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By Carrie Madren
UMConnection Correspondent

Known for its white sandy beaches and azure-turquoise waters, Bermuda is undergoing an unparalleled spiritual revival. This island nation, with a population of about 64,000, recently elected a new leader, Premier Craig Cannonier, a long-time member of Marsden First United Methodist Church, which has about 110 members and is one of two United Methodist churches on the island. 

Pastor Joseph Whalen has served Marsden for about 13 years. He said that Cannonier and his wife, Antoinette, took part in Disciple Bible Study 1 and 2 courses, and that Cannonier also co-taught a Disciple 1 course, that he often serves as a worship leader and for a few years, directed the Vacation Bible School. 

Among Cannonier’s first areas of focus as the nation’s leader is to help lead the country in a sort of spiritual awakening. 

Whalen said that change was in the air a few years ago when he and his wife, Heather, gathered a few couples to dive deeper into God’s Word and to study spiritual formation. It was during one of those meetings that Cannonier shared that he felt that God was leading him into politics. He became the leader of a political party that merged with another party, creating One Bermuda Alliance (OBA), which he led before being elected to represent the Devonshire South Central constituency. 

In the months before the national election in December 2012, Pastor Whalen prayed with Cannonier and his campaign workers. “Although the OBA was going up against a political Goliath in the (Progressive Labor Party), there was a great spirit in that room that night on the eve of the election — something awesome was happening,” Whalen told UMConnection. Cannonier won 15,949 votes out of 30,862.

The Sunday after he was sworn in, Cannonier invited his Cabinet to attend church with him. In the months since his swearing in, Cannonier sought a national day of prayer. “This came as a result of his acknowledgement that the ultimate answers to our dire national problems and concerns can only come from Almighty God,” Whalen said. 

During a meeting with island clergy, the Premier shared his desire for spiritual awakening within Bermuda. The passage from 2 Chronicles 7:14 fueled their purpose: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

These key church leaders from various denominations formed a steering committee that organized a Pastor’s Prayer Breakfast and a Solemn Assembly, planned for May 5, 2013, as a day for people to gather for confession and repentance and to seek the heart of God. 

Then, churches across the island will reach out into the community and share the power of prayer during A Week of Open Doors. Marsden UMC will partner with another church to create teams to knock on doors and invite neighbors to share requests for intercessory prayer. That week will be followed by The National Gathering for Prayer on the steps of City Hall in Hamilton on May 16, when government will close for an hour and many international businesses have invited employees to take part. 

In addition, for each of these prayer efforts, the committee is working on ways to reach schools, prisons, bus riders, ferry riders, gang members and more. “What ails the nation cannot be ultimately resolved without God,” Whalen said. 

Since the new Premier took office, Whalen said he’s seen tremendous unity across all Christian denominations — Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Salvation Army, non-denominational churches, and others — and that this effort has been larger than any in the past. “We’re trying to create a groundswell of unity around our theme ‘Heart to Heart: Awakening the Nation’ that will build up year to year,” Whalen said. “There’s a great deal of optimism and excitement, and when you have the leader of a nation acknowledging God and looking God-ward, it makes a big difference.”

In the coming years, Whalen hopes for a greater recognition of a regard for the power of prayer and awareness of answered prayers. 

“Serving as the pastor of the Premier is an awesome responsibility,” Whalen wrote in an email. “We never know where God will lead us and those we serve. We are called simply to be faithful over the matters at hand and not doubt the possibilities of sowing seeds of the Kingdom of God.”