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As Mt Tabor Church begins its search for a new senior pastor, newly resigned Pastor Rickeno Moncur held his first service at Fusion Superplex.

Since his separation from Bishop Neil Ellis and the congregation of Mt Tabor just two days ago, he and a packed theater of worshippers gathered at the facility for Sunday service.

“I was hurting for one year. I had to preach through it,” he told the congregation of his plight. “I had to minister through it. I had to serve through it. And some of you didn’t even know about it because I did not make it the priority,” the apostolic preacher acknowledged.

On Friday in a surprising move, the thirty-nine-year-old preacher who was appointed by Ellis as the senior pastor of Mt Tabor last year, announced by video that he resigned because of “challenges that surround my presence.”

Moncur said it appeared as if he “created some offenses” while he served at the mega church, and after praying and reflecting, he determined it was “the end of this particular season.”

“Doing what I did was not easy,” he said on Sunday morning. “But I believe it was a God move.”

The packed audience consisted of some members of Mt Tabor’s pastoral team; some church mothers of Mt Tabor including Bishop Ellis’ mother-in-law; those who would have followed Moncur after he first closed his church Word of Life Kingdom Ministry; newly joined members of Mt Tabor; curious onlookers and some of his pastoral friends.

“I follow God. I did not do this thinking this would happen. It is not about this. I did this when I had 20, 50, 70 people. It didn’t matter to me. It was about pleasing God.

“It’s not about pomp, pageantry and platforms.”

Before Moncur’s appointment to Mt Tabor, Ellis sought to appoint US-based Bahamian Pastor Dario Carey to the top post but that fell through when Ellis reneged on his promise and suggested that God told him not to do so anymore.

Carey, his wife and children then moved back to New Orleans where he pastored Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church, and Ellis soon appointed Moncur to the position in an official ceremony.

The fiery pastor changed the dynamic of Mt Tabor, helping to rebrand the church and increasing its membership.

All seemed well until an article written in the editorial of Tuesday’s Tribune sounded the alarm that something was amiss at the church.

By Friday, Moncur resigned.

He formerly pastored Word of Life Kingdom Ministry, which was dissolved because of the move to Mt Tabor.

It is not known if he will reuse the name as he moves forward.

The new congregation is expected to meet again next Sunday at 8 am.

“I have no plan…so give me some space. I believe God will give me the details as I go.”

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.