THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WRITE to ask when are the black churches in the UK going to wake up to reality and see that we are failing our black youngsters in the way we choose to copy the culture on bringing up children in the UK.
As a prison visitor at a young offenders institute it breaks my heart to see how many black young men between the age of 14 and 20 are locked away on remand.
What we as a race are failing to realise is that the same children that were once forced to go to Sunday School are now rebelling against the things that they have seen happening in the church and the way their parents have behaved towards each other which is so hypocritical to what true Christianity is all about.
Nowadays the emphasis is mostly on how to get rich and accumulate. The church needs to spend more time reaching out to these young people who find themselves imprisoned with very little hope in getting anywhere in this society that has already labelled them as useless criminals. How about more black churches uniting together to build homes to accommodate the many black youngsters who become homeless, or providing places where they can be trained in basic everyday things like better grooming and manners and to have more volunteers who willingly give up their time to pass on skills that they have and use to make a living?
We need to pray and ask God to make us a race that is proud to be black and proud to be able to take our place in society by the things we achieve and do in helping each other. We must return to the principles and truth of the word of God that gives us wisdom and a better understanding.
When we pray let us not pray for riches that corrupt our lives, but pray instead for change, love towards one another and unity within our community.
Believe not in the false prophets and preachers, but believe only in the true word of God, who is the truth and the light!
I am, etc.,
MONICA FORRESTER
Monica.Forrester@ccl.com
Staines, UK
Via Go-Jamaica
