Pray for Grenada

Grenada is known as “Spice Island” for its nutmeg and mace — a spice that is harvested from the outer covering of nutmeg seeds. North of Venezuela in the southern Caribbean, Grenada is dotted with volcanic mountains and waterfalls flowing through tropical rainforests. More than 80 percent of the nation’s population is descended from enslaved Africans brought by the French to work in sugar plantations. The British ruled the island from the late 18th century until 1974. With a population of about 110,000 and a land area of 133 square miles, Grenada is still one of the smallest independent nations in the Western Hemisphere. In 1983, a rebel military group overtook the nation and held control until U.S. forces overthrew the regime and arrested its leaders. Since then, the nation has held free elections and functioned as a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth of Nations.

Devastation from Hurricane Beryl in 2024 destroyed almost every home on the islands of  Carriacou and Petite Martinique and displaced thousands of people across the nation. The storm destroyed Carriacou’s only hospital, along with schools, powerlines, and businesses. Disaster insurance and debt relief protected the nation from accumulating substantial debt, but unemployment, reliance on tourism and agriculture, and rising living costs have left much of the nation impoverished. About 20 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have experienced physical or sexual violence, and the United Nations has urged Grenada’s government to better protect women from gender-based violence and harassment. Since then, they have adopted some legal protections, but there is still much progress to be made.

More than 90 percent of the nation identifies as Christian, and the majority are Roman Catholic or Protestant. A minority population practices Rastafarianism, a combination of Christianity and African spirituality that originated in Jamaica in the 1930s. Rastafarians draw from the story of Exodus to emphasize African identity and liberation. They believe that they are exiles from Zion, which is their name for Africa. Babylon is used as a representation for oppressive political, economic, and social systems. Though Christianity is the main religion and the majority of the population attends church regularly, churches are struggling to bring in younger generations. This has prompted ministries and church organizations in Grenada to begin reaching out specifically to these young people. Pray for a new generation of strong believers, and for biblical teaching to transform Rastafarians.