This week I am in court in Northern Ireland (which is under British jurisdiction) as a defense witness for an 80 year-old pastor who is on trial for using gross and offensive language against Muslims during a church sermon. If convicted he faces 6 months jail.The first day of court was yesterday, and the defense lawyer insisted that the judge should watch the full DVD of the service in question ‘to get the context’. So we spent two hours watching a full Pentecostal church service in court, including the worship, the full sermon, and an altar call with people getting saved.During the playing of the DVD people in the public gallery were raising their hands, singing along with the songs and there were occasional shouts of ‘Amen’ and ‘Hallelujah’ while the sermon was being played.Such scenes, in the stiff and staid atmosphere of the British legal system, are unprecedented. Today (Tuesday) the prosecution should finish their case. The key witnesses for the defense (apart from the pastor who is accused) are myself, a Catholic priest, a Muslim imam, and a British Member of Parliament.Please do pray for reason and common sense to prevail and that this elderly pastor should not be jailed for expressing his beliefs.A newspaper report on the first day of the trial is here: www.newsletter.co.uk/news/northern-ireland-news/mcguinness-call-for-probe-into-mcconnell-sparks-laughter-in-court-1-7116247________________Senior Pastor, Solid Rock Church, DroghedaNational Overseer, Church of God, IrelandExecutive Director, Evangelical Alliance Irelandeaiseanchai.wordpress.com/
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That is the home for children in Sevierville, right?
I roomed with a male houseparent when taking classes at the COG School of Theology in 1979. He loved the kids.
Great place. I’ve been told. It’s great I think. Great ministers , and great church workers came from there.
we lived their in the late 1950`s ..the food was good , no molestation , very strict and good hand with the leather paddle . learned to quilt . was in the chorus , sewed some .small garden plots for each of us girls. being an old college we had a lot of facilities …and school an a library …spend a lot of time their..preaching and devotions ..all for now God bless..