A pastoral letter to Rev Al Miller

The Editor, Sir:

Please publish as a letter to Pastor Al Miller.

Dear Al,

Many persons like me have restrained themselves from writing in the press due to a number of considerations, chief among them being our own commitment to the code of ministerial ethics which we subscribe to as ministers of religion.

So I have sought to write a pastoral letter to you instead of a letter of open rebuke.

You need to know at this time that a number of your colleagues are remembering you in prayer, and that we were saddened and somewhat let down in your handling of the Christopher Coke matter, in circumventing the local authorities. We have been following your ministry over the years and we were particularly struck by your preaching and pastoral abilities.

We also need to say to you that whereas we also esteem you, nevertheless, we were prepared at a point in time to say that you were being carried away in the exigency of the moment. We are all the wiser after the event and, with hindsight, we all would, possibly, have done otherwise.

disturbed

But to our utter dismay, we are more than a little disturbed by your own admission of not having done anything wrong as you emerged to the glare of the television cameras after being questioned by the police last week Wednesday.

As you already know, many pastors and deacons have been arrested in the past due to their Christian convictions, but certainly not as you have done on an error in judgement and misinterpretation of the law.

It is our prayer that you will have the wisdom from above and clarity in making these fine-line distinctions and with the Christ-like humility to see them through His eyes.

I am, etc.,

Rev ORVILLE K. NEIL

Kingston 5

Miller