Pastor woos deejays at Merciless funeral
Pastor Timothy Maxwell, of the Turners Church of God of Prophecy in Clarendon, delivered a fiery message at the home-going service for Leonard 'Merciless Bartley on Saturday.
At the funeral, which was held at St Gabriel's Anglican Church in May Pen, Maxwell lashed out at the gun culture, which has been lionised by several deejays, while showering praise on those artistes who have ditched the dancehall in favour of God.
"We need more baptised deejays, we are blessed with a few. We see Marion Hall (formerly Lady Saw) has turned to the Lord, God bless her soul, and, yes, she has some real challenges," he said to cheers from the audience.
Listing names such as Papa San and Goddy Goddy, Maxwell said he believes that there are even more entertainers to come into the fold of God, and shared that he will never give up on the dancehall fraternity.
"I will never give up on dancehall because I believe that many of God's children are still out there and they are coming home one by one. They act as if they don't pray at nights, but they pray every night, they know that there is a God, they know that there is a Saviour, and they know that He is coming back again. And one by one their lives will be changed. They will come to Christ," the pastor said.
Merciless, whose given name is Leonard St Ledger Bartley, died on July 19, after being found unresponsive at a hotel on Walker Avenue in Kingston. The dancehall artiste, who famously defeated Bounty Killer, Beenie Man and Ninjaman during a lyrical clash at Sting in 2000, was 51 years old.
"On July 19, 2022, his music stopped suddenly, yet, it echoes on in sweet, soulful refrains," said Kiara Mitchell as she delivered the eulogy.
"His love of music, of his family, is, was, and will always be his legacy. His song has ended but the melody lingers on," she said.