THE Hope Gospel Assembly in Liguanea, St Andrew, famously describes itself as “an oasis of love in a dry and thirsty land”, but Rev Peter Garth, the outstanding evangelical preacher and the church’s senior pastor, could use some of that love now.

Rev Garth, up to six months ago, Jamaica’s most powerful religious leader, as head of the Umbrella Group of Churches which represents 95 per cent of Jamaican Christians, is the second major casualty of the Merl Grove High School saga that took down Principal Dr Marjorie Fullerton in the last fortnight.

Garth, a decorated churchman with impressive academic and theological credentials, was dropped from the key Finance Committee of the Merl Grove Board of Management, and found out by chance, after making it known that he did not agree with how the Fullerton debacle was handled.

Dr Fullerton was fired last week by the David Hall-led school board, upshot of a months-long dispute which pitted her against her lower school Vice-Principal Loretta Ricketts, and divided the staff, past students and parents of the institution.

“They didn’t like Rev Garth’s non-aggressive approach to the business with the principal and dropped him from the board committee without a word to him,” said an insider who was angered by the decision. “He was dissed and he didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”

Asked about his removal from the finance committee, Rev Garth told the Jamaica Observer: “It is an internal matter and it’s not a big deal to me, but I certainly would not have handled it the way they did. I found out by chance I was no longer a member. I was not formally informed.”

Garth had at one stage effusively praised Fullerton for her outstanding contribution to Merl Grove’s development and said that while the board had concerns about the problems at the school, “I would not have handled it that way”.

Fullerton was at first suspended last September, then subjected to weeks of hearings before being dismissed, amid accusations from past students, some teachers and parents that the board had taken sides against her and in favour of Ricketts, who is now acting as principal.

Garth tried to downplay the matter, saying even though he had served on the committee for upwards of 20 years, it was “their right to appoint a new committee and to leave off any one… no one has a right to be on it”.

But he agreed it was unusual not to inform a member who was being removed with a letter that would acknowledge their years of service, including periods as chairman of the committee, though insisting that he did not see it as a demotion or punishment for his stance in the Merl Grove conflict.

Board Chairman Hall did not return calls from the Observer for his comments up to press time Sunday.

Rev Garth remains the 30-year chaplain of Merl Grove High, the over century-old all-girls’ institution on Constant Spring, Road, St Andrew, which is the flagship school in the Associated Gospel Assemblies (AGA) group of schools.

He made his name as a passionate community activist, author, motivational speaker, biblical teacher, and counsellor, for which he was conferred with a national honour, the Commander of the Order of Distinction (CD) for outstanding service to religion and the community in 2019.

Under his 39-year leadership, Hope Gospel Assembly, a member of the AGA, has spearheaded annual back-to-school fairs and health fairs, operated a clinic, and offered numerous scholarships, among several other initiatives to support community development.

The church also spearheaded a feeding programme for children and the elderly, who are served a meal once per week up to the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Grocery baskets and packages are also provided for needy members of the church and distributed to the various communities.

Rev Garth, a justice of the peace, has served as president for the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance, the AGA, and chairman of the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches up to last October. He also served as chairman of the National Leadership Prayer Breakfast Committee; a member of the National Council for Education (NCE) and National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA).

A graduate of the Jamaica Theological Seminary and the Trinity Theological Seminary, Rev Dr Peter George Washington Garth is the holder of a Master of Arts in Biblical Counselling and a Doctor of Philosophy degree, with a major in counselling psychology.

Not afraid to be controversial, Rev Garth has described as “threats to the sanctity of human life” things like abortion, stem cell research, medical cloning, manipulation of the human embryos, euthanasia, assisted suicide, artificial insemination, and eugenics, saying “these are real and critical issues for the Church”.

He publicly condemned; as a culture of death, “practices which cheapen life in all its stages, by promoting the belief that lives that are imperfect, or inconvenient, are discardable”.