“Rebuild Homes”: A National Prayer Breakfast Raises Money for a Hurricane-Damaged School

• The 2026 National Leadership Prayer Breakfast was held at Boulevard Baptist Church
• Rev Dr Peter Garth preached on the Good Samaritan and Jamaica’s recovery from Melissa
• He urged Jamaicans to keep working to restore lives and rebuild homes
• Funds raised will go towards a wellness centre at Manning’s School in Westmoreland

Jamaica’s political and church leaders gathered at Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew in January 2026 for the National Leadership Prayer Breakfast, held under the theme “Caring for Our Neighbours”. Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding both read scripture, and the Gleaner reported that the money raised would go towards a wellness centre at Manning’s School in Westmoreland, which was extensively damaged by Hurricane Melissa.

The preacher, Rev Dr Peter Garth, senior pastor of Hope Gospel Assembly, built his sermon on the parable of the Good Samaritan. “Melissa destroyed the western end of Jamaica, but the good news is that God has raised up many good Samaritans who have been helping many persons who are hurting,” he said. He warned that many Jamaicans are afraid to help because even genuine efforts meet cynicism and criticism.

Garth also spoke about the misuse of power. “He used his God-given power in a wrong way, and that is happening in Jamaica every day – in our offices, in our churches,” he said of the criminal in the parable, adding that “the end does not justify the means”.

He pressed the audience to keep going with recovery. “In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, let us continue our efforts to restore lives and rebuild homes. Let us respond to the urgent needs of our brothers and sisters in Jamaica,” he said. He called for an end to “vulgar criticism” and “vicious character assassinations”, adding: “We are all in this together, and we need all [hands] on deck if we are going to rebuild Jamaica.”

The choice of Manning’s School shows where some of the recovery money is going: into repairing and improving public buildings in the worst-hit parishes, not just emergency relief. For Westmoreland families, a rebuilt school with new facilities is part of what makes a community worth staying in or returning to. Garth’s call to “rebuild homes” is a reminder that housing is the other half of that job, and one where churches, donors and the diaspora can all help.

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