The New Testament of God is organising an "old-fashioned town hall meeting" to discuss solutions to the violence in the community.

The meeting, to be held at 7.30 p.m. today at Greater Smith Hill New Testament Church of God in Pembroke, will give the community a chance to speak on growing violence.

According to Rev. Dr. Lloyd Duncan, administrative Bishop at the church, such a meeting is well overdue.

"The purpose is to call and herald all concerned citizens from every stratus of our society to come and dialogue about more than the problem, but establishing dialogue seeking to find the real solution," he said.

"All members of the public are asked to make an effort to be there. We will be open to any solution, and after dialogue is complete, we want to meet with the Government and make our findings known."

According to Dr. Duncan, much of the violence is a side effect of increased sexuality within the community, which has led to fewer people following the church.

"There's a segment of our community who are having sex, who are having pregnancy, who are having children, and the people engaged in it are not physically, mentally or financially prepared to deal with the package," said the Bishop.

"They are unable to furnish their child or children with the necessary tools that make one a productive citizen. And by that, I mean not being able to handle conflict, not being able to handle anger and frustration. This sort of education should be coming from the home."

While he understands that abstinence before marriage is not a popular concept, greater responsibility in relation to sex and having children will help put Bermuda back on the right track, the Bishop believes.

"A generation ago, parents sent their children to church or Sunday school, introduced the basic concepts, the Ten Commandments," said Dr. Duncan "Now we have a generation that doesn't even have a general footing."

In addition to the town hall meeting, Dr. Duncan is organising an all-male forum for 10 a.m. this Saturday.

"We will be having the forum to allow men to verbally exhale and provide them with solutions to the problems they are facing. It's an opportunity for men to bond with other men," he said.