There was ah time when Sion Hill was the headquarters foh the Spiritual Baptists. Converted members uses to come from near and far to hear Mother Birdie Millington prophesy. It was like at least one member in every house-hold in Sion Hill was ah Spiritual Baptist, usually the Grandmother and one ah the lickle Grand-children.

The Millington twins and the Free brothers would ah been two ah the first set ah lickle ones who were Baptised, went on mourning ground, hold hat candle and had dey head band from small. Today who ain’t Archbishop is Bishop or Leader. But is something that Spiritual Baptist got that Polly-trickans respect. {{more}} Actually Polly-trickans are very superstitious and at election time they will fall foh anyone, especially ah Baptist Pointer or Leader who could dream and predict the results ah the elections. Lie-za reminds me how Bishop Johnny did bathe de Come-red in ah calabash ah Holy Water to mek him win, at least it wuk, Come-red won the elections.

Even Campbell did get into the act when he was into Polly-ticks. He didn’t wait foh no Pointer to tell he his fart-tune, he joined up and became ah Pointer himself. Actually, ah does all time say, it was P.R. Campbell who brought dignity to the Spiritual Baptists in SVG.

Well Lie-Za just happen to overhear ah story that somebody was saying that Bishop Free was supposed to have said. It all happened after de Come-red attended ah funeral at Bishop Free’s lickle Chapel on London Street. Knowing de Come-red, is no way he going to any function, be it Christening, Baptism, Wedding, Funeral or Wake and he not taking over the my-crow-phone! The long and short ah the story is that de Come-red promised Bishop Free ah bigger Church.

Now, good or bad that is Polly-ticks! Most ah them Spiritual Baptists in Sion Hill does support Arm-in, and ah bigger Church will not be over-looked. Man done start to pass remarks; ah hear even Junior Back-Us had his piece to say. But according to Lie-Za, Bishop Free was saying that, over the years every Guv-ah-mint minister been visiting his Church, and every body been promising but they were all like ah prom-missing, he will settle foh the hundred and something thousand dollars that de Come-red giving the Church, especially how he getting that Free!.

And ah moving ah motion seconded by Andrew Cummings to endorse that gesture by de Come-red. Strange ah don’t hear ah come-plain when CDC get the hundreds ah thousands, the only come-plain is when people ask foh accountability. Ah don’t hear ah sound when different sporting organizations get money from Guv-ah-mint. The whole nation including my Love Vine chant down de Come-red, when he didn’t give the Footballers de four hundred thousand dollars they ask fah! So ah don’t want to hear bip over way Bishop Free get foh Free. Bishop Free’s Church is ah bedrock in that Sion Hill community and Pastor Daniel’s as well. Ah will bet me last dollar that if we run ah check on the number ah crimes that are committed, less than one percent ah those convicted are church-persons who have committed their lives to Christ.

Yuh think Lie-Za easy, she say that is nothing more than de Come-red been studying the NDP’s defeated Bill, the Redemption Charter to fight Crime, and he realize that Back to Church, Sunday School etc is the way forward in the fight against Crime and Violence.

Ah don’t know way she got the impulse from, but she say ah must tell Arm-in to follow de wife’s footstep; check Bishop Free early and get Baptize, because Julian planning to beat him to the water at Sion Hill Bay, and if Julian goes in that water before him, don’t even go near the shore, he will tun pull-it-tek-all-he Blight!

ANITA HERE TO CELEBRATE

About three weeks ago ah was doing some wuk foh ah client name Charles and right away me mind ran on ah ole Surveying buddy name Dennis Charles a.k.a. Jah Love. Now Jah Love was ah giant of ah man but yuh couldn’t ask foh ah cooler and gentler man, no fuss real Jah Love in truth; Arm-in will love to have him in his Calm-Pain foh ah Cool and Gentler Society. On the other hand Jah Love’s girlfriend, Anita, was the opposite, bold and aggressive, ambitious and multi-talented. And every body in the Planning Office where she wuk was crazy foh her, she was pretty, had a lovely voice and won gold at Musical Festivals; all ah we did jealous Jah Love. Jah Love might ah been quiet but not foolish, he didn’t waste any time, he call foh ah early marriage and took off with Anita to the States. That wedding was all Anita, she really shine like ah star that day, she sang ah solo at the Church, gave ah speech at the reception and ah can’t remember what else. That was nearly twenty years ago, so it had me wondering how all of ah sudden me thoughts were on Jah Love on Anita, same time the phone rang and the voice on the other end said: “ Hi Bassy, I’m Anita Charles, long time no see, do you remember me?” Ah was struck numb. We got into ah long conversation and she brought me up to date.

She obviously did well foh she-self as was expected. Completed her University Education, did ah lot ah song writing and is now into the “Ministry foh Jesus” doing a fair amount ah community wuk! Then she got down to the real reason foh calling, she was very much into Recording Music and was coming home to launch her latest solo CD entitled “A Better Way to Celebrate”. Ah Gospel of course, mainly Caribbean rhythms, Calypso, Reggae and R&B. The Radio Stations have been playing some of her music, she’s ah very energetic singer and ah been hearing some real heart felt lyrics in those songs. The launching takes place this Sunday at Victoria Park, ah know we have ah way of breaking we neck to go hear the Far-ruin Artistes. But when is local, we does blank them. So ah challenging all Vincy Music Lovers especially Lovers of Gospel Music to go ah hear our girl from Vincylan as she shows us in song “Ah Better Way to Celebrate”!

See all yoh there, ah gone again!

One Love Bassy