Dr. Henley Morgan, Chairman Praise City International.

Two years ago, Dr. Henley Morgan made a crucial decision.

"I thought the one way I could have a greater impact was by moving into the inner city," he said.

With that thought in mind, he moved his growing company, the Caribbean Applied Technology Centre (CATC), and his church, Praise City International, from the relatively safe haven of the island's booming business capital, New Kingston, to the centre of Arnett Gardens.

The community is among several in south St. Andrew that have been negelected for years due to political violence that has given way in recent years to gang warfare.

Through his church and business, Dr. Morgan has set up a number of projects and agencies to provide opportunities mostly for young people and to foster peace. Among some of those agencies is the Agency for Inner-City Renewal and the Miracle Club. Both projects have helped to establish peace in the community and create educational and career opportun-ities for the youth in south St. Andrew.

The projects have been working. More than 100 people have been placed in jobs in the community over the two-year existence of his church. On top of that, murder has also been reduced. The community and its surroundings, which are said to be responsible for 60 per cent of murders, have seen a 30 per cent reduction in murder this year.

"So much have happened that we can't even count," Dr. Morgan said.

He acknowledges that tensions are rising in the community again, but says the Church has to be continually vigilant in bridging the divide.

"If there is a break-out in violence elsewhere, it seems to catch on in the constituency. It's like people start protecting themselves as they hear about violence. So, the role of the Church is to be continually vigilant in being peacebroker, educator, welfare giver and unfortunately, pall bearers," he said.

Muirhead

Pastor Ian Muirhead, Upper Room Community Church

Despite its consistent work in Grants Pen for the last 14 years, the congregation of the Upper Room Community Church has not been swelling with new souls. But that doesn't bother Pastor Ian Muirhead. Both he and his congregation have remained committed to the task of transforming the community and maintaining peace, despite the challenges.

"It's like we are sowing and wondering why it is we are taking so long to reap. But the congregation is very community driven and committed," he said.

The north-east St. Andrew community was once plagued, like many inner cities with consistent violence and skyrocketing murder rates. However, over the last two years, violence has been signifi-cantly reduced. Over the last year, Grants Pen has recorded only one murder. But despite that, the community is still on the list of volatile communities police are keeping a close eye on a general elections nears.

"When the church was built, it was conceived only as a church between four walls. Then God began to speak to us about taking to the streets and interceding, doing prayer warfare and so on." And since then, that is exactly what the church has been doing.

In 1999, when violence was rife in the community, Pastor Muirhead and his congregation braved the bullets and went into the most volatile areas to to confront the situation through prayer and praise.

And while there has been peace for nearly two years, the church still carries its worship into the community and adjoining ones.

One of the church's most cherished programmes is its Friday night games evening called the Community Corner. The programme brings together youth from the community for games on the church grounds. Despite strict supervision, the programme gets overwhelming support, Pastor Muirhead said, because children feel safe.

"It is something that children look forward to once every week. We have devotions and we speak about social issues, in particular crime and violence. We see it as a very positive programme," he said.

As another general election nears, the church is doing more to maintain peace in the community. It has partnered with neighbouring churches to establish a monthly prayer session for the Grants Pen community and the country. As a group, they have also been meeting with the two political parties to develop a code of conduct.

"We are not seeing large numbers of people coming into the church as a result, but life is flourishing for the people. Real estate values are going up and we are having more young people who are now attending university," he said.

Evangelist Errol Rattray

Three years ago, evangelist Errol Rattray was held up at gun point and robbed. He and two companions returned to his business place after completing a weekly radio broadcast aired on Roots 96 FM, to get his house keys which he had mistakenly left in his office.

"Four gunmen came up to me, and they say: 'Yu have any gun?' and I say 'No'. They say.' 'Get on yu belly!" he told TheSunday Gleaner. They followed the orders.

The young hoodlums stripped the three men of cash and jewellery and also beat them.

"I was trying to make myself comfortable, so at one point I raised up. So one of them thought I was trying to get up so he kicked me in the back. The guy beside me, he raised up and one of the guys double-kicked him in his eye. I thought he had lost the eye."

As the fear of death grew in their minds, one of Rattray's companions declared that he had some quarter-million dollars that he would give if their lives were spared. But when the gunmen checked the declarant's bag, they found less than they had expected. They decided to kill all three men.

"There is a guy with the gun on me and I say, 'Lord Jesus, you called me to do this ministry. I didn't know this is how I was gonna die.' That is what I said to God on the ground," he said. He also prayed for the gunmen.

Eventually, the gunmen took a decision to kill only one man. Evangelist Rattray was sure it would be him so he prayed even harder. The gunmen changed their minds and took what they had plundered and fled.

"From that day, everything that was called 'fear' died in me," he exclaimed.

This was exactly the drive he needed to continue his ministry in the inner city. Only months later at the height of violence in Spanish Town, evangelist Rattray took up the challenge to minister in that area.

The town has been marred with political violence for years, which, like most other inner-city communities, has developed into gang warfare.

Rattary had gone there to spend only one day, but what was a day developed into entire week.

"In my going out there, I realised that people were hurting. I realised that people wanted to change but there are some factors that were preventing them from changing," he said. Some of those factors included, economic reasons, political and in some cases, just vengeance.

"A woman was raped and you know who did it and you're having flashbacks. She tells her brother and the brother says, 'Bwoy, it not going so, you know.' So what I try to do is get to understand what it is that drives what is happening," he said.

Rattray went into schools and held meetings in the most volatile areas. His ministry has been having some positive impact.

"I remember one evening, the rain was falling and the Met office said a hurricane was about to come and I made a decision to go out there.

When I got there, the people realised that we came through the rain they [cried]. They said 'people care for us.'"

After one week of ministry, there was no violence and some men eventually gave up their guns and joined the church. Now, evangelist Rattray is taking his ministry to other inner-city communities. Last month, he was in Grants Pen, in November he will move on to August Town.