Video: St. Paul AME Prayer Vigil For Rev Tweed

October 27, 2016

[Updated with video] Following the confirmation that his work permit has not been renewed, St. Paul AME Church held a Prayer Vigil last night [Oct 26] to show support for Reverend Nicholas Tweed, with the evening involving prayer, songs and more.

St. Paul AME Church expressed their “profound disappointment” at the decision, adding that “the Stewards, Trustee and the entire congregation stand united in support of Rev. Tweed and will support any necessary action to reverse this decision.”

Shadow Minister of Home Affairs Walter Roban said the PLP “shares the sentiments of the Leadership of St. Paul AME Church” on the issue of Rev Nicholas Tweed’s work permit, adding that it “is very reminiscent of the actions taken against those who spoke out against the old UBP.”

Saying that “due to issues of privacy we cannot comment on any individual applicant case,” Home Affairs Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin has not commented in the case specifically, but did say “we remain committed to a policy of fairness” which is a “policy that guarantees Bermudians are always given priority with respect to any opportunity to fill a position for which they are eminently qualified.”

Bernews streamed the Vigil live last night on Periscope, and you can watch the 1 hour replay here.

Oct 26 2016 AME Church Bermuda Tweed (1)

Oct 26 2016 AME Church Bermuda Tweed (3)

Oct 26 2016 AME Church Bermuda Tweed (2)

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Comments (70)

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  1. archy says:

    Interesting, by no means full

    • What? says:

      Pardon? That congregation was VERY full, hardly any standing room. Both upstairs and downstairs were ramed packed!

  2. Swing Voter says:

    Faith without works is dead….stop relying on favors and asking CS to overlook your sloppiness, file the application again and do it the right way this time. Plain and simple, you’re not that special and don’t deserve favorable treatment just because…..

    • Long Bay Trading Co. says:

      Well Said Swing Voter – plain and simple He DOES think he is that special and can do whatever he wants – one rule for all of us and no rules for him. Simple – COMPLY WITH THE WORK PERMIT RULES OF YOUR HOST COUNTRY. If you don’t then the consequences are yours, and yours alone.

      • Swing Voter says:

        hey longbay, your dislike counter exploded like mine in just 10 minutes!

      • Cotty Outerbridge says:

        I note the “dislikes”…….what hypocritical neophytes they are!
        What god are they praying to?
        I think they’re praying to the PLP, BIU and to a lesser degree the AME.

    • Onion Juice says:

      Actually prayer has been a vital part in our History during Slavery and the Civil Rights Movement, but I agree Faith without works is dead, but I wonder how many applicants who de powers that be favoured that was in de same situation or worst got de green light. Funny how this Government gives de green light to overseas same sex partners if they can prove that they have been partners for a period of time, but because of his fathers involement in de Civil Rights Movement in Bermuda and his direct involement in exposing this Governments hypocrosy and alleged mishandling of funds makes it an easy decision for Mrs.Gordon and de ideology that she supports (de same ideology that her father fought against).
      Pathetic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Sorry Sir says:

      This is less about Tweed and more about the church feeling like it is losing their influence over Government. They feel threatened by this.

      As simple as that.

      Think of how involved this church has been with political matters.

      How many past and present MP’s attend this church?

      How many times have they hosted public meetings on political matters?

      This is a church of politics and they feel that they are level with Government. They’re feeling threatened and as such will fight for their political influence.

      • Stevie says:

        Religon in any case does not do the crap Tweed & AME are doing. Polotics does not come into play. Work permit put in day before expiry. Rules are rules,get a grip AME followers along with the silly PLP. PLP covering up their problems. Furbert from BIU silent. Alarm bells ringing..

      • hmmm says:

        Should not worship a false idol !!!

        This is the church’s fault. Blaming others for their mistakes seems wrong.

    • Will-Not-Let-This-Die!! says:

      Stop trying to mislead the mass with your rhetoric ‘Swinger’
      From the beginning the church stated that applying for a permit that was not a norm, therefore the past and present Governments were aware of this and the present is making Cassava out of it and the starved masses are eating it like its healthy.

