When identical twins John and Solomon Humes were confirmed into the Anglican faith as young boys, the priest that conducted the confirmation spoke a blessing over them. He told them they would become great leaders.
Eventually, Bishop John rose to the position of Overseer of the Church of God and Solomon became a bishop in the Church of God of Prophecy - sister denominations -- after they both transitioned from the Anglican faith to become members of the Pentecostal faith.
But they shared much more than their faith in common -- their voices were identical, their characteristics were identical and the way they conducted themselves was uncannily identical. The twins were so alike for most of their lives. They were both married in the same year (their wives both came from the Yellow Elder community, according to John), and they had their first children in the same month and year.
They both joined the Pentecostal ministry. John followed Solomon to the Meadow Street church, but eventually moved back to East Street Cathedral. They both became justices of the peace and marriage officers.
"We shared so many things in common," said John, the older brother by 10 minutes.
But no one would have thought that the twins would also battle cancer simultaneously. Solomon was the first to be diagnosed with the insidious disease two years ago. John was diagnosed with prostate and bladder cancer a year after his twin's diagnosis.
Solomon, 63, succumbed to his illness and will be buried on Saturday, July 17 at 10 a.m. His service will be held at the Church of God of Prophecy Tabernacle on East Street. Bishop Franklin Ferguson, national overseer of the Churches of God of Prophecy will officiate the service.
As John now battles the disease that has robbed him of his bladder, his prostate and the use of his left leg (which he said he is working to resume use of), he's devastated at the loss his brother.
"I'm going to miss Solly. I not only lost a brother...I lost a part of me," said John. "Solly's death has impacted me a whole lot. We shared so many things in common...we were born together 63 years ago...if you saw him, you saw me. If you heard him, you heard me. We had identical voices, identical features, identical characteristics and how we conducted ourselves.
The brothers, who towered over six feet, also shared an unwavering love for the Lord, despite having switched denominations in their lives.
"We grew up in St. Barnabas Anglican Church under the late Bishop Father John Callan. We were the first to be confirmed by Bishop Bernard Markham and he spoke a blessing over us saying we would become great leaders."
John rose to become the overseer of the Church of God and Solomon was a bishop in the Church of God of Prophecy.
"We served both our offices as leaders in various capacities."
While the brothers had an unwavering love for the Lord, they took different paths career-wise. Solomon was employed in offshore banking. John was a meteorologist.
In 1984 John left the met department, and in 2000 Solly retired from his job to become a full-time bishop in the Church of God of Prophecy.
Solomon chose to serve as a pastor of the Meadow Street Church, because he wanted to give himself daily, and not just on Sundays.
"Solly has always been a very humble man and a team player, and he loved people -- both of us loved people. He loved his country, his people, his God and the Church of God," said John.
As his twin is buried on the weekend, the Church of God overseer reminds people to be cognizant of their health.
"Keep up on your medical, stay close to Jesus and serve the Lord," said John. "Cancer is a serious case, and incidences of cancer are very high in The Bahamas and I encourage young people, especially men to do their regular health check ups."
Despite ministering at separate churches and having their families, the Humes brothers were devoted to each other. They both shared a quick, wry and witty sense of humor. Laughter came easily to them both. And their uncanny "twin-ness" emerged when they were together.
In a 2010 interview with The Nassau Guardian, John said it was a divine meeting of the Lord that sent him on a path that would set him apart from Solomon.
The then 23-year-old John was invited to a youth revival service at the Church of God on East Street by a friend -- he could not recall exactly when in the service it happened, but he remembers being overwhelmed by the presence of God that seemed to surround him. He said the visit sealed the deal for him and brought him to the realization that the Church of God was where he belonged spiritually.
Although John and Solomon decided to go the road of different churches, John was not bothered by it because he was happy that they were called to ministry. He said it was more important knowing that he and his brother made something good and substantial out of themselves, even though it was common for the young men in his childhood community of Coconut Grove to get themselves into trouble or waste their lives away.
"I was glad that God took us both from the middle of all that and raised us up to do his will. To me, this has always spoken wonders because there are lots of young men who let their situations dictate their lives. But no matter what your situation is, God can lift you out of it to do his work. You just have to believe in yourself and trust him. My brother and I grew up in a single parent home with our mother [Elsada Humes] in a bad area, but we were still called to do something for God."
In that 2010 interview with The Nassau Guardian, Solomon had said that he knew that he and his brother would always be active in church, but he never expected them to be in the leadership positions they rose to.
"We were never ones to call the spotlight on ourselves" said Solomon. "I can say that we both were happy enough to do God's work behind the scenes, but we were called to do much more than that it seems."
At the time, he said, even though their church doctrines weren't very different, they did not discuss their respective church business with each other. Instead, they talked about God and their different views in that regard. Solomon believed that, at the end of the day, their tasks were different, but they were both doing God's work.
Solomon Humes is survived by his wife Patricia, children Linrose Humes-Morris, Solomon Jr. and Patrick Humes.

Tributes to Bishop Solomon HumesBishop Solomon Humes was a soldier of Christ indeed. He was a people's person and was willing to help, teach and train young men like myself in the ministry and expecting nothing in return for it. He loved the Lord and people. My mother Drucilla Higgs, my wife, myself and the entire Pinewood congregation express our deepest and sincere sympathy to his loving wife Sister Patricia, his children, the entire family and congregation of the Minnie Street C.O.G.O.P. May his soul rest in peace.
-- Cassell Higgs
Solomon Humes was one of those ministers who you could watch and admire for the way he carried himself -- so humble, so committed and always jovial and exuberant. I can only imagine the enthusiastic fanfare when he entered the portals of glory -- one more reason to make heaven my home, knowing that the likes of one Solomon Humes is there. Peace, strength and comfort to the family.
-- Joye Ross
Solomon Humes was truly a powerful man of God, a beloved bishop and a friend of the lowly. My condolences to the family. We have lost a real gentleman.
-- MacDonald Gibson
Bishop Solomon L. Humes was always someone you could have depended on in any given situation. My thoughts about this outstanding churchman are many. Words like faithful, committed, loyal, devoted, hardworking, intellectual, jovial, trustworthy and supportive are just some of the descriptions associated with the late bishop. He was a man for all seasons, regardless of church appointments at all levels, Bishop Humes was always himself and very humble. I extend deepest sympathy to Sister Patricia Humes and the Humes family.
-- Sean Gibson
Anyone who knew this great man would know that he was humble, caring, thoughtful generous, lively and righteous. He, as a bishop and minister of the gospel, demonstrated that the love of God was available to all. His open display of love, care and true Christian conviction remained buoyant and anchored in his family life, his church life and his secular discipline. He touched the lives of many people by his avuncular spirit. We will miss the warm embraces, words of comfort and consolation, the glowing smiles, the wonderful parking lot conversations and the true spirit of brotherhood. I honor the memory of this great soldier of the cross and express to you his precious wife Patricia and all of the children just how honored and blessed I am for your generosity by lending Bishop Humes to us in the Church of God and indeed The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
-- Pastor Barry B. Morris and family

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