Courtney Campbell, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the VM Group, called his team members and members of the church to keep being “forces of resistance” against the challenges plaguing the nation.

He was speaking at VM Group’s 145^th Anniversary Church Service, held at the Kingston Church of the Open Bible, Wahington Boulevard, St Andrew on Sunday November 12.

“We are all called to actively and purposefully push back against the tides of complacency, indifference, hatred and evil that have become too pervasive in our world. We must boldly be a positive force of resistance which our communities need more than ever,” said Campbell. 

He urged members of the church to “be unrelenting in your own efforts to transform Jamaica by empowering people at the community level. This is no small undertaking, and as members of this church, you have declared your commitment to being part of the solution to challenges that impact us all.” 

Campbell noted VM Group’s long history of standing with the people of Jamaica through good and hard times, and pledged that the organisation, which was recently restructured for greater growth, would continue to provide meaningful support to uplifting Jamaica.

He pointed to the work of the VM Foundation over the past year, which included entering a partnership with the National Land Agency (NLA) on a $30-million land titling grant funding initiative to assist 400 Jamaicans in the process of surveying their parcels of land to obtain registered titles. 

“Low registration of land has been a longstanding and complex problem in Jamaica for generations, so we are pleased to help move the needle forward with this initiative. As land ownership is empowering on many levels, we are keen to see the positive socio-economic impact this project will make in the lives of our Jamaican people in the long term,” said Campbell.

“This year, we were also able to help transform the academic journeys of 74 students with financial support totaling $7.1 Million through the VM Foundation Scholars Programme,” he added.

Campbell noted that even as the local financial industry faced challenging times, VM would continue to help transform lives and encouraged members of the church to remain resolute in their own mission to help others. 

“The journey has not and certainly will not always be easy, but if you remain focused on your reason for being part of this positive resistance, you will be prepared and fortified for all that comes. As 2 Corinthians 4, verses 8 and 9 state: ^“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

He continued: “Even in these times of trouble, hope springs eternal because of people like you and the work that you do. I say this proudly to the Kingston Church of the Open Bible family, and to my own VM team. I encourage us all to remain resolute and uncompromising in our mission to create a better tomorrow.”