    • Swing Voter says:

      woooo hooooooo 164 dislike appear in 10 minutes! IT savvy politicians know how to do stuff lolol….wonder if he has ties to the Kremlin

    • Its me again says:

      “He” hasn’t done anything. The AME church want favorable treatment.

      Show that you actually understand what’s happening before you comment.

    • Foresight says:

      Ignore all the dislikes, this is a ber news hijack. Clear history, dislike again….

      So many have this spot on though. The arrogance of this man…of this church…to assume they are above the law, and don’t need to go through proper procedures.

      Comeuppance Mr Tweed!

  3. Sorry Sir says:

    This is partly why I’m not particularly religious.

    Y’all want to pray instead of filling in a form correctly.
    That’s like praying for a job but never sending your resume out.
    #Dumb

    • steve says:

      ka-boom

    • Sorry Sir says:

      Interesting…

      The dislikes on my comment have spiked by over 100 in a very short period.

      It’s as if the same person is clearing their browser history to dislike it multiple times.

      Clearly somebody doesn’t have something else better to do today.

  4. Onion says:

    Remarkable. We have a politically connected special interest group trying to strongarm their way through the rules that protect Bermudian jobs.

  5. Barnacle says:

    Less Tweed, more Weed.

  6. WP says:

    Was Tweed working here without a work permit?

    • What?? says:

      He had the permission of the Minister to continue working while his renewal was being processed. A fairly standard procedure.

  7. sandgrownan says:

    There’s so much we could accomplish as a society if people only stopped wishing that a giant magic hand would come down from the sky and fix things for us, and instead replaced praying for solutions with actually doing something instead. Like fill out a work permit renewal form, submit on time with all the required supporting documentation.

    Muppets.

    • Cotty says:

      …..and opening the vacancy to a qualified Bermudian.

  8. Jus' Wonderin' says:

    Why don’t you pray for our young men that have been taken from us too soon and for those that still will…much better IMO!

  9. somuchless says:

    Tweed. You are making christians look bad. If you did what you where supposed to do, you won’t need to pray. Stop with the foolishness.

    • Won't-Let-This-Die says:

      Actually ignorant and privileged some have done the BEST job at that.

  10. all distored says:

    Still looking arrogant. The horse is out of the stable now, pack up and move on.

  11. Family Man says:

    Clearly the AME church feels that one of the most important things God needs to focus on RIGHT NOW is Tweed’s work permit.

    Ridding Haiti of cholera and providing food and shelter can wait.
    Protecting civilians in Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Kenya …. later for that.
    And obvioulsy god, don’t worry yourself about those earthquakes and hurricanes. Just let er rip.
    Cancer cure – that can wait. If God wanted us to cure cancer he would have written the recipe in the Bible, right? Instructions on how to treat your slaves was clearly more important for good Christians.

  12. sandgrownan says:

    Imagine the hubris required to think that praying for something would actually work for you specifically.

  13. bluwater says:

    Fill out the forms AME. Fill out the forms. God made them for that purpose!

    And if the government is against you, put your correspondence out to PROVE it.

  14. Terry says:

    And the irony of all this is the fact that the AME Church condones his basic hate speech and involvement in Politics instead of saving souls he basically on the ‘doles’.

    Stay tooned.

  15. Um Um Like says:

    I thought Tweed wasn’t allowed to work. What is he doing at the front of the church?

    • Factual says:

      Yea, what was it that happened when a foreign waiter made and / served someone a drink (without a work permit for being a bartender) at a private club? Can anyone help me remember what happened to him and why he isn’t here any more?

      But yea Tweedle, carry on preachin’ cuz rules apparently don’t apply to all Expats the same.

    • somuchless says:

      Good catch

  16. Derek says:

    I thought the AME congregation would be all about equality. It seems they are all about privilege and entitlement. I thought they would want the post to be advertised so a Bermudian could have the chance. Hypocrites!

  17. Northshore says:

    AME Church = The dumb vote!

  18. Terry says:

    Politics at it’s best paid and played by the PLP.

