The Methodist minister who has been publicly insulted, vilified and finally hounded out of Bermuda by a small section of his Somerset parishioners, says he is saddened, rather than angered by "the antics of a few.'' The Rev. David Chisling, acknowledged as an outstanding leader in the Island's fight against AIDS, believes, however, that he has been "sacrificed to placate a few disgruntled people in the Somerset church. It was apparently easier to do that than to take a long look at the Methodist ministry here.'' As the Canadian cleric made final preparations to leave the parsonage which has been his home for the past four years as minister for the combined parishes of Southampton and Somerset, Rev. Chisling said he had, nevertheless, been "overwhelmed'' by the outpouring of love, and expressions of outrage on behalf of him and his wife from people from all walks of life during the past few weeks.

It is widely believed that Rev. Chisling's work with AIDS patients and his steadfast refusal to condemn homosexuals, infuriated some of his parishioners in the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Somerset.

There is also evidence that the dissent within the Somerset church has racial overtones.

Admitting that he is disillusioned by an apparent lack of practical support from his church (the United Church of Canada), Rev. Chisling said: "So many people have said they can't understand how this was allowed to happen. It certainly is alarming to realise that the absurd and vicious ravings of the bigoted and ignorant have, in effect, destroyed my career. What joy does someone get in doing that? I have no church to go to when I leave here.'' Next month, he has been invited to make a presentation in Chicago to Rotary International on behalf of the Sandys Rotary Club's AIDS Education Fund. It is hoped that this project, the brain-child of Rev. Chisling, will be adopted as a world-wide Rotary project, along the lines of the recent world polio immunisation scheme.

Referring to the `Chisling has to go' campaign which culminated in August, with those very words being posted on the gate of the Somerset church, Rev.

Chisling commented -- in what can only be described as a masterpiece of understatement -- "The spirit of gentleness is not always evident on this Island.'' He said he and his wife, Nancy, were horrified by the extent to which people would go in order to hurt them: "Frankly, it frightened us. That's when I decided it would be better if Nancy returned to Canada at once.'' In spite of the unhappy events of the past few months, Rev. Chisling said he and his wife had valued their time here and the friends they had made.

"This is a remarkable country and we've met some wonderful people. I've been very touched by my work with AIDS and our care-givers. Bermuda is blessed with the number of people who do what they can to help. People like Quinton Edness, Dr. Cann, the Health Department and staff at the hospital and hospice. And especially Hilary Soares who has been a great inspiration to me, the people with the Allan Smith Foundation and Carolyn Armstrong at S.T.A.R. My one regret is that the initiative was never taken to follow up on the formation of an AIDS Coalition Group.'' He explained that in the AIDS movement, he had experienced what is known as "the sacred'' where, as a chaplain he had been admitted into the innermost lives of the terminally ill.

"When you go without condemnation or judgement you truly enter into that realm of the sacred and these people bare their souls to you. That is where I meet my God. Mother Teresa says `find your own Calcutta'. I have found mine.

And when you do that, you become part of a spiritual world. To that extent, it is totally removed from a world where people spew ignorance, stupidity and hate. When I enter the life of a troubled person, my response, as a child of God has to be `How may I help?' -- and then DO it. That's what I do and that's what I'll continue to do.'' The burly, outspoken and humorous minister who can be -- and often is -- moved to tears by the plight of AIDS patients, became the first chaplain at Agape House. Staff there have attested that it was not unusual to see Rev. Chisling sitting, hour after hour, sometimes cradling in his massive arms, the frail frames of the dying. It was Rev. Chisling to whom grieving families and friends turned when their loved ones died. And for those who, because of the stigma of the disease, had been rejected by their families, he became their family.

This is the man whose untiring compassion has been rewarded with a hate campaign, conducted with a viciousness that was compared in a recent Mid-Ocean News editorial to the witch hunts of the 17th century.

For Rev. Chisling, the straw that broke his usually robust back, occurred one July morning on his return from the hospice. It had been an exceptionally harrowing time for him and the hospice staff. Three people in one morning had died from AIDS complications. "Can you imagine,'' he asked, "the emotional impact for the staff and those of us who were trying to attend to their families and loved ones?'' When he finally arrived home he picked up The Royal Gazette and read, with mounting disbelief, a letter from a Somerset parishioner in which he was accused, amongst other things, of preaching "a perverted gospel'' that "fits you for Hell and prepares your minds to accept the anti-Christ.'' As President of the Bermuda Bible Society, David Chisling was also highly embarrassed by a circular authored by another Somerset parishioner.

