‘Get rid of the shallow mentality’ - Pastor urges students to seek new challenges for empowerment

Western Bureau:

THE Reverend Glenroy Clarke, pastor of Lucea United Church in Hanover, is urging students at the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College (SSTC) in St James to step outside of their comfort zones and seek to discover new avenues of endeavour.

“Get out of the shallow mentality. People who are stuck in the past will never appreciate the future,” said Clarke, who was delivering the keynote address at the service of invocation at the college last week

The service was for the 560 SSTC and 200 Caribbean Maritime University students who have enrolled for the 2019-20 academic year.

In bemoaning the fact that some persons are seemingly comfortable staying in one position instead of working for advancement, Clarke urged the students to launch out and seek to conquer new horizons.

“Some persons will sit on the dock, and they will complain about how Jamaica has become so devilishly linked, but how many of us are willing to launch out into the deep to see the new perspective that God is throwing up? We must first cross to the shore of humility,” said Clarke. “A paradigm shift is important if we are going to discover new oceans.”

Perseverance

“At times, logic makes no sense,” said Clarke in reference to those who relied on logic. “Sometimes when things look hard and things look dark, and many of us would probably have started teachers’ college and we don’t even know how we’re going to finish, but the same God who allowed you to start will allow you to finish.”

According to Clarke, many persons who are now holding master’s and doctorate degrees were once in challenging positions but managed to work their way through.

Norman Reid, chairman of the college’s board of governors, challenged the students to become more involved in intellectual discussions and urged the faculty to expose them to more external speakers, who can stimulate their thoughts about what is happening in the corporate world.

Reid encouraged the students and staff to avail themselves of the many scholarships and fellowships that are available from donor agencies and urged them to become active in competitive sports.