By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Church of God claimed yesterday that it is following the guidelines the Bahamas Christian Council has recommended and that the Ministry of Health has approved following reports that several people who attended a recent youth convention contracted COVID-19 and died.

However, the statement from Bishop Moses Johnson, the administrative bishop and national overseer of the Church of God, did not refute the claim that the church event likely sparked a COVID-19 cluster.

The Ministry of Health has said nothing about the matter. Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan told reporters yesterday that the ministry would release a statement, but none came before press time.

The Nassau Guardian reported yesterday that after the Church of God held its 66th national youth convention between June 30 and July 4, a number of people tested positive for COVID-19, including Agnes Nairn and Leonard Nairn Jr, both of whom died within 45 minutes of each other.

The Ministry of Health reportedly told Ms Nairn’s son that she caught the virus during the convention.

The development comes days after Christian Council president Delton Fernander expressed concerns with the restrictions outlined in the latest emergency powers orders that limits the time of religious services.

In his statement, Bishop Moss said: “It is with sadness that as a Church of God family we mourn the death of persons who have contributed significantly to the sharing of the gospel throughout our denomination. Death is the archenemy of humankind as it removes from the terrestrial realm those whom we have come to know and love. In light of this separation, we are forced to grieve for such is the price we pay for having loved.

“The leadership and national assemblies of the Church of God join in offering sympathy to those who mourn the death of loved ones and assure all affected families that you are in our prayers. As people of faith, we know our times are in the hands of God and that death is the means by which we are brought into a fuller life in the presence of God. Our faith affirms that… ‘weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

“I would be remiss if I didn’t make special mention of the Nairn family, a fundamental cornerstone in the Church of God. The death of Mother Agnes Nairn has caused both me and my wife immense and immeasurable pain. Mother Nairn was a devoted and zealous member of Vision of Hope Church of God and the founding first lady who worked arduously, not only for her local assembly, but the national Church of God body at large. We also acknowledge, with great sadness, the passing of Leonard Nairn Jr, Vernmae Nairn and Lincoln Newbold.

“Finally, we wish to assure all members, followers and the general public that we are adhering to all the guidelines recommended by the Bahamas Christian Council and approved by the Ministry of Health, and we will continue in this vein.”