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The Bahamas Christian Council Has Done, or Is Doing Very Little In The Way of Providing Moral and Spiritual Initiatives for The Uplifting of the People of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas
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Is the BCC failing?
By SHAVAUGHN MOSS, Lifestyles Editor -
Nassau, Bahamas:




The recent abrupt change in leadership, and the silence of the Bahamas Christian Council (BCC) on major social issues facing the nation is cause for grave concern to its effectiveness, according to Reverend J. Emmette Weir, serving pastor at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, East Sunrise Highway, Freeport, Grand Bahama.

"The Christian council has done, or rather, is doing very little in the way of providing moral and spiritual initiatives for the uplifting of the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas," says Weir, a former BCC president.

"What are the reasons for the deafening silence of the council on the major and most serious moral, social and spiritual issues now?" he asked. According to Weir, the BCC is the major ecclesiastical body in our young nation, charged with the sacred responsibility to safeguard the moral and spiritual moorings of the community.

Sudden change in leadership

According to Weir, the election of Bishop John Humes as council president last year was greeted with enthusiasm by Christians in all walks of life. He said his youthful, enthusiastic approach, and spiritual and administrative leadership of the Church of God, appeared to be just what the council needed to carry out its mission more effectively. "Outspoken and charismatic, the bishop did not hesitate to speak out on the moral and spiritual issues facing the nation. Concisely, the council, which at times in the past was rather dormant, took on a new, more aggressive role in society under the leadership of this bold clergyman. Not content to dwell in the capital, he traveled throughout the length and breadth of the archipelago as he sought to strengthen the branches of the council in the Family Islands. Yet — after just one year in office — he was not re-elected.

Weir said with the rising tide of crime and violence, the escalating cost of living and the unacceptable standard of behavior of some members of Parliament, Bahamians should be wondering why the BCC's leadership isn't addressing these issues.

"Day-by-day we are alarmed at reports of robbery with violence, rape (in which our nation has the reputation of being amongst the highest rate in the world), attempted murder, drug smuggling and murder. How utterly distressing it is to witness the number of our young men who are being killed as a result of acts of violence. What is even more disturbing is the fact that our judicial system is very slow in dealing with these matters," says Weir.

"Bishop Simeon Hall has spoken out concerning these matters, but, from the BCC at this time when we are so worried about the high rate of crime, we have heard not a word! Ironically, we have heard more about the need to deal with crime from the president of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, the courageous Dionioso D'Aguilar, than from the president of the Christian Council."

Weir also said that with the high cost of living, increased cost of gasoline and diesel oil and food, many people are experiencing hardship.

"Not only has very little been said by the officers of the council on this matter," said Weir, "one would have thought that the council would take the lead in encouraging the churches in The Bahamas to use their resources to help those in need. Should not the council lead the way in calling upon congregations to do more for the people in the name of Christ by operating soup kitchens, providing food and shelter for the needy, etc? Concisely, neither by word nor deed is the council taking the initiative in helping people to cope with the rising cost of living."

Weir further said that many people have expressed concern at the standard to which some of our members of Parliament have descended during some debates, with the repeating of innuendoes "delving into the personal lives of MPs." He emphasized that while this is tolerable in the "scandal" pages of the media, this is below the dignity of debate in the halls of Parliament.

"So disturbing has this matter become that several former members of Parliament have lamented the same in public. And Bishop Hall has gone so far as to suggest that the Parliamentary Channel "be taken off the air. But again, from the council, not a word," Weir said.

"This is most disappointing because, normally speaking, it would be expected that the leadership of the council would have enough 'clout' to speak, with authority to politicians on both sides of the political divide, calling them to demonstrate a higher standard in their debates. It's hard for me to understand why the council has elected to remain silent on the three major social issues facing this nation," said Weir.

"The reticence of the BCC as this nation approaches the celebration of the 35th anniversary of independence stands out in stark contrast to the courageous and influential stance of its leaders in the years leading up to its attainment of independence back in '73. Then there were courageous, outspoken leaders such as H.W. Brown, Reuben E. Cooper (both Baptists), Rev. Edwin Taylor (Methodist) and Archdeacon William Thompson (Anglican) and Fr. Joseph Perna (Catholic), who exercised tremendous amount of influence in society," Weir noted.

"But we cannot afford to 'bask' in the glories of the past," says Weir. "The crucial question is 'What can be done to enable the Christian Council to fulfill its mission in the world today'."

Weir says the revision of the council's constitution and the widening of its composition are essential if the council is to be transformed.

Need for the BCC constitution's revision

"As Rev. Myles Munroe has pointed out in many of his works, leadership in the church is of crucial importance. In this regard, the present system of annual elections for all persons in office requires careful review. After all, it takes about three years for a person to be established in leadership," said Weir.

He said the present system of annual elections should se changed to allow the president to serve for a longer period.

"The first year is usually one in which the leader is 'feeling his/her way', getting to know the job. In the second and third years, he/she can be expected to take bold initiatives in leadership in every respect — in speaking on moral and spiritual issues and dealing with the day-to-day administration of the church. It does not make for effective leadership if the leader has to be ever-thinking about the next election because he may be voted out at the end of the year," according to Weir.

He says the BCC should take a leaf out of the book of the Grand Bahama Christian Council, which elects a president for three years.

Including the whole church

"There can be no doubt that one reason for the relative ineffectiveness of the Christian Council is its very limited scope of the membership of the church on these islands. At the time of independence virtually the whole Christian community was involved in its work and witness of the council. There were the traditional main line denominations as well as the younger "more charismatic' churches, uniting together a powerful body of Christians," Weir observed.

Weir says he can recall attending meetings of the council when the Anglican Church was represented by the late Archdeacon William Thompson. Moreover, he recalls that the Roman Catholic Church went so far as to release Fr. Joseph Perna to serve as secretary of the council on virtually a full-time basis.

"The whole Bahamian church was involved in the council at the time of Independence. Today, 35 years later, despite major advances on the international ecumenical scene, the council is very restricted in its membership, thus, the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, two of the major denominations with long historic roots in The Bahamas, are outside the council and the Methodists and Presbyterians play a minor role — leaving the younger churches to dominate the council. This cannot be good for the church," says Weir.

"Indeed, in light of the advance of non-Christian religions such as Islam and Christian deviations such as Rastafarianism, especially amongst young black males, it is essential that Christians unite. It is submitted, therefore, that all the major denominations participate in the life and witness of the Bahamas Christian Council (as was the case at independence)."

According to Weir, all is not lost, and if the BCC reconstituted and restructured to include all major denominations, the council may again play a major role in the promotion of the social, mental, moral and spiritual uplifting of all the people of the country.

June 14, 2008 | 9:06 PM Comments  0 comments

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