Monrovia -Residents of Balaymah Community, on Bushrod Island, where Bishop Mai Roberts’ Faith Healing Temple of Jesus Christ Church (FHTJCC) is located, family members, mourners and well-wishers, gathered at the FHTJCC, also known as Mother Dukuly Church, to pay their last respect to Bishop Roberts, who impacted their lives one way or another before her passing.
Report by Mae Azango [email protected]
In accordance with the late Bishop’s wishes, her eldest son, Rev. Charles Roberts, Jr., preached her funeral discourse, which was also attended by top government officials and dignitaries, including former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson, clergy men and women of different Christian dominations.
“She was a sweet, loving and understanding mother. She will be remembered for her service to the church and humanity. She will also be remembered for her faith in God and the obedience to His words. Yes, she prayed for me on every occasion. She prayed for the nation; the church and the family. Her favorite hymn was: ‘Lead and Guide Me all the Way.’ Her favorite bible verse was Romans 28: 8, ‘All things work together for good, to them that love the lord, and are called according to his purpose,’” he said.
“In the tributes you will hear many things about Bishop Mai Barclay Roberts but I submit to you that there are things you do not know about her. “My mother was a very humble woman who always shied away from honoring programs. She believed that all honors and glory belong to God. She never boasted of achievements, neither did she boast about who her father was, accept in reference. She did not care that she was the granddaughter of Liberia’s former President Edwin J. Barclay. It was not important that her father, Justice Anthony Barclay, was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia. You see, what mattered most to my mother were Jesus Christ and the things of God,” he pointed out.
According to him, living for God was what defined his mother as a person during her life, and if his mother were alive, her advice to all would be ‘Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all other things would be added unto you.’
“If I were to ask her today of what I should talk about to God’s people, she would say, ‘Talk about Jesus.’ Therefore, this message is less about Mai Roberts and nothing about me. It will be about Jesus and the Word of God. She would say, ‘This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ She would say, ‘Tell them that God is real, Jesus heals, Jesus saves and God loves them,’” said Rev. Roberts.
When it was tribute time after his sermon, former President Sirleaf, who had some very close relations with the late Bishop, declined to give tribute when she was asked. Also declining, too, to pay tribute was Senator Johnson. However, there was a pleasant comment made by the Church about the Senator. The Nimba County Senator, who found himself a seat at the back of the congregation, nodded in approbation about the pleasant comment. Nevertheless, some of the mourners, knowing who the Senator is, murmured and our reporter heard one of the men saying under his breath: “Shameless man. Why won’t he shake his head when he brought truck full of soldiers to forcibly take a woman from here that he took to his base to be his woman.”
The Church mentioned how during the early days of Liberia’s civil crises in August 1990, rebel General Prince Y. Johnson (now Senator) and Mr. Sirleaf Thompson, the spokesperson of former President Samuel K. Doe administration, met with the late Bishop, in what can be termed as the first peace talk, at the FHTJCC. According to the Church, Gen. Johnson and Mr. Thompson met twice with Bishop Roberts at the church.
Following Sen. Johnson’s refusal to pay tribute, too, like former President Sirleaf, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, paid tribute, stating that she was speaking in her capacity as a person impacted by Bishop Roberts and not speaking on behalf of the Liberian government.
“I do agree that Bishop Roberts was a very humble woman and she did not like to be honored, because I personally tried to honor her among some other clergymen, but she said why honor me when honor is to be given to God,” said Bishop George Harris of Philadelphia Church in Congotown.
Bishop of the Archdiocese of the Episcopal Church of Liberia, Jonathan B. B. Hart, prayed for the family of the deceased while the Little White Chapel Church Choir paid tribute in song. Journalist and soloist John P.W. Sheriff, a spiritual son of the deceased, sang the late Bishop’s favorite song: “Whatever God ordains is right.” Several family members of the late Bishop Roberts, including the Barclay, the Parker and Cooper families all paid tributes.
The deceased grandchildren and other family members flew in from the US and Spain. Her Spanish grandsons, who also paid tribute, affectionately called her “Mormo”, meaning Grandmother in Spanish.
The Church’s tribute to their late Bishop highlighted some of her achievements and work in the following: In 1973 Bishop Mai Roberts left the Trinity Cathedral Church and officially joined the Faith Healing Temple Church family, where she became president of the Women’s Department and president of the Board of Trustee.
On July 5, 1975, she was ordained Minister of the Gospel during the 50th anniversary of the Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ in the USA. She served as Assistant Pastor of the Faith Healing Temple, (FHT) for several years under Mother Wilhelmina Bryant Dukuly and at Mother Dukuly’s funeral on Feb. 5th 1986; she was appointed head Pastor of the FHT Church to succeed Mother Dukuly.
On her 85th birthday, October 29th 2006, Mother Roberts was ordained Bishop of the Church where she served for many years. She became the first female Bishop of the Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ based in the USA. She maintained this position until her passing in 2019.
Bishop Roberts was honored twice by the Government of Liberia for service to the nation, the church and humanity.
She will be remembered for the role she played during the Liberian Civil war.
In 1990, she was led by God to leave home to seek refuge in the church, which doors she opened to all seeking refuge. FHT became a place of refuge during the horrific civil war for hundreds of men women and children and the elderly. Everyone, who came was welcome, regardless of tribal, ethnic political or religious background. Bishop Roberts leaves to mourn four biological children, many grand and great-grandchildren and hundreds of spiritual children. She died on January 28, 2019 in her 98 year. She was interred at the Kaiser Memorial Lawn in Brewerville City, Liberia.
