THE Rev. Wendell Oliver Ebenezer Christopher made a sentimental journey to the land of his birth last week. It was to launch the first of a series of celebrations marking his 30th year in the Christian ministry.

His entire ministry has been outside of Bermuda, mainly in the North Carolina and Baltimore, Maryland Conferences of the AME Church.

For the past nine years he has pastored historic Mt. Moriah AME Church in Annapolis, Maryland. He has received, over the years, many citations and awards from colleagues in the ministry, civic and political leaders for his skill and initiatives in dealing with educational, urban and media issues relating to the African-American communities in which he served.

The overriding reason why Rev. Christopher came home was to show gratitude because he almost did not get the nod from the hierarchy of the church in Bermuda when he sought at various times to enter the ministry.

He was deemed to be a young troublemaker, too opinionated and a rebel. In fact, he was hardly considered "an AME", having been more active in the Evening Light Evangelical Church in Parsons Road and in the Anglican Church, where his uncles and aunts were prominent lay readers and teachers.

Also young Wendell disported himself more like a worldly entertainer than a ministerial aspirant, being a rhythm and blues singer with the popular band Dynamics.

Eventually the pastor of St. Paul AME Church in Hamilton, the Rev. Harry J. White, recognised the gift God had given Wendell. He provided Christopher and two other young men the opportunity to go to college at an Annual Men's Day Service. The young trio succeeded in fulfilling the requirements of the Conference School of Religious Studies, but they were refused admittance to the 1973 Bermuda Annual Conference.

Rev. Christopher related his early travails at a banquet given in his honour and attended by 100 close family and friends at Wyndham Hotel on Saturday night. Also in attendance were a number of dignitaries from his church and community in Annapolis. He went on to explain how after much discussion and no action from the Annual Conference Board of Examiners in their desire to further their education, he and his two young colleagues, S. Eugene Hayward and Colin Lambert decided to leave Bermuda on their own and pursue their call overseas.

He added that true to his word, Rev. Cousin helped all three to gain admittance to Kittrell College in Kittrell in 1973. The following year Wendell was made a College Chaplain; and in 1975 after having lifted the spiritual life and meeting the needs of some 300 students he was ordained an Itinerant Elder. The Bermudian trio all became ordained ministers, and gained the attention and significant appointments by various Bishops and leaders of the 2nd District of the AME Church. They continue to succeed at high levels in the Southern churches.

REV. Christopher, in particular, became a popular Revivalist and was much in demand to preach at revivals as far away as Florida. He was dubbed "The Triple Threat" because of his powerful singing, preaching and praying abilities.

The 30th Anniversary Banquet was under the distinguished patronage of the Justice Norma Wade-Miller and Dr. Wesley Miller. His sister Enid Christopher and brother Anthony Wade hosted the event.

Some light-hearted tributes were paid Rev. Christopher by his mother, Mernella Christopher, former classmates and staff at Sandys Secondary School; cousin Wentworth Christopher and uncle, Dr. Joseph Christopher. They all seemed unanimous about one thing, which was that Wendell was not easy as a youth.