Church mourns beheaded members

An atmosphere of gloom and despair filled the New Life Church of God yesterday as persons continued to mourn after the gruesome murders of their former church sisters, Joeith Lynch and Charmaine Rattray, whose heads were decapitated last week.

One member of the church said she struggled to attend the service, but realised it was the devil who was trying to hinder her and she refused to be daunted.

"Brethren, it was a real struggle to come to church this morning, it was a fight. I find myself having more questions than answers, but I am reminded by the scripture that 'the battle is not yours, it is the Lord's'."

Members tried their best to deliver and emphasise the message of hope by reading the scripture: "I will bless the Lord at all times," and consoling themselves with songs such as Count Your Blessings and He'll Do It Again.

Bishop George Carter in his message encouraged the members to "cheer up". He pointed out to the church that, even though the situation seemed dismal, God would ultimately get the glory. The bishop also used Bible characters in illustrating his point, saying persons such as Job, Stephen and Lazarus were severely tested by God but remained faithful.

Remain faithful

"Brothers and sisters, we are saddened and we mourn the way how they died, but we are not going to be sorry for the dead, we are going to remain faithful. We don't want members to be questioning God or go to the point of sinning against God, just trust God and you will have peace. God is still in the business of covering His people, because I reassure you that God is going to get the glory, so might as well you start praise him now," he said.

President of the Association of Full Gospel Churches, Rohan Edwards, told The Gleaner that he wants pastors islandwide to be vigilant and pray, as they have to bring an end to the rampant criminality.

Noting that he and others would be praying next Sunday at the house in which the murders took place, Edwards said: "We can't just sit and let this fall through."

He added: "We have to bring an end to this. The police can punish and treat the physical, but these are actions of blood-sucking demons, and as ministers of the Gospel we are the only ones who can fix this."

- Jodi-Ann Gilpin