CHRISTIANS NEED TO GET drunk with the spirit of God.

"A drunk is noisy, flamboyant and loses his inhibitions so if you are drunk with the spirit of God, you will lose your fears as you will recognise God will take care of you," said Tanya Conliffe.

Conliffe, who plans to become a deacon, was giving the sermon on Sunday at the Bethel Methodist Church, Bay Street, The City, which marked three occasions: The start of Nurses' Week; Mother's Day, and Pentecost Day.

She was making a comparison between old and new wine, as mentioned in the Bible, where it said new wine should not be put into old wineskins as it would burst the wineskin.

In a passionate sermon, Conliffe said new wine was alive as it was still in a state of fermentation, and today's Christians, especially Methodists, had to be like new wine in their thinking.

"I believe that if we keep up with our old mindsets we will become like old wineskins. The Methodist Church is celebrating 210 years in Barbados and anything that old has to be rigid, but God is a dynamic God and as long as His spirit is within,
the church can change," she said.

"It does not matter your age, status or gender. God is pouring out His spirit and anyone can receive it. The question is: What are we going to do?" she said.

Also present at the service were permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Martin Cox, chief executive officer of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Winston Collymore, Chief Nursing Officer, Mitchell Clarke, director of nursing services, Bernadette Harris, and Assistant General Secretary in the National Union of Public Workers Roslyn Smith. (CA)