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Nearly six weeks after resigning from Mt Tabor Church as senior pastor, Pastor Rickeno Moncur and his new congregation unveiled the name of their new church on Sunday in the ballroom of Bahamar, Revolution Church.

With standing room only, hundreds of worshippers crammed the ballroom for the church’s unveiling, with famed American worship leader Benita Washington leading the praise and worship segment.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis accompanied by his wife, was spotted in the crowd.

https://fb.watch/qDrTgusyHa/

“We are here tonight to witness the birthing of a revolution of love, designed for one purpose, to give life and life abundantly,” Moncur told an exuberant crowd. “This is not just any kind of a revolution, this is a love revolution based on John 3:16: For God so love people, he gave his only begotten Son.”

Forty-year-old Moncur established Revolution Church after serving many years in ministry. He transitioned to pastoral ship at a young age, leading a small but vibrant congregation of young people at Word of Life Kingdom Church, before dissolving it to become the lead pastor at Mt Tabor.

On Sunday, he emphasized that the mandate of Revolution Church is different and people-centered.

“Jesus is saying you can’t take ministry to another dimension and do things the same way.

“Next levels attract new devils but also require different and unique strategies.

“I have been revolutionized. Church is all about God but God is all about his people. For God so love people, he gave his only begotten Son.”

The apostolic preacher has been holding church at Superplex Fusion after he left Mt Tabor unexpectedly, announcing by a video that “challenges surround[ed] my presence” at the influential church and later acknowledging he was “hurting for one year.”

“I had to preach through it,” he told the congregation of his plight one Sunday morning in its 8 am service. “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.”

Details of the challenges he encountered while serving have been sketchy, only stating that it appeared as if he “created some offences” while there. After praying and reflecting, he determined it was “the end of this particular season.”

However, Moncur has been careful to express gratitude to Bishop Ellis for the opportunity to lead the congregation at Mt Tabor.

“Doing what I did was not easy, but I believe it was a God move.”

Since the move, Revolution Church now consists 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; the newly joined members of Mt Tabor; and some new members who joined the new church after the resignation.

Moncur said he endeavours to change and improve the lives of his congregants while upsetting the status quo.

“The revolution in this church is that no one in this church, regardless of their status will go without their needs being met.

“The failure of the church in our times is that in many instances, we have deceptively sought to make the church about God and not about his people as a coverup for our selfish ambition to build up our personal kingdoms and empires where pastors and bishops live like kings while their parishioners suffer like hogs.

“We drive the best, wear the best and we live in the best. We fly all over the world, while our members can hardly pay the two-dollar bridge toll to get over Paradise Island. We eat to our heart’s content, taking the tithes from the single mothers on minimum wage but could care less if she ate or was able to pay her rent or take care of her children.”

Moncur continued, “We have no time to meet with people any more, talk with people or be among people. For too long, we have built kingdoms unto ourselves on the backs of people who were deceived into thinking this was God’s way.

“We use God to control people when in fact, being his representative, we try to be him and violate people.

“Our kingdoms are coming down so that God’s kingdom can truly be built. God is reclaiming his church, his throne and his people,” Moncur said.

Before Moncur’s appointment to Mt Tabor, Bishop Ellis sought to appoint US-based Bahamian Pastor Dario Carey as senior pastor, but Ellis reneged on his promise and suggested that God told him not to do so anymore. So, 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.

Moncur changed the dynamic at Mt Tabor, rebranding the church and increasing its membership.

Going forward, Moncur said, “We will challenge the status quo. We will challenge governments, and the unjust systems and policies, as the Holy Spirit leads.

“We are not interested in tradition, religion, selfish and hypocritical ideologies. We have no interest in self-serving, carnal, evil-driven, arrogant, pompous ministry. We are going back to God, we are going back to the Bible.

“We are going back to Jesus culture as our model and as our standard.”

Mt Tabor Church has appointed Bishop Delton Ellis as its interim pastor following a shakeup in the administrative team when Rickeno Moncur resigned after one year as senior pastor of the mega-church.

Bishop Delton the brother of the church’s founder Bishop Neil Ellis has served on the church’s pastoral team but was never up for the post as senior pastor of the church.

Since Moncur’s surprise resignation more than three weeks ago, Mt Tabor Church was without a senior pastor as the church pondered its next move.

Bishop Delton was appointed last Sunday and Kenneth Romer was appointed its First Assistant Pastor.

Bishop Delton has a level of pastoral experience, serving as Provincial leader in Neil Ellis’ global ministry, Global United Fellowship.

Mt Tabor announced it in a social media post, not before members of the church circulated the church’s quiet announcement.

Its last week broadcast ended before Neil Ellis made the announcement.

Before Moncur’s appointment, Bishop Neil Ellis sought to appoint Bahamian US-based Pastor Dario Carey to the church’s top post but that fell through when Bishop Neil 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, and Bishop Neil then appointed Moncur to the position.

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

Since he left and restarted his ministry, the membership at Mt Tabor has dropped and the church is attempting to regain its footing.

It remains to be seen how long Bishop Delton will serve as interim pastor, but it is hoped he provides the church with some stability before the church settles on its next senior pastor.

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.