Annotto Bay Baptist Church celebrates 200 years

Paul H. Williams

Sunday Gleaner Writer

Next Sunday, January 15, a ‘praise parade’ will take over the St Mary town of Annotto Bay at 3:30 p.m. when a marching band and “melodious singers” play and sing “reflective gospel music” for two kