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Pastor Rickeno Moncur believes a new move of God is taking place in the Bahamas as hundreds of believers who are “in love with Jesus” pack the cinema for church services, seeking forgiveness and rededicating their lives to Christ.

The second church service that began last week is now heading for the establishment of a new church since Moncur’s resignation as senior pastor of Mt Tabor.

“As we get ready to move this thing forward, I’m only prepared to lead people who are going all the way after God,” Moncur preached passionately in the 8 am service.

Thirty-nine-year-old Moncur once pastored a small church Word of Life Kingdom Ministries before he was asked to become the Senior Pastor of mega church Mt Tabor where he served for one year, following the retirement of prominent clergyman Bishop Neil Ellis.

But Moncur’s surprise resignation last week following challenges with his leadership at the church, has sent believers in a frenzy, who have come to enjoy his fiery, apostolic preaching, and many have followed him at his new venture for prayer and encouragement.

“If you want religion, if you want your name called, if you want to be seen, then this is not for you. But if you want to see Jesus, if you want to go all the way with him, then this is it.”

The response to gathering at the Fusion Superplex for prayer and worship has been beyond what Moncur expected. Just days since the start, hashtag #IchooseGod has spread on social media, a nod to one of Moncur’s latest sermons.

Believers lined the door on Sunday to get a seat in the already packed cinema with only standing room available, as ushers sought extra chairs to seat believers filing in.

Millennials and elderly church mothers make up most of the new congregation.

“God wants to do something new. Our instruction from heaven right now is solely to gather and seek him,” Moncur wrote in a social media post.

The response has prompted Moncur to establish a children’s and teen’s church to free up space in the theatre for more worshippers.

The church will launch its brand in February and is recruiting church volunteers.

Bishop Neil Ellis won’t comment on his recent church split which has gained widespread attention.

“I am not talking about that,” he told a reporter following the National Day of Prayer Service in Rawson Square on Monday night.

He was there to offer prayers for the nation and the government,  but appeared solemn.

“I’ve been quiet and I remain quiet on that,” he said before walking away.

Bishop Ellis appointed Pastor Rickeno Moncur to the church as senior pastor one year ago, but the relationship seemed to have soured, resulting in Moncur’s resignation on Friday in a video post.

Moncur, in his first Sunday service, acknowledged that he was  “hurting for one year” while “preach[ing],” “serv[ing]” and “minister[ing] through it.”

“Some of you didn’t even know about it because I did not make it the priority,” he said on Sunday while he met with new congregants at the Super Flex Fusion. Moncur seemed to have carried with him some faithful members of Mt Tabor’s pastoral team, some church mothers including Bishop Ellis’ mother-in-law, and those who would have joined during his tenure.

Mt Tabor continued as usual though, with Bishop Ellis’ brother Delton Ellis on the podium offering the preached word where the pews seemed scant compared to other Sunday services.

At the end of his sermon, he invited hurt members to the altar to release their pain. Bishop Ellis’ wife Patrice was the first, where she knelt and prayed. Their eldest daughter stood near Bishop Ellis, and she was seen wiping tears from her eyes.

This makes the second humiliation for the church in one year. Bishop Ellis was preparing to appoint US-based Pastor Dario Carey to the post. Eventually, Bishop Ellis reneged on it, saying God told him not to do so anymore, after introducing Carey to the church and placing billboards on street corners.

With his wife and children, Carey moved back to New Orleans.

Claiming this is what God wants, Bishop Ellis then appointed Moncur.

The fragmented congregation of Mt Tabor Church was reminded to trust in God through the pain at its first Sunday service since Rickeno Moncur resigned as senior pastor of the mega-church in the Bahamas.

“In every separation, there are casualties of war. In every separation there is pain. But don’t make a permanent decision on a temporary situation,” Bishop Delton Ellis, brother of Founder Neil Ellis cautioned the congregation.

After 34 years of preaching, Ellis handed the church over to Moncur last year, but his reign as senior pastor did not last long and seemed to have been mired in controversy as revealed in Moncur’s resignation announced by video on Friday.

Service was noticeably different as Delton preached. The seats seemed sparse and occasional sounds of “hallelujah” littered the church as congregants listened attentively to the preached word.

“Bishop Ellis has been my brother before and he will remain my brother after,” Delton boldly stated as Ellis’ wife and children sat in the first pew.

“I stand in the gap to carry this family through.”

“Lift your head up, strengthen your feeble knees,” he told Bishop Ellis who sat stoically. “The devil desires to sift you like wheat, but we pray that your strength will remain.”

Pastor Kenneth Romer did not hesitate to discuss the matter, reminding the congregation to be grateful for Moncur’s service to the church. “Pastor Moncur has blessed my life [and] this ministry. We are not an ungrateful church,” to which the congregation, including Bishop Ellis stood in applause.

Moncur served as the pastor for one year before his immediate resignation.

On Saturday Mt Tabor issued a response, stating that it was unaware of Moncur’s decision before the video was released but assured followers that the service would be held at its regular times on Sunday.

“We wish him all the best.”

Bishop Ellis told ZNS that he awaits the decision of the board but has no plans to pastor the church.

The church will hold a general membership meeting on January 29.

After Bishop Neil Ellis rescinded New Orleans pastor Dario Carey, he is installing Rickeno Moncur as Senior Pastor of Mt Tabor.

The young pastor of Word of Life Kingdom Ministries is expected to assume the position at the mega-church when Ellis steps down in three months.

This comes after Mt Tabor unanimously ratified Carey for the position who moved from the US to pastor the church. But controversy followed when reports circulated that Ellis wavered in his decision to make him the senior pastor, attributing his uncertainty to God.

Ellis’ about-face negatively affected Carey’s financial situation, who in a social media post stated that he had already sold his belongings, house furniture and vehicle, to relocate to the Bahamas.

Carey was in the process of moving his wife and two children to the Bahamas, since Ellis, 61 who is the presiding Bishop of the Global United Fellowship of Churches, promised to step down from the church after 34 years of preaching.

Carey’s appointment was publicized but Ellis never publicly stated that he retook the position from Carey, but he only removed billboards that once announced Carey’s appointment.

Now that Moncur replaces Carey, he will be expected to charter a new course for the larger congregation. Moncur has pastored a smaller congregation for many years but was well known in religious circles.

Many took to social media to congratulate him.

His mother Nadine Moncur said, “…Now is the time for my Joshua to come forth and lead my people to the Promise land. It’s a new day.”

Pastor and Former Senator Jasmin Dareus said, “Look at what the Lord has done. Glory…”

Deno Cartwright, another pastor joined the chorus. “Built and bred for this moment—embrace the call, serve his people [and] run the race.”

It remains to be seen if Moncur will disband his church and how many of his members will crossover.

Following weeks of speculations, Pastor Dario Carey indicated that he is no longer the incoming pastor of Mt Tabor though he was promised the position by Senior Pastor Neil Ellis.

Pastor Carey took to social media in a video post titled, The Transition and the Truth About It, addressing the lingering speculations while revealing that the position was rescinded through verbal communication, but he was not given a letter to confirm the revocation as pastor.

Carey revealed that he was advised not to speak on the matter using his social media platform, but he took to Facebook anyway, in a live post to shed light on the situation as God directed him to do so.

“I have a right to speak because I’m a servant of God. I decree as God declares and I decree according to the word of God. So, I don’t need consensus just for those people who are asking tonight, ‘who gave you the authority to speak?’ God gives the authority for me to speak tonight.”

He continued, “I’m not a weak man. I’m very strong in the Lord and in the power of his might…”

Carey moved from New Orleans to be appointed to Mt Tabor’s top spot in the Bahamas, with his wife and two children, since Ellis, 61 who is the presiding Bishop of the Global United Fellowship of Churches, promised to step down from the church.

Though no official statement from the church, reports cited that Ellis was wavering in his decision to make Carey the senior pastor, attributing his uncertainty to God.

But Carey said, “God is not psych phrenic. God is not a God of confusion. God is not a God that lies.”

The road to Carey’s appointment began three years ago. He was ratified on October 5th and joined the staff at Mt Tabor in January of this year, in preparation to take charge in January 2023.

Carey said Ellis met with his immediate and extended family and the company where he worked as the general manager. “He did a character assessment and came up with none. I went through the scrutiny..No skeletons in my closet. No scandals,” he passionately expressed.

The young pastor said he paid for everything he needed for the transition to the Bahamas and sold his belongings which included house furniture and his vehicle, having shipped his belongings to the Bahamas.

Carey and his wife Dionne recently enrolled their children at St John’s College in Nassau.

“I may have been gutted but I trust God. You may push me to the side but the hand of the Lord caught me….God is my source.”

Carey said despite the situation, he will remain in the Bahamas.

“I’m here to stay.”

It remains to be seen who Mt Tabor will appoint to replace Carey.

Following the relocation of Mt Tabor’s incoming senior pastor from the United States, rumors are swirling that Bishop Neil Ellis has reneged on his promises to give Dario Carey the top spot.

Pastor Carey, with his wife and two children, moved from New Orleans this year to lead the megachurch as Ellis, 61 promised to step down from the post. But reports are that Ellis, who served 34 years as senior pastor, has since refused to give up the office, citing that God told him not to do so, anymore.

Ellis told the Nassau Guardian last year that while on ‘sabbatical’ in 2012, God told him to serve ten more years as a pastor and then retire from the post.  He was expected to retire at the end of this year to allow Carey to assume the post. Carey was expected to lead the congregation in January 2023. He already joined the staff six months ago, in preparation to take charge.

“So he (Carey) will work for me for the full year. He will take over in January 2023,” Ellis said last year. Ellis was expected to remain the head of the Global United Fellowship of churches, stating that he would serve Carey.

“I am still sought after for conferences and special church events. I am stepping down from the top spot of the church, but I am not retiring from active duty. A lot of this would have to do and depend upon what the new pastor would require of me once in place – how much of me he would need or want. I want to make myself available to him.”

Ellis recently introduced Carey’s wife, Dionne and children to the church, announcing that they had recently been enrolled as students at St John’s College as their father prepared to take the leadership of Mt Tabor. He prided that the process to make Carey the senior pastor was “slow, intentional, careful and prayerful, and it paid off” after a three-year search.

