The Crown Heights, Brooklyn-based Attributes of Christ Ministries on Jan. 13 honored Evangelist Shirley Browne, otherwise known as “The Singing Evangelist,” at a memorial service for the church’s late pastor and founder, the Rev. Dr. William Muckett.
In presenting the plaque to Evangelist Browne, at the Miracle Temple Ministries in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, Sis. Glendore Williams said “The Singing Evangelist” was with Rev. Muckett “from the foundation — Movers of Christ,” adding that she is a “humble virtuous woman — one who can bless you in the ministry.”
Browne then responded: “We truly thank Bro. Muckett [as the Rev. Dr. Muckett was affectionately called]. He was truly a warrior.”
She immediately afterwards brought the house down with two popular selections, “I am a Warrior” and “I am Getting Ready.”
“I thank God, and I thank Sis. Muckett [Rev. Muckett’s widow] and the Attributes family for honoring me in this way,” Evangelist Browne told Caribbean Life in a post-service interview. “I am very glad to receive such an honor.”
The memorial service was held on the fifth anniversary of Dr. Muckett’s death. The Rev. Dr. William Mucket, who represented St. Vincent and the Grenadines in football (soccer) as a stout defender, before becoming a Born-Again Christian, died at SUNY Downstate Hospital in Brooklyn, on Jan. 13, 2013 after a prolonged illness. He was 65.
The memorial service was held at the larger Miracle Temple Ministries, the same church where Dr. Muckett’s “Home-Going” service was conducted.
Dr. Muckett had founded Attributes of Christ Ministries shortly after migrating to New York in 1998, and was the pastor until his death.
He had also founded the radio ministry, “Movers in Christ,” which broadcast throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the singing group that bore that name.
“Here’s a man who had no formal training, but he had more impact on people who had more education,” said the Most Rev. Dr. Russell Mc Callahan, Archbishop of the Province of St. Peter in Florida, in his homily at Muckett’s funeral service, in bestowing posthumously the “Doctor of Divinity” on him.
“William was, for me, a true friend,” added Dr. Mc Callahan, disclosing that, as head of the Tallahassee, Florida-based Evangelical Episcopal Theological Seminary — which boasts 4,000 churches world-wide — he will be establishing a scholarship fund, known as the William Muckett Memorial Fund, in Muckett’s honor.
Evangelist Browne, who was born in the village of Carriere in the Marriaqua Valley in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was a member of the Carriere Streams of Power Tabernacle at an early age.
It was there that she met Dr. Muckett. They formed a bond, and along with other brothers and sisters in Christ, the Movers in Christ Ministry was formed, with Dr. Muckett as the group leader.
The group toured the length and breadth of St. Vincent and the Grenadines — from Fancy in the north to Chateaubelair in the West on the mainland, and also the Grenadines and Barbados.
During that time, Evangelist Browne said she ministered both in the word of God and in singing, gaining the title, “The Singing Evangelist.”
In addition, the group ministered in the United States — in Florida and Tennessee — and made a guest appearance on the TBN television program.
Evangelist Browne remained a member of the Movers in Christ Ministry until Dr. Muckett migrated to the United States.
Although the group is no longer together, Evangelist Browne said she continues her “service for the Lord in ministering the word and in singing.”
