The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Guyana has issued a public apology and removed one of its pastors from his position following a widely circulated confrontation between the clergyman and a driver over parking outside the church’s Georgetown headquarters.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, and signed by Pastor Dillipchan Bikharie, President of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Guyana, the church’s Board described the pastor’s actions and the involvement of several congregants as “unbecoming” and inconsistent with the church’s values.
“The Board of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God wishes to apologise to the general public for the unbecoming behaviour of one of its Pastors and several members of its congregation,” the statement said.
It added that the conduct displayed during the clash was “not in alignment with the Church’s values and principles” and stressed that such “misconduct and recalcitrant behaviour will not be condoned.”
Following what it described as “extensive deliberation” and a review of its internal policies on acceptable conduct for pastors, assistant pastors and members, the Board said it has taken decisive disciplinary action.
The church has “decided to relieve the recalcitrant Pastor of his position,” the statement confirmed, noting that the individual “is no longer associated with the Board of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Guyana.”
The Board explained that it could not act unilaterally or hastily in disciplining the pastor and that the decision had to await a formal meeting.
“The Board of the Church could not unilaterally make a decision on disciplinary action against the Pastor. The decision had to await the meeting of the Board,” the statement noted.
The church’s apology went beyond the immediate parties involved in the clash, extending to the country’s top political leaders, religious community and the wider population.
“Once again, we wish to apologise to the President of Guyana, Dr Irfaan Ali, the Prime Minister, Honourable Mark Phillips, the Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, all members of the Cabinet, members of Parliament, fellow religious leaders and all Guyanese for such misconduct,” the statement said.
The controversy stemmed from a recent public altercation outside the church’s headquarters at the corner of Charlotte and Wellington Streets, Georgetown on Monday, where a pastor aggressively confronted a driver over the use of parking spaces in front of the building.
The video of the incident attracted widespread criticism, particularly after claims that the church enjoyed reserved parking privileges sanctioned by City Hall.
Soon after the video went public, Mayor of Georgetown Alfred Mentore moved to distance the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) from any such suggestion, making it clear that the Universal Church had no special arrangement for exclusive parking.
“This Council has never given the Universal Church any parking,” Mentore said at the time, explaining that no application was ever made for reserved spaces. He described the pastor’s assertions about reserved parking as “erroneous” and misleading.
The Mayor also said he was “very disappointed” by the pastor’s angry behaviour in dealing with the motorist, noting that the conduct appeared to be “outside of the norm and outside of his comfort zone.”