Signs, announcing the transition, were strategically placed on street corners. Carey was celebrated as Ellis’ successor, who was Bahamian-born and served seven years as the pastor of Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“He [Carey] met the Lord in Mount Tabor,” said Ellis. “When he first visited us as a teenager, he was living in the Ranfurly Homes [for children]. He met the Lord at Mount Tabor and was among a group of people that we sent to seminary. Four of the six came back. All worked at the church, but [Carey] and one more person never returned to The Bahamas to stay. He met his wife there – they built a family and he landed two wonderful jobs that led him to managerial positions. Eight years ago, he was called to a church in New Orleans,” Ellis said.

Some congregants of the Church of God denomination in the Bahamas have died and others remain in the hospital after being infected with COVID-19 at a superspreader event.

Reports say the pentecostal denomination held a Youth Conclave at its William Johnson Auditorium earlier in the month, where all of its church branches attended.

The event became a hotspot for the infectious disease, which resulted in the spread among its congregants, which ultimately caused the closure of its branches for two weeks.

Vision of Hope Church of God in Yamacraw bore the brunt of infections. Reports say the church has since seen five deaths in its church as others are hospitalized at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

Other infections remain among its varied branches.

Its Administrative Bishop Moses Johnson has said nothing publicly on the matter, except to post to social media stating “The Church of God Bahamas is praying for COVID-19 patients, covering the Church of God family and all health care workers.”

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has since limited worship service times in the country to one hour with 33% occupancy.

President of the Bahamas Christian Council Bishop Delton Fernander and Pastor of Mount Tabor Neil Ellis have criticized the measure stating that government should not dictate to the church the number of hours spent at a facility.

Health officials reported 132 new cases on Thursday, and 88 new cases were reported on Wednesday. There are presently 1723 active cases in the country.

Photo credit: Taken from social media, showing the congregation at its 66th Annual Youth Conclave

The spotlight has shone on Pastor of Mt Tabor Bishop Neil Ellis who lambasted Prime Minister Hubert Minnis from his church’s pulpit on Sunday, railing against his handling of the COVID-19 while accusing him of “acting like a god” and one who “does not believe in God.”

Ellis spoke up against the continued lockdowns and restrictive measures implemented to prevent the spread of the virus.

But the part of Ellis’ speech that caught the most heat was accusations that Minnis was not a follower of Jesus, which he later denied that he referenced the prime minister.

Ellis said in his sermon on Sunday, “You (PM Minnis) are insulting our intellect and parading on our democracy and sidelining our right of movement and humiliating our business owners and entrepreneurs. Your one-man stand is killing our economy and it sure doesn’t help when the one in the chair does not believe in God.”

But on Monday morning, Ellis told ZNS in an interview, “I will never seek to say who believes or who does not believe in God because only God knows the secret of a man’s heart. So this was definitely not attributed to the prime minister.”

Who is Bishop Neil Ellis?

Ellis is the senior pastor of a megachurch, reported having nearly 7000 members in 2011. He affiliates with renowned preachers and mega international churches, once connected to the Full Gospel Church in New Orleans, then forming an organization of his own called the Global United Fellowship, which boasts of nearly 1400 churches in 42 Countries.

Ellis has since transitioned from the title of “Bishop” to “His Grace.”

He was referred to as Former Prime Minister Perry Christie’s spiritual adviser, during the PLP’s 2012-2017 reign in power. His influence runs deep within the PLP claiming to be a protege of the PLP’s founding father the late Sir Lynden Pindling and a close friend of PLP’s campaign financier Frankie Wilson.

Bishop Ellis made similar spirituality claims of Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie but denied it too

A 2011 Wikileaks cable shows that Ellis told US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Witajewksi in 2003 in a meeting that Hubert Ingraham is “not a man of God,”  even if he does attend church, nor is Perry Christie a “true man of God,” although he was trying to be religious.

When the Nassau Guardian confronted Ellis with the statements in 2011, Ellis denied the statements attributed to him, saying, “I don’t qualify to determine who is a man of God and who is not a man of God.

“…For me to say I think Christie is a pretender would be very hypocritical of me because I’ve always said publicly and I would say again, I believe Perry Christie is one of the greatest humanitarians I’ve ever met.”

Bishop Ellis further rejects claims he told members to ‘vote PLP or leave the church’

Ellis further denied a controversial statement made in 2002 when reports claimed that he told his congregants to vote for the PLP, and if they did not, they should leave his church.

But according to Wikileaks reports, Former US Ambassador Richard Blankenship said Ellis told him that the tape — “which he claims contains selectively edited portions of three different sermons — could easily lead you to believe he had instructed his church how to vote.”

Blankenship continues, “According to Ellis, his comments were taken out of context, and that while he did officially endorse Christie and the PLP from the pulpit on several occasions (doing as he says the Holy Spirit moved him to do), he never tried to tell others how to vote or threatened anyone if they didn’t vote for the PLP.”

Despite his particular political opinions, Ellis says he has respect for all leaders.

Featured picture: The Christian Post