Not to bore you….but let us get some background on the Moravian Church before we discuss the faith of their Pastor, charged with rape.
A Brief History of the Moravian Church
The Moravian Church website states,
“For over five centuries the Moravian Church has proclaimed the gospel in all parts of the world. Its influence has far exceeded its numbers as it has cooperated with Christians on every continent and has been a visible part of the Body of Christ, the Church.”
Proud of its heritage and firm in its faith, the Moravian Church ministers to the needs of people wherever they are.
The Moravian church which uses its own manufactured and translated bible, and church rituals, has its beginning roots in Czech Republic, goes back to 100 years before the establishment of the Anglican Church. The church now boast more than one million members of the Moravian Church in the world. Most of them live in eastern Africa. Other major Moravian centers are the Caribbean basin (U.S. Virgin Islands, Antigua, Jamaica, Tobago, Surinam, Guyana, St. Kitts, and the Miskito Coast of Honduras and Nicaragua), South Africa, Winston-Salem, and Bethlehem, Pa.
The Moravian Church claims that they saw their distinct calling as,
“bringing the good news of God’s infinite love to the poorest and most despised people of the world.”
So, exactly who was this pastor servicing…oops “serving.” And what was he serving at 9:00 pm on a dark, lonely road near the Alpine plant?
“Serving the Poor?” Moravian Pastor may serve time for statutory Rape of 15 year-old
St. Elizabeth, Jamaica (McN). Police reports are that a police team on patrol in a community near Black River, St Elizabeth, around 9:00 pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2016, observed a parked car parked near the Alpart plant in Nain, which aroused their suspicion.
Upon further investigation, they found 64-year-old Rupert Clarke, pastor of a Manchester Nazareth Moravian Church, in a compromising position with the child.
He was taken into custody and slapped with rape of a minor (having sex with a child). Clarke, now on bail in the sum of $800,000 is scheduled to return to court on February 13, 2017.
In the meantime, the police say other charges are pending as they deepen their investigations into other allegations against Clarke.
Rupert Clark’s Biggest Supporter is a All Girls School Principal
Clark’s wife is said to be devastated. She was too devastated to attend Clark’s bail hearing. Instead, her long time friends, and principal of all girls school Hampton, showed up claiming she is there to support Mrs. Rupert Clark.
Heather Murray, the principal of Hampton Girls School, in St. Elizabeth may face disciplinary action from the school board. The school board is schedule to meet with her to discuss her judgement of attending the bail hearing of a man charged for having sex with a under-aged girl. The board is said to determine a how the school will move forward.
The chairman of board of the Hampton School Trevor Blake told the Gleaner that he is concerned that Murray’s court attendance and reported attempt to have blocked the media may have brought the school into disrepute.
What is the Church Saying About the Allegation of the Pastor Caught Having Car Sex with a Minor
According to the Jamaica Star, Clark has since been suspended as a Moravian Pastor, pending the outcome of the charges against him. The Jamaica head of the Moravian church, Reverend Dr Paul Gardener, says he expects the legal system to work. Gardener told the Star that the church is shocked and disappointing.
“It has cast a gloom across our congregations, our church, and our community. It is a sad day and we recognise what has happened, sated Reverend Dr Paul Gardener, president of the Moravian Church in Jamaica
Reverend Gardner said they are awaiting the outcome of the charges against the pastor to determine how to proceed, and in the same breath, has expressed regret to the affected family.
“We want to express our own words of comfort to the family of the minor who has been involved in this. It is really a sad day for all of us,” he said.
Mckoy’s News will follow this news as it unfolds, we respect that these are allegations and, therefore, left to the justice system to presume innocence or guilt.
Credit: Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaica Observer, Jamaica Star
