A pastor and his wife were on Wednesday evening stripped of their jewellery by four gunmen after a service had just been conducted at their Howes Street, Charlestown church, Faith Miracle Ministries.
Pastor Kenrick Corbin yesterday told Stabroek News that most of the congregation had left by 9:30pm and he and his family were preparing to leave when he heard a loud crash outside.
“I heard commotion outside, like bicycles piling on one another so I thought it was a little mishap and it briefly got my attention but shortly after the four men barged in and urged everyone in the church not to move,” he recalled.
Corbin said that everyone outside the premises immediately scattered while those in the building were in fear of their lives.
“They pointed the guns to me, came straight to me and relieved me of my chain, my diamond ring and my wristband. I had a gold chain with a pendant of a cross and they took that too,” he said.
The pastor said that he was caught off guard and initially thought that it was possibly a prank but after realizing what was happening, he attempted to take control of the situation by willingly handing over the jewellery.
He stated that after collecting what he had to offer, the men turned to his wife, Faith Corbin, who at that time had both her hands placed in her pockets.
“They said I want you ring so she took one hand from her pocket and give them that ring and they say no we want from the other hand as well,” Kenrick explained.
He pointed out that the attackers must have been aware that he and his wife would usually be adorned with the jewellery, speculating that this is the reason why only the two of them were targeted.
“There were other people in the church also but as soon as these men entered, they came to us… my children were traumatized, they really were shaken up. I wouldn’t say I was shaken up. I would say I was more concerned that I was so close to losing my life by a young man who could have irrationally pulled the trigger and a lot of things started flashing before me,” he said.
The four men who were all masked, he noted, made their escape on the bicycles he had heard crashing earlier. He added that he is almost positive that the perpetrators are not residents of that community since he enjoys the respect that he is given there.
Pastor Kenrick further stated that he and his wife had the jewellery for many years and he is yet to ascertain their current value.
“My life doesn’t revolve around these things and maybe that is why it didn’t take the kind of effect on me that it would have on ordinary people.
That jewellery was given to me by the church. They are gifts given to me years ago,” he said.
The pastor described the actions of the four perpetrators as very cowardly, stating that real men acquire jobs and face the challenges of the world in order to make a decent living and earn for themselves.
However, he also pointed out that there is an underlying problem in society whereby people are not being afforded job opportunities.
“I am not attempting to justify anything but we can be dealing with these criminals but if you don’t deal with the societies from which they came, we will continue to have these problems. I think society failed these guys, the school system.
Also, to some extent, I believe the religious community also failed these guys… It is pitiful that our young men who could have been lawyers and doctors have taken such a turn in life and have joined the unsavoury gangs in society. It’s rather regrettable and I have work to do still,” he said.
The pastor added that he has been operating in the church for the past 15 years and has observed a dramatic change in the community in terms of people’s lifestyles.
“Where the church is held used to be a drugs joint, exactly there is where a man who is now deceased used to actually push drugs, junkies used to be there, people looking for drugs used to be there, selling marijuana and cocaine and so God brought us there to make a difference.
The rate of pickpockets and simple larceny, the police can verify this record, crime in that area dropped dramatically since that church is there,” he said.
For the crime they have committed against him, Corbin said he has forgiven the men but noted that his forgiveness should not stand as an indication of them being relieved of their crime. “They committed a crime and they have to pay for that crime,” he affirmed.
