It is sad that in this time and age we have so many people out there who think that the church should not be held accountable for the benefit that they gain as a business and the return that they give back to the community.
I do believed that a system should be set up that all churches are registered and that all churches should present a yearly report to the government as to the money they collect and their expenditure .This report should also include what they are doing in their community to improve it.
Let face reality many young men and women are not naive they see what’s going on, they see the big houses that the pastors have, the cars they drive and the clothes they wear. I can remember my younger brother who looked around the congregation and informed my mother that he would like to wear a shoe and suit like the one the pastor is wearing. My mother had a problem with his request seeing that he was not of age to work and her response, boy where should I get the money from. She did not take into consideration that if she uses a month offering then she would be able to by what her son desire. My brother thought that he was not worthy to dress as well as the pastor even though his mother is contributing money for the pastor to live and dress better than the people in his congregation and this is wrong because it breeds low self esteem, and insecurity.
I remember growing up offering was collected to help some poor country in Africa and as a child I could not understand how the church did not help my mother seeing that we were poor. I could not see why they want to help people all the way in Africa when so many hungry children were right here in the Jamaica. The church did not try to help when things got rough in my neighbor wood as a matter of fact many church member who lived in the adjourning neighbor to mine who used to walk through my neighbor as short cut cease from doing so. I am not saying that I have a problem with that because I would have stopped too if I didn’t live there so I have no choice. I’m am not saying that a few church member don’t try to guide youngster doing wrong or going the wrong way but most of them turn up their nose at them, with not even a good morning.
For many churches that we have in Jamaica we shouldn’t need a microscope to see what the churches are doing. The churches voluntary role in the communities should be easily detected and seen. The churches should step up their game because many are watching and many are not afraid to speak truthfully about what they see going on and they shouldn’t.
Francis Buchanan