    Shalom.

  19. Sickofantz says:

    Does this mean that if he doesn’t get a work permit now, then there clearly isn’t a god and we can rid the world of all this hate fuelled mumbo jumbo? After all the Europeans used Religion to try to justify slavery and then they brainwashed their slaves with it.

  20. Jones says:

    Mr. Tweed needs to realize that the congregation of St. Paul is not made up of PLP members only! Politics does not belong in the church! Period!!! No one wants to come to church to listen to his political trash! The church should be focused on saving lives!!

    • sandra t says:

      And I’m understanding a lot of sensible people who can see thru these Sunday Morning Political Rally’s have left the church, ONE being an officer in the church.’HATS OFF TO YOU” SMH . Seems it just gets worse.

  21. jackpot says:

    The fact that the AME Church may not have followed certain procedures is irrelevant. All the posts on this thread are anti-Tweed but you all are missing the point and are in the vast minority. The community in Bermuda right now is divided along racial lines in a very bad way. The majority of blacks in Bermuda do not trust the white OBA Government and the majority of blacks in Bermuda love Rev. Tweed as they loved his father, for the same reasons. They both stood up for the people. When Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and put in jail it was lawful, but it caused such a huge outcry and protest because of what he stood for. Once again the OBA has demonstrated it’s lack of political intelligence and once again they will suffer the consequences.

    • Northshore says:

      OH SHUT UP, YOUR AN IDIOT! STOOD UP FOR THE PEOPLE??HE DIDN`T STAND FOR ME! And people like you with your threats?? Tell me you bully, what does “suffer the consequence mean? @jackpot!!

  22. Islander says:

    St Paul’s does not represent the entire AME Membership and it is time Bishop and Presiding Elder to tell the AME Members as a Congregation exactly what is going on and I hope they are not trying to get things in order to reapply for the work permit. They know what he is, supposedly placed here to become next Presiding Elder. Seems to me that Mr. Tweed is an issue in a collar and I know that if my Mother was still alive, she would have gone straight to Presiding Elder and spoke her mind, hoping that she would see things spiritually. St. Paul’s get rid of him and replace it with truth, transparency, Wisdom and Godliness. Always remembering to put Jesus first and not one who would and is leading you up the blind path. Trust no one but Father God!

    • troy s says:

      WOW ISLANDER. YOU ARE “RIGHT ON POINT” It would really be interesting to hear from the Presiding Elder and some of the Congregation HOPEFULLY with an HONEST REPLY, and be mature enough not to say ONE THING to Tweed and THE OPPOSITE behind his back. Forget the honorable “Bishop” THAT’S HIS CLOSE BUDDY

  23. Swing Voter says:

    folks I don’t believe how stupid the ‘dislike’ troll is….he must have taken the Kremlin’s IT for Idiots course

  24. Cow Polly says:

    I thought when a renewal work permit was rejected the holder had to immediately leave his place of employment and stay at home so as not to be seen working without permission.
    That’s what happened to a friend of mine just recently. So why is Tweed standing in front of the congregation preaching? Come on Immigration, clamp down on this type of flagrant disrespect of the law.

  25. Joonya says:

    Aye Tweedy Bird, you missed ya bus out of Dodge bah. Or was it one of the “vandalized” ones.. ohh mayan…vat is dis place comin too…

  26. wahoo says:

    I bet immigration is just messin’ with him, they will call tomorrow and say it was all in good fun and give him a work permit and he will laugh and say “Awe guys really had me going there….thank GOD you was just rassin’ wiff me.

  27. Are you kidding me? says:

    Wow,can not believe the church would go this far…….

  28. DB says:

    If his contract is up just like anyone else and it got denied see you later. Simple this is not an issue people, this goes for anyone i hope these same people feel the same way when someone outside Bermuda takes a job they know that themselves or another Bermudian can fill. Wake Up Bermy.

  29. Pooh Bear says:

    Here’s the reason why congregations are referred to as ‘flocks’. Well done sheeple!
    Down with critical, free thinking.
    Yes, down with that sort of thing!
    What time’s Young and the Restless on?

