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In addition to contributing to the increasing crime rate, drug trafficking and addiction are linked to child abuse and neglect. In some cases, churches have begun taking care of Bahamian children from at-risk families.

Eartha Charlow, a senior welfare worker at the Ministry of Social Services, says the children are better off in the care of churches. "The churches involved are more sensitized to the needs of the children," she said.

Churches have also responded to the demand for quality care for the elderly. Even with help from church and community groups, however, there are not enough nursing-home beds to meet the need. For example, Andrew's church friends have been attempting to place him in a home for three years. Poverty is less a problem than it was during the early 1970s, when the country became independent. By 1975, the unemployment rates had risen to 20 percent. Tourism has revived much of the economy in recent years.

Nonetheless, poverty is still widespread, and the churches are seeking new ways to help the poor. "There is a sense in which some [churches] are now becoming more practical in helping," Major says. He credits this in part to new pastors who have a "greater social awareness."

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The U.S. State Department report on human rights said the Bahamian government "generally respects the human rights of its citizens; however, problems remain in several areas. There were reports that police occasionally beat and abused detainees, and prison conditions remain harsh."

Listings of Bahamian churches and provinces are available at this island guide.

Christianity Today has also done articles on the Caribbean nation of Jamaica, "The Island of Too Many Churches."

The Nassau Guardian is the Bahamas' only newspaper online.

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March 5 2001, Vol. 45, No. 4