Pastor shot during apology visit

05/06/2008

BMS World Mission’s general director Alistair Brown has expressed his shock and sadness at the shooting of a Jamaican Baptist pastor, which happened whilst he and other UK Baptist leaders were in the country.

Rev Dr George Simpson was shot three times at his home by gunmen on the morning of Monday, 26 May – the day after a delegation from the UK had presented an apology in his church.

The apology was on behalf of British Baptists for this nation’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Pastor Simpson, minister of Mount Carey Baptist Church in St James, was fighting for his life after suffering serious injuries in the shooting, but his condition has improved this week. He has a broken left arm and additional injuries that will need surgery.

The congregation at Mount Carey Baptist Church

Outrage
Pastor Simpson was standing on his veranda at 7am when armed men with handguns shot him; his wife, Joan, who was home at the time, managed to hide from the gunmen, who ransacked the house.

Of the attack Alistair (left) said, “The local Christians and whole community were shocked and angry that this man of God was shot callously by people apparently trying to steal the church offering.

“There is outrage at the level of gun violence in today’s Jamaica and we must pray that those with responsibility for law and order are able to take wise measures to end this great evil”.

Alistair had met with, and sat next to, Pastor Simpson at Mount Carey Baptist Church at the Sunday service, which attracted people from across the association.

“Pastor George struck me as a gracious and humble man”, says Alistair.

“He gave prominence to his guests, quietly finding a folding metal chair where he sat at the back of the platform area during the service. He was welcoming, dignified and Godly in his dealings.

“I feel deeply saddened by his shooting but thankful for the miracle of his survival and pray for him to return to full health and strength, and for Joan, and their three grown-up children at this time”.

Apology
The attack on Pastor Simpson happened during the visit to Jamaica of four Baptists from Britain who had presented a plaque containing an apology statement, jointly agreed by the Baptist Union of Great Britain, over the slave trade in Jamaica 200 years ago.

Jonathan Edwards, BUGB general secretary, read the statement, and delivered a sermon, to a packed congregation at Mount Carey, saying, “We offer our apology to our brothers and sisters for all who have created and still perpetuate slavery and the hurt which originated from the horror of slavery. We repent of the hurt we have caused”.

Alistair signalled the trip as a hugely significant occasion. “BMS was active in opposing slavery, but we can never forget it was our nation which was responsible for this most wicked of treatments of human beings.

“It was important to express our outrage and sorrow in the deepest terms by a statement of apology”

Alistair added, “Many Christians in Jamaica told us they’d hardly dared hope they’d be alive at a time when British people came and apologised for slavery.

Jonathan Edwards reads the statement from the plaque, with the JBU's Karl Johnson in the background

“They were deeply moved and deeply thankful. Some said it was time for the healing of a deep wound. Others said, rightly, it must be also the beginning of a new way of relating and working for justice for all”.

Karl Johnson, general secretary of the Jamaican Baptist Union (JBU), welcomed the pubic statement of remorse, saying, “This is by no means the journey’s end, but the apology is certainly a giant step”.

Above: The British Baptist delegation – Alistair Brown, Wale Hudson Roberts, Pat White & Jonathan Edwards
Right: A statue of Sam Sharpe preaching, Montego Bay
As well as attending church services, the delegation to Jamaica – which also included Wale Hudson Roberts (BUGB racial justice co-ordinator), and Pat White (from Brixton Baptist Church, representing the London Baptist Association and Ethnic Minority Ministers’ Forum and Churches) – had the opportunity of seeing several historical reminders of the slave trade.

These included a memorial to BMS missionary William Knibb and statues commemorating the rebel slave Sam Sharpe.

You can find out more about the historical aspects of BMS’ involvement in ending slavery by clicking here and read more about the apology statement by clicking here. There's also more on the BUGB website – click here for that.

Watch a video of the slavery apology plaque being presented by Jonathan Edwards to Rev Dr Stephen Jennings, President of the JBU.
To view, hover over the black space below and then click the play symbol on the control panel.

From left to right: Wale Hudson Roberts; Karl Henlin (former JBU president); Jonathan Edwards; Stephen Jennings; Karl Johnson (JBU general secretary); Pat White and Alistair Brown.

This video uses Flash Player 9. If you have trouble viewing it, click the graphic to download the latest version of this free software.

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