  30. Triangle Drifter says:

    Church congregations are not called “flocks” without good reason.

  31. O.M.G says:

    I can believe that a church is acting like this. Far from godly then fly over the moon. Ralph C you need to be quite please. This man should not be allowed to be in any political situation. Stay in the church and guide the people in a godly way Rev Tweed. Anyone else you would not give dame about. All you are doing is distroying this country with all the radical BS. Stay off the hill. There are lots of children here with parents that were born here and all you people wanted them to go to a country were they know nothing about. Now all of a sudden it’s different. Amazing what a bunch of Hypocrites. Make up your mind.

  32. Widget says:

    Mr. Tweed. How do you really feel now that you have divided this country of ours. do you feel any less of a man because you feel privileged in that you have a certain group of people wanting to shut this country down to support your agenda. Should you not be preaching Gods word from the pulpit instead of storing up a hornets nest and dividing us as a people. Would you as a man of God not better serve this community by preaching peace instead of hatred. Seriously, your a first class s— disturber that will one day board a plan, go back to where you came from and leave us to clean up the mess you have started. Thank you and good night..

  33. God says:

    Time to go Tweed!
    Bermudians cannot work in New York without a visa and permits.
    You cannot work in Bermuda without the same.
    Get packed and we can run you to the airport
    May God be with you
    So endeth the lesson!

  34. Northshore says:

    Look at Tweed on the Alter clapping and instigating for his own cause!! Disgusting Tweed, just Disgusting!! The AME CHURCH AIN`T NO BETTER, JUST DISGUSTING!!!

  35. John says:

    It’s shocking to think bermudas churches are so mixed up in politics wow in a house of God wow unbelievable

    • troy s says:

      John, it is NOT Bermuda Churches….ONLY ST PAUL AME CHURCH

      • i agree but disagree says:

        Okay you are going wayy too far. You are stereotyping all of St. Paul A.M.E’s congregation as the people who mix “politics with religion”, but i bet you havent stepped foot in our church to see for yourself if this stereotype is true or valid. Yes there is times where he does make mention of politics, i will agree wholeheartedly.. but this does not mean that the whole congregation approves of it. Lord knows that when Rev. Tweed preaches- really preaches- he does what is expected.. he delivers the word of God. As someone who enjoys St. Paul, simply because I enjoy wordshipping my God, i take offense to ignorance such as this. If you want to hate, hate. But do not stereotype a whole congregation . We are people, and God has made us all different, each of us having a mind of our own- respect that.

        • Widget says:

          @I agree but disagree.
          You have a valid point is some of what you said in your comments. However, should your church not be preaching love, peace and unity. Why is it this man Tweed is allowed to preach his hatred and divisiveness in the streets and in your church. Alter all, he is your church pastor and we as a community feel you should be the ones that put a leash on him. Blame yourselves not the community for feeling this man is getting away with his behavior. We are not living in the fifties and he should not be acting as we are. Move forward as a people and come together as Bermudians and not as he would have it as individual races.

        • kyron b says:

          You sit there and hear it SUNDAY AFTER SUNDAY so YES, it is only ST.PAUL AME CHURCH FLOCK who are condoning the hatred that is coming from your pulpit. POLITICAL RALLYS, THAT’S ALL IT IS. GOD IS NOT PLEASED WITH ANY OF YOU

        • Northshore says:

          @i agree but disagree,,, So make it known to Tweed and not here, or don`t you have as you say “a mind of your own”?????????????

  36. Kel T says:

    Sad state of affairs

    • kyron b says:

      NEVER EVER SEEN BEFORE AT THE CATHEDRAL OF THE AME CHURCH. SHAMEFUL JUST SHAMEFUL

  37. Kel T says:

    A sad state of affairs

  38. Northshore says:

    UMMM Did any of you play the video?? Could not make heads or tails of the noise that dude was making!!! Prob neither did the people there who give him money!!!!

  39. stunned... says:

    vigil? surely God should intervene and get the man of the cloth his work permit.