Pastor Glen Samuels - File

The following are reader responses to The Sunday Gleaner's lead story captioned 'Face to face with a gunman', about Pastor Glen Samuels' encounter with a gunman and the life-transforming experiences that ensued.

Ilike your Sunday headline. Why? It's good news. Instead of having bad news on murders, killings and violence, why don't you have good news on the front page every day? Good news about how people can change others' lives. How criminals changed to become good citizens.

I believe this is one of the many ways we can spread hope by doing things, helping those would-be-criminal youngsters to follow the right path.

NAME WITHHELD

It's commendable what Rev. Samuels is doing for the young men. Only a pity people like Omar Davies and others like him see these youngsters as irredeemable.

These youngsters need oppor-tunity, opportunity which this Government, having been in power for 18 years, can't provide.

REUBEN ROBINSON

reubenrobinson2003@yahoo.com

I'm a Jamaican visiting Canada, and while surfing the Net, I bumped into the story, 'Face to face with a gunman'.

I enjoyed reading it because many people are going through a lot of stress and all it takes is for someone to give a helping hand or some counselling to address those circumstances.

Hats off to the pastor, he did a great job.

EWAN THOMAS

kiertom@yahoo.com

Pastor Glen Samuels did a wonderful job to turn that young man's life around. If a lot of people in Jamaica and the world do these type of things, this would be a better planet.

ROHAN BANTON

balleamy@verizon.net

I'm very impressed with Pastor Samuels' handling of that face-to-face encounter with that gunman, as reported in The Sunday Gleaner. While the harsh realities of life are one of the many causes of crime, Pastor Samuels has proven that one effective way of dealing with it is proper mentoring/education.

I salute him and the would-be-gunman for such action and encourage them to keep up the good work.

ROYSTON O. MURRAY

Port St Lucie.

Fl.

royom2000@yahoo.com

It was with joy, mixed with tears, that I read Pastor Glen Samuels' account of his brush with death. Pastor Samuels and I went to West Indies College (now Northern Caribbean University), and both studied theology.

Pastor Samuels did what every Christian should be doing. The Church should be, and is, the bulwark against crime and violence. Jamaica has slid into a vicious cycle of violence because its 'Christian majority' is not actively pursuing the mandate of Christ. Jamaica's Christian majority must review the life of Martin Luther King Jr., and make a stand against violence and crime, knowing that if their lives are lost in that battle, they have a better home to go.

I weep when I read of the crime in my country. When I was growing up in Jamaica it was violent then, but there were so many decent, hard-working people who still cared and who would take steps to ensure that something of value was imparted to children, and would still have a sense of purpose. But today, I see only defeat and despondency, and the Christians there are not willing to truly make the sacrifice to live as Christ would have them live.

I pray that Glen Samuels' tribe will increase, and that by his example, many more will be emboldened to get dirty with real Christianity.

NAME WITHHELD

janbou00@juno.com

Interesting, moving story, Rev. Samuels.

MYKAL BELLE

Toronto

IrieVoice@aol.com

I am very impressed. The world needs more people like you with God at your side.

Keep up the Lord's work.

MICHAEL

micarvan@candw.ky

Thank God, praise the Lord! When I read this story I cried because I am a Jamaican living abroad, and every time I read the papers and see what's happening, I just have to cry and pray that the Lord will help our country.

JUDIEANN WHITE

New York

juds_25@yahoo.com

As a Jamaican and Montegonian, it is very painful to read about the escalating crime in Jamaica, especially in Montego Bay.

As a retired person, my income is limited, but I would like to contact Pastor Samuels in order to make a contribution towards expenses he and his group obviously incur in trying to help these misguided young people. If this could help to save even one life, it would be worth the effort.

I would appreciate your forwarding my request to Rev. Samuels and look forward to hearing from him.

What a wonderful heart-warming story! This is obviously the way to go in Jamaica. In a country with so many churches, one wishes that more ministers would go out on to the highways and byways and be proactive.

Instead of fussing about the rituals of the churches, wearing expensive vestments, collecting fantastic tithes and misusing the money, the churches of Jamaica need to get out there and feed the hungry and poor, care for windshield wiper boys, and do all the good works that the founder of the Church, Jesus, said we should do.

STEPHANIE WILLIAMS

stephwil@candw.ky

Pastor Samuels should be commended and encouraged for his efforts. His story speaks to the heart of the problem in Jamaica, not just poverty, but feelings of alienation and frustration. People would like to be heard, and understood and treated with respect.

The drug dons, corrupt politi-cians and others in authority need to make the choice to be a part of the solution to a safer, progressive Jamaica. I do not understand why these people choose to destroy a country with such a wealth of talent and natural resources. We have made our mark on the world stage in so many arenas, but yet they continue to be determined to tear down the country's image.

I would hope that more church leaders will join Pastor Samuels and let the young men know that if they live by the gun, they will die by the gun.

LAUREL CAMMOCK

lawcammock@yahoo.com

I've read the column and was really touched. The nation needs a lot more like this.

DAMION PEART

dappa_662000@yahoo.com

This is a story that should reach all church folk because the Church can make a difference. God bless you, Pastor. This brings tears to my eyes.

OWEN HARTY

dymo2@comcast.net

The article was a very good one and well-needed, particularly considering the wave of crime which has been gripping the nation. I would propose that more stories of Mr. Samuels' success and those of persons doing similar work should be published.

In addition, more articles pleading to the society that we should take such an approach to crime, i.e., going to the relevant communities and the criminals themselves and appealing to them personally.

However, I feel that in taking a similar approach to Mr. Samuels', we need to be careful that our focus is not to encourage handouts, but rather to encourage self-help, instil hope and highlight that we are only the facilitators of these goals.

KIMONE TENNANT

kim_t82@hotmail.com