Gang war hurting the church, says Manchester pastor

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — The leader of a church in the now-troubled community of Broadleaf, which borders crime hotspots including Comfort, says an ongoing feud among gangsters is crippling the church’s activities in this parish, particularly night services.

Bishop at the Broadleaf Church of God, Calbert Spence, made the disclosure on Monday during the Manchester Peace Coalition’s (MPC) World Peace Day celebration in Mandeville. The event was part of a week of activities, including a 5K Run and Walk fund-raiser planned for Sunday to raise funds for Mandeville Regional Hospital’s urology unit.

“I represent the community of Comfort and it is currently under curfew. On a daily basis our main challenge has to do with gang warfare. Crime is high in that area. The truth is as a community we are unable to have night services from about March of this year. Because even with the planning of crusades and road marches, we are unable to get the go-ahead from the police. Based on the intelligence that they have we have not been permitted to [host events],” said the bishop.