Dear Sir,

I have always called the St Paul’s AME the political church in private circles. For many congregants of African heritage in the United States, Bermuda and the Caribbean, church and politics mixing together is culturally acceptable.

It has been reported in local news that the Bermuda AME churches have on a number of occasions throughout the years not had to advertise for the position of pastor. I do not know why, but if this is the case, then other churches should be allowed to do the same.

On the other hand, all churches should be required to advertise for a church post. Whatever the policy is, it should be consistent.

I attended at least ten services at the St Paul’s AME during 2014-15. They have the most incredible choir I have ever heard locally and Pastor Tweed is a dynamic preacher.

A month or so ago when The Royal Gazette reported that the minister responsible for immigration had asked for Pastor Tweed’s file, regarding the St Paul’s AME application to reinstate his work permit, immediately my sense was that this was interference.

That ministry has a capable Chief of Immigration and Assistant Chief of Immigration and a permanent secretary.

When it was reported on last night’s news that the AME Church had not had to advertise in the past, and that the Church’s application for Pastor Tweed was denied for not advertising, this cemented my belief that this was political interference; particularly, because for Pastor Tweed’s first immigration approval, there was no advertisement.

The topic of conversation in the coffee shop this morning, is that a currently employed AME pastor in another parish, who is Bermudian, is interested in preaching at St Paul’s AME. If this is the case, then whoever the Government’s source is that claims a Bermudian would have to leave to go overseas for a job is a downright lie.

I do not believe that church and politics should mix because I do not believe that you can serve two masters equally. But no one is forcing me to go to St Paul’s AME; it is my choice whether I wish to attend. In the same way, it is the prerogative of the parishioners of St Paul’s if they so choose to have a pastor who speaks to social issues in a way that is determined by others to be political.

This whole matter is a storm in a teacup. St Paul’s AME just needs to advertise and send the application back to the Department of Immigration. If no qualified Bermudian AME pastor is put out of a job, then the immigration department has no other choice but to approve because the process of application has been met.

Furthermore, Pastor Tweed is half-Bermudian: his father and grandparents were born in Bermuda.

On October 18, 2016, Senator Michael Fahy released a letter to employees in the private workforce asking for input on his proposal to allow foreign senior executives not to have to advertise for their work-permit renewals.

Well, if Pastor Tweed has Bermudian blood and these senior executives do not, is that not the epitome of hypocrisy?

CHERYL POOLEY