Ex soldiers attend Thanksgiving Service

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:01 by GxMedia

A section of the congregation at the St. Sidwell’s Anglican Church for the XGDF Association Thanksgiving Service.

The members of the Guyana Chapter of the Ex-Guyana Defence Force(XGDF) Officers Association commenced a week of activities to mark its 5th Anniversary with a Service of Thanksgiving on Sunday, July28, 2013 at the St. Sidwell’s Church, Lodge.

Following a procession into the church, approximately 150 association members and special guests were welcomed by the Officiating Priest, himself a member of the XGDF Association, The Venerable Randolph Reynolds, who congratulated them for coming together to worship in peace and to assure future success. He asked them not to forget the past so as not to repeat the ills of the past in the future. “It is important to learn from our past, even as a nation, so that the bad cannot be repeated ” T

The Venerable Reynolds encouraged tolerance, unity, respect and love among members and challenged them to take a step back and remember the things that caused pain, the things that brought joy and to be grateful to God, ever seeking his covenant to move forward as an organisation.

In congratulatory remarks, Hon. Prime Minister, Mr. Samuel Hinds expressed his pleasure in joining the worship service and said the members must continue service to the nation even though the coming together often brings its own challenges, as each would have their own view to resolve differences. He said the members of the Disciplinary Services are to be honored since their work commitment puts them in harms way when they protect our borders and in cases of disaster.

The XGDF Association of Guyana is a benevolent organisation with a current membership of 1643 comprising of ex- soldiers of the GDF from both its regular and reserve components. Among its objectives are to promote and maintain harmony and camaraderie among ex-members of the GDF and to provide support to ex-members who may have become indigent and needy after leaving the force. XGDF chapters can be found in Canada, New York, Atlanta, California and Guyana.