Disturbing the holy!

Churchgoers fuming as carnival activities disrupt Sunday worship

CHURCHGOERS IN Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, were fuming yesterday after carnival bands with deafening music disrupted the morning service at the Webster Memorial United Church.

It was a pandemonium-like atmosphere as thousands packed themselves in the streets, gyrating to music blasting from mega-sized speakers mounted on the backs of trailers.

But as the revelry was in full swing, the Sunday worshippers did not hide their frustration, grumbling at the disturbance.

“This is ridiculous! We are worshipping and we could not hear ourselves. To think that could happen because some people feel that it is better to wine up themselves and be reckless drunkards. Just shows you where the society is going,” a church sister told The Gleaner yesterday.

‘BIG LETDOWN’

According to the worshipper, the authorities should not have allowed the event to commence until in the afternoon, giving people time to complete their Sunday morning activities, including worshipping.

“I feel it is a big letdown and it is for nothing good. I just think it started too early,” she insisted.

On social media site Twitter, Paula Fletcher wrote: “Carnival LOUD disruption, 9:45 service at Webster. Turn down [the] sound is all we ask.”

However, apparent carnival patrons fired back, arguing that churches did the same thing “day and night and we dare not ask to turn it down”.

“Churches in around the hospital are loudly having services whenever they please, despite signs all around depicting the hospital as a noisefree zone,” one person tweeted.