediate past President Vivienne Aitchison, past Treasurer Joyce Evans and International vice Patron Jill Clarke. Read them here

Thank you to all who have made a difference to someone by giving a helping hand during this period.

#ShowKindness

We have had reports from around the world of GB members donating groceries, toiletries, masks, running errands for the vulnerable etc. May God continue to bless you and protect you.

Looking into the future

• THEME for 2021:
• Fruitful and Overflowing: Be Faithful
• Programme Focus :- Reap the harvest and share the fruit
• ICGB 2022: because of the Pandemic there is a lot of uncertainty and plans are on hold as everything was affected by the lockdown around the world. IPC is Praying and monitoring the situation and will only be able to give out more details maybe by the end of the year or in the first quarter of 2021. Let us continue to pray for our friends in Jamaica and the Caribbean Americas Fellowship, who have the task to plan and host the event.

I leave you with words from Psalms 62:2 “Truly, He is my Rock and my Salvation, He is my Fortress, I will never be shaken.”

What comes to mind when we think of a fortress… something solid, sturdy, powerful, unshakable.

YES, God is all of those things and more! In the middle of the pandemic, He is there and let us continue to trust in Him.

Peace, Love and Joy and STAY SAFE.

Priscilla P.

International President.