Bishop Christopher Paul Lawrence Haynes (1949-2013)

Bishop Christopher Paul Lawrence Haynes has passed away at the age of 63.

Bishop Haynes had a profound impact on people in Bermuda, the Caribbean and beyond.

He was the founder of the Restoration Fellowship with his wife Roxanne  in Bermuda and also founded churches in the Caribbean and around the world.

His travels to spread the word of God led him to South America, Africa, North America and Europe, inspiring communities in faith.

Devotion

Bishop Haynes was the Bishop of Bermuda and  Caribbean dioceses for the Restoration Fellowship, part of the United Fellowship of Churches International, of which he was Secretary General.

He took the message of evangelism across Bermuda and overseas, serving as a bishop to many churches and speaking at crusades, conferences and conventions.

Christopher Paul Lawrence Haynes was born in Guyana and devoted his life to God from a young age. He graduated from the United Theological College of the West Indies and the University of the West Indies, and  began his ministry while in his mid-twenties.

Pamela Wainwright, elder at Restoration Fellowship, told the Bermuda Sun: “He was a man of God, filled with the Spirit of God.

“He was charismatic, very humorous, and very devoted to serving God.

“He encouraged other people to serve God, and as a result of that, there were lots of people who came to know God because of his light and the example that he lived before God.”

Bishop Haynes died on June 13 and his memorial service was held on Tuesday at the New Testament Church of God.

Rather than a quiet and sorrowful affair, Ms Wainwright described it as a time of joy and a celebration of the life of a great man, attended by people from all over.

“People came from all over to celebrate his home-going. The service was spirit-filled; There was lots of praise and worship, which was part of him.

“The service was a demonstration of the legacy that he set behind, so it was very uplifting. Although we were sad, because he is not with us, the spirit of the Lord was present with us in the service.”

She added: “He had definitely left his legacy, in particular with his daughters, and with the church.  The church is following on with the work that he has begun.”

Bishop Haynes is survived by his wife, Reverend Dr Roxanne Haynes, and his four daughters Celena, Alexis, Charis and Chrystal.

Dr Haynes told the Bermuda Sun: “He was a great man and is going to be extremely missed, but the family mirror everything he stood for by the things they do and their beliefs, strength and integrity. So he will still be around.”

Celena is already ordained as a Reverend and Bishop Haynes’ three other daughters are also following in his footsteps.

Alexis, 26, told the Sun the family are “doing well” since her father’s passing.

“We have been receiving messages from Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the UK, North America... almost every continent,” she said.

“My father travelled to those places to do ministry — not just preaching but in terms of community work. He also started churches and became the minister in some of those places.

“He is our hero. He was a man who was sometimes considered to be a salmon swimming upstream. He didn’t follow tradition if it was not consistent with his belief and faith in God.

“He was committed to people and to God above religion.

“Now he is gone my mother (Roxanne) is the pastor of the church. We are committed to standing behind her and to continuing his work, both locally and internationally.”

She described her father as “a very content and humble person”.

“He didn’t want much and wasn’t into materialistic things; he was more about people and about bettering people, at the expense of himself on many occasions.”

She explained: “If any of the churches couldn’t finance something to support people, he would give out of his own pocket.

“He would sometimes also raise anonymous offerings, if someone was in need of money to pay their rent or buy food, or if it was a student in need.”

Joseph Simmons, a longtime friend of Bishop Haynes, told the Sun: “He was a father to me. He was somebody you could call (at) any time of the day or night and he would be there for you.

“Even though people did stuff to him he never ever had any resentment or anger towards them, and he would even help people who did things to him.

“I spent a lot of time in his house and around him, and what he was at church was what he was at home.

“He always had time for people and had an open door policy. Anyone could go to him and talk to him.”

Mr Simmons’ wife, Susan, recalled the Bishop’s kindness towards her.

“When I moved to Bermuda in 1992 and joined Allen (AME) Temple, Pastor Chris Haynes was a true pastor to me, and welcomed me, a foreigner, into the beloved (congregation) unreservedly, for which I am eternally grateful,” she said.

Encouragement

“Everywhere you met him, no matter where, he constantly walked up to people and would take the time to greet you, no matter how busy he was, or how many people were demanding his attention.

“He lived his life in the state that he was always ready to give an encouraging word to people.

“He would speak straight into your heart, straight from the Bible, straight from the Holy Spirit. He would speak a word to build you up and to encourage you.

“It didn’t matter what your station in life was. You could phone him any time of the day or night, or just show up at his house with a sick child and he would pray for them.”