The power of ONE
Published:Wednesday | April 14, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Andre Wright, Night Editor
As Charles Yee-Sing waved an oversize flag above some of the crime-ridden enclaves in Spanish Town on an overcast Sunday afternoon, he stood as a bold reminder that at least one man was ceding no ground to gangs - 10,000-man march or not.
Yee-Sing is part of a church-led mission that aims to stem the rot in the Old Capital, which has been the hunting ground of criminal networks spreading mayhem and fear.
"It's my kind of work to get the gospel into the communities and the influence of the gospel in all the areas the churches don't usually penetrate," said the self-styled lay preacher, who attends the Glad Tidings Open Bible Church in Spanish Town.
While criticising some churches for not being fearless enough in evangelising shanty towns teeming with jobless youths and dysfunctional families, he believes the time is ripe for change.
"The power of the Church is unlimited in its ability to transform society, and presently we haven't tapped into that power," he told The Gleaner during a telephone interview Monday night.
Yee-Sing, a drummer and praise and worship leader who says he is also involved in outreach ministry at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in the heart of Spanish Town, said Christian men should rise up and teach others to become better husbands and fathers.
Men have the solution
The 30-year-old, who converted to Christianity in his mid-teens, insists that although men cause most of the nation's problems, most of the solutions also lie in their hands.
"Jesus used 12 men to bring so much light and goodness in the world. If we can get less than 10,000 men, we can transform Jamaica and the Caribbean.
"...If we get the influences in the homes, the towns and cities, on the mountaintops, by the seaside, not limited to the four walls of the Church, this place (Jamaica) would be a semi-heaven. One can make a difference."