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Basseterre, St. Kitts (February 7, 2018) — The St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board is currently celebrating its 40^thanniversary with a calendar of activities that started on Thursday February 1, the actual anniversary date, with the Minister’s national broadcast, and an Open Day at the Head Office on Bay Road in Basseterre and Branch Office at Pinney’s in Charlestown, Nevis.

 

At the second event on the anniversary calendar of activities, Corporate Worship held at the Immaculate Conception Co-Cathedral in Basseterre on Sunday February 4, Acting Director Mr Elvin Bailey revealed that the Board has put $700 million back into the economy by way of payment of benefits to workers.

 

The colourful and spiritually uplifting church service, that was attended by Senior Minister with responsibility for Social Security the Hon Vance Amory, board members, management and staff of the St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board, was presided over by Parish Priest Father Manuel Antao who was assisted by Father George Agger.

 

While delivering the homily, Father Antao gave the analogy of a person who had a lot of worries that was compelled to buy a professional worrier for $100,000 who took the worrying from him. He however implored the congregation to be happy and not to worry and went ahead and requested the church choir to lead the congregation in singing a popular secular song, Don’t worry be Happy.

 

When Mr Elvis Bailey was given the opportunity to address the congregation, he thanked the Almighty for getting the St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board to the point of celebrating forty years of service to the nation, and also thanked the Immaculate Conception Co-Cathedral for allowing them to participate in their service.

 

Saying that the Social Security Board has been assisting workers by taking away their worries, Mr Bailey told the congregation: “All we ask you to do is to purchase us (Social Security) as the professional worrier and all that is needed is to give us five cents of your dollar and the employer would match it with another five cents and add one more.”

 

Introducing himself as the ‘Worrier in Chief’ as Social Security, Mr Bailey added: “We would take care of you when vagaries of life hit you like old age, invalidity and so on. Somewhere in the region of $700 million dollars has been put back into the economy over the years for benefits by Social Security, at least $500 million of which has been for long term payment like pensions of all sorts, old age, invalidity, widowers, widows etc.”

 

Dr Cherese Godwin, a member of the Social Security Board handed over the Board’s donation to the church, which was received by Father George Agger. In response, at the end of the service, the Parish Priest Father Manuel Antao, thanked the St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board for the assistance it has been giving to the church and the Immaculate Conception Catholic School.

 

In an invited comment after the church service, Senior Minister the Hon Vance Amory said that in the forty years it has been in existence, the St. Christopher and Nevis Social Board had done a lot for the people of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

 

“I think we have to credit first, the founders, those who created the board initially and all the ministers who have guided the board members who did so, and all the people who work there because without the workers, really we would not have Social Security” said the Hon Amory.

 

He concluded by saying: “We thank those who have cooperated over the years to make their contribution so that Social Security could in forty years have grown to over one and a half billion dollars in assets and to have such an impact on the, not just the social but the economic life of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.”

 

The Stanley Amory Memorial Choir, made up of employees of the Social Security Board, and led by Mr Othniel Buchanan, was given the opportunity to deliver the mediation through song where they performed a popular gospel hit, ‘He is Worthy’, at the end of which Father George Agger exclaimed; “What a wonderful choir!”

 

As the calendar of activities continues, Mr Elvin Bailey revealed that a second Corporate Worship will be held on the sister island of Nevis on Sunday February 25 at the Charlestown Methodist Church starting from 9:00 am.