We quote part of this missive, without correction of spelling or grammar: "We feel that the arm of evangelism has been arrested by a succession of ministers who exhibits atrocious alarming ignorance of what the gospel really is and the tenants of their chief vocation which is the bible. What we get is a perverted gospel, evangelism united church style which is no gospel. Just the traditions of men that makes void the word of God. We see the united church's decline as a decent into slavery.' The minister, who studied Hebrew as part of his theological training and whose mastery of ancient Greek earned him the nick-name of `Gretsky the Greek', said he was particularly dismayed by those who set themselves up as "instant theologians. Those who, for some inexplicable reason, see themselves as expert interpreters of the Bible who get bogged down in their own version of theology.'' Nowhere in the Bible are we told to hate one another, he said.

"Unfortunately,'' he added, "some people are blissfully unaware that Jesus Christ did not carry around a copy of the Bible in King James English. Jesus himself spoke a form of Hebrew dialect and the Bible has been translated and re-interpreted by those translators many, many times over the centuries.

"I don't think these people realise that there is a sharp difference between self-appointed ministers and ordained ministers. I spent seven years at university and after obtaining my Masters in Divinity, I had to undergo practical training at theological college.'' To claim, as some of his parishioners have, that he has "no knowledge'' of the Gospel is, he said, like saying that an accountant doesn't know how to add up.

Rev. Chisling has also been the victim of outright racial attacks from parishioners who object to having a white minister.

In his first week here, said Rev. Chisling, he received a phone call from a member of the Somerset congregation who said, "We don't want no white people down here telling us what to do.'' At the time, he thought this was "just some crackpot, sounding off.'' The same individual, however, later repeated his comment at a public church meeting.

He is, in fact, entirely sympathetic with those Bermudians who feel that the appointment of black Bermudian ministers within the Methodist church is long overdue.

"I would encourage it,'' he said. But, he pointed out, ministers are not "appointed'' -- they are chosen by the congregations.

He admitted that his church, the United Church of Canada, has been criticised in some circles as being "too liberal'' but, he commented, "I think you have to question the individuals in a church that build themselves up by putting someone else down. My church has, I believe, demonstrated the ability to be understanding and compassionate towards our fellow human beings.'' Referring to his work as a chaplain, Rev. Chisling said he felt there was a real need for a permanent hospital chaplain and chaplain services for the care-givers in the community.

"I don't think people always realise the emotional toll involved. The policemen and ambulance people who come across a horrible accident and see mangled bodies in the road, the firemen, and hospital workers -- they all have to deal with these things. A chaplain can help individuals to deal with their own immortality in the face of tragic death. Any success I've had in dealing with all this is because of the love and understanding that Nancy gives me. We used to have a very troubled young man who rang me up every night at eight o'clock. Nancy would laugh and say, `it's your friend'.'' Rev. Chisling says that Bermuda's music community has also been "very upset'' by his wife's departure from the Island.

Nancy Chisling, a gifted mezzo-soprano, was the organist and choir director for the Southampton church. She was a leading soloist in many of the Island's major musical events, singing for the Bermuda Philharmonic Society, the Geoffrey Tankard Foundation and for Marjorie Pettit's series of concerts.

Nancy Chisling and her husband organised the Classical Response to AIDS opera concert for Sandys Rotary Club last December. In Canada, she has sung on national TV and radio.

As Bermuda's only member of the American National Association of Teachers of Singing, she brought sopranos Gwendolyn Lytle and Beverly Hay to Bermuda and arranged master classes for Bermudian singers.

For the majority of his parishioners and colleagues in the medical and music community, the ministry of David Chisling and his musician wife was hailed as the proverbial -- and welcome -- breath of fresh air.

Their cheerful and genuine example in "loving thy neighbour as thyself'' was seen by most as a distinct plus for Bermuda.

During his ministry, Emmanuel Church in Southampton was the only one of the eight Methodist churches to increase its membership.

Rev. Chisling was "deeply moved'' by the party given in his honour on Friday evening at the Palm Reef Hotel.

"It reminded me of that movie, `Dead Poets' Society', where all the kids climbed up on their desks in support of their controversial teacher. Well, on Friday night, my friends stood on their desks for me!'' EV. DAVID CHISLING -- pictured outside Emmanuel Methodist Church in Southampton.