The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

AMBASSADOR and civil rights activist Andrew Young said although Dr Myles Munroe has “gone to glory” his mission will continue with another generation through the messages in his books and his teachings.

Mr Young was invited by Dr Munroe to speak at the Global Leadership Forum in Grand Bahama. However, the plane carrying Dr Munroe and eight others, including his wife, Ruth, to the event in Freeport on Sunday crashed, killing all on board.

Mr Young likened Dr Munroe’s legacy to that of American civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

Mr Young, a former ambassador to the UN and a former mayor of Atlanta, believes that his experience of being in Freeport at the time of Dr Munroe’s death was “providential.”

“I went through the loss of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, I saw the problems we had holding things together and I was able to share some of those experiences. And one of the things we noticed about MLK is that 45 years after his death, his words, statue, and vision are more popular today over a broader base than while he was alive.”

He feels that it is the same with Dr Munroe.

“As Dr Munroe said, ‘You can kill a man, but you cannot kill a mission.’ And we will continue Dr King’s mission, and I think we will continue Dr Munroe’s mission. It is like (former South African President Nelson) Mandela’s mission – it won’t go away.”

“It will take another generation of people to try to read his (Dr Munroe) books to understand his message. Dr King today is more popular since his death.”

Mr Young said he has “always been impressed with” Dr Munroe.

“He always had a very strong forthright opinion of things even when they were things that I didn’t easily agree to, I could see the wisdom in his opinions,” Ambassador Young said.

He said he enjoyed dialoguing with Dr Munroe.

“One of the things I liked that I had not heard anybody else say was that, ‘nothing worthwhile can be achieved in one generation so you should start training your successor.’ And I think that is one of the things he (has) done at these conferences. He has trained successors to his ministry from all over the world. So I hope that his work will continue in spite of the fact that he is gone to glory.”

The death of Dr Munroe, founder and senior pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries International, drew wide international and local attention.

An analysis of the cockpit voice recorder and digital electronic engine monitors that were on board the ill-fated Learjet was expected to begin yesterday in Washington, DC.

An official close to the situation told The Tribune that in two weeks authorities expect to have concrete information about Sunday’s crash, based on the analysis of the voice recorder and digital electronic engine monitor.

Until then, investigators will continue to gather information about the crash and write a preliminary report based on their findings, The Tribune was told.

Dr Munroe, founder and president of Bahamas Faith Ministries International, his wife Ruth, Dr Richard Pinder, a BFMI executive, Lavard and Rudel Parks, BFMI youth ministers, their young son Johanan, pilot Capt Stanley Thurston, co-pilot Frankan Cooper and 38-year-old Colorado resident Diego DeSantiago were all killed in the crash.

Funeral plans are expected to be announced by BFMI officials today.