From a nurse to a preacher, Wilbert Daniels is a ‘Special Person’

Sep 08, 2013 News

---

 

“I left dealing with people who were physically wounded for dealing with people who were spiritually wounded. Dealing with the latter is far, far more demanding.”

By Leon Suseran
A young and dedicated nurse and trained midwife Wilbert Daniels decided to leave his love for nursing behind to pursue his new passion. He left administering to people’s health to administer to their spiritual needs instead, since he felt the calling. After numerous spiritual battles, he gave himself over to the Ministry of the church, where he has made a huge impact today.
He was born to James, a miller at Rose Hall Estate and housewife, Lucille Daniels at Goed Bananen Land, East Canje, a community in which persons were predominantly employed by the sugar estate at Rose Hall.

Wilbert attended St. Patrick’s Anglican School, Cumberland Methodist (today Primary) School, Overwinning Primary from 1973-1975 and Berbice High School from 1975-1979.
Daniels spoke about his religious experiences which began during his teenage years. Participating at a debate at Berbice High dealing with spirituality made him dig deep into his own life. Then he began to feel depressed.
“I lost interest in going back to school and my parents would ask me what was going on…they did not understand but within me, there were a lot of battles and struggles.”
In 1977, one of his aunts, a Pentecostal Christian invited him to her church for prayers. “During my struggles, I tried to pray and talk to God but all I knew was the Lord’s Prayer; I did not know to articulate my feelings.”
He remembers truly enjoying the Pentecostal Service at Mahaicony where everyone was singing and praying and dancing.
“It was an eye-opener for me…and it was the first time I heard spontaneous prayer… so I took note of all of that.” He eventually joined the Pentecostal Church where he felt more comfortable and “found meaning and purpose in life”.
His school work-study stint was spent at the New Amsterdam (N/A) Hospital.
In 1978, Daniels felt the need to enter the world of work, more specifically, the nursing profession.
“I found that was my nature…I was more on the sympathetic side. In 1980 I joined the School of Nursing at the N/A Hospital. I completed the Professional Nursing Programme three years later after which I enlisted and completed the Midwifery Programme in 1985. I still cherish my years as a nurse,” he recalled.

“The standards and levels of nursing practice in those days were very, very good in that you had good mentors and they ensured you had to toe the line. I worked mostly in the pediatric ward for a number of years and the maternity unit, as well as a midwife.
Daniels spent nine years as a nurse where he worked stints at N/A as well as the National Psychiatric Hospital (NPH).
His wife, June, back then (and still is today) the nurse- in- charge at the Rosignol Health Centre would also share experiences working in the health field with her husband.
And then the change occurred. The Full Gospel Fellowship (FGF), having no branch in New Amsterdam, decided to use Daniels to start its mission in the town in 1978. He became actively involved in the work of the church while he was still a nurse. Juggling two professions was tougher than he imagined.
“As I got more and more involved in the church work, my pastor ended up returning to Georgetown and there was a void. I worked as a nurse and took care of the assistant pastoring of the church and there were growing demands. I felt that I just could not cope with both— I had to be working shifts, nights.”
He decided to resign from his initial pursuit in 1989 and stated that it was not an easy decision.
“The opportunity never provided itself fully for me to go back to it [nursing]. If I was called upon in a crisis situation to give my services, I still would do that, but I still cherish those years [in nursing].”
After resigning, he had a lot more time to administer to the needs of the church for which he was responsible. Daniels worked hard to build the FGF in New Amsterdam. He pointed out that the denomination does not have headquarters or affiliations with overseas churches, since it is indigenous to Guyana, “but we have connections and a networking relationship with other ministries overseas, but they are not obligated to finance the work here.”
He began to officially represent the church in 2005 in Trinidad and other territories at conferences. In 2006, he attended another event, a prayer Conference in Trinidad where he met Youths for Christ President Mr. Frank Porter, “a very, very gifted, Godly man.” He also met with another influential man of prayer, Pastor Neil Ricketts in Jamaica in 2007. He said he learnt much from Ricketts.
In 2008, he visited Brazil where he toured the country for a series of meetings with George Otis, a Christian researcher. Daniels says these individuals strengthened his own personal faith in God and propelled him into further action.
“The role of ministers in any country is critical. We try our best to be advocates for good and we work towards that. No nation is a perfect, but at the same time you have to work with people to advance that.
“I see ministers as persons who need to intervene in other problems of life…We are called to pastor a community, so we must feel for the community in such a way that we must want to do something.”

Today, the father of three daughters – Reshanna, Ronette and Abigale – is the Senior Pastor at the 200-strong congregation Shalom Full Gospel Fellowship Church in New Amsterdam and also oversees other churches in Berbice.
A typical day is quite busy for him. It begins with family devotions and prayers. Having taken his wife to the N/A Stelling for transportation to the Rosignol Health Centre, he then prepares his schedule for meeting with people; writing sermons and preparing for meetings at church in the afternoon. In the evening, he returns to pick his wife up and prepares for church services and Bible Studies.
Pastor Daniels is also a part of the National leadership of the FGF in Guyana, so he is required to serve on the [Berbice] District Levels, overseeing over 15 churches in the Ancient County.
Daniels says he has no regrets about leaving nursing for the spiritual ministry.
“I see it as serving another aspect of humanity. If I were to do it all over again, I don’t think I would change anything really. I left dealing with people who were physically wounded for dealing with people who were spiritually wounded. Dealing with the latter is far, far more demanding.
“You could treat a person and send them home and see that wound heal and get better and they are back on their feet again, but when you deal with people, you are trying to change behaviour and attitudes and deal with issues— it is much more demanding.”
His advice to fellow spiritual leaders: “See your call as very important and as not a call from man but a call from God. We are not involved in the ministry for financial gains but first of all to see lives changed…Every life that is changed means a better world, so I would encourage my fellow ministers to take the call as serious, and

whatever they are doing, to remember that God is with them.
Be reminded that their labours are not in vain and eternity will prove this, so do the best that you can do.”

 

 

---

---