Mark Dawes, Religion Editor

Rev Naila Ricketts, president of Prayer 2000. - File

The island's six major umbrella groups and other independent churches will unite on Saturday evening to honour 15 outstanding Christians who have served God and Jamaica for four decades or more.

The inaugural National Christian Lifetime Awards is owned by the Jamaica Association of Evan-gelicals, the Jamaica Pentecostal Union, the Jamaica Association of Full Gospel Churches, the Jamaica Council of Churches, the West Indies Union of Seventh-day Adventists and the Church of God in Jamaica.

The National Christian Lifetime Awards (NCLA) will be inaugurated in a banquet to be held at the Hilton Kingston hotel, St Andrew, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The guest speaker will be United States-based Dr Doug Stringer, CEO of both Turning Point Ministries, which specialises in ministry to persons living and working in inner cities, and Somebody Cares International, which offers welfare relief.

Rev Naila Ricketts, president of Prayer 2000, a local organisation which partners with other organisations and churches seeking to promote prayer, has been spearheading much of the work related to the NCLA.

Ricketts told The Gleaner that each umbrella group was asked to nominate four persons (altogether 24). The independent churches were asked to nominate six persons. Altogether 30 persons were nominated, and then 15 were selected for the awards which will be presented tomorrow evening.

Criteria

The criteria for the awards, Ricketts said, were as follows:

The nominee should have been involved in ministry for at least 40 years.

Because of the ministry of the nominee, a profound impact has been made on the body of Christ at large.

The nominee exemplifies Christian character and lifestyle.

The nominee has dedicated his/her life to promoting the cause of Christ and the gospel.

The nominee leaves behind a legacy that reaches further than just his/her local assembly (parachurch group) which is noised abroad.

Have made substantial contri-bution to his/her community, parish and the nation of Jamaica.

Because of his/her ministry, souls have come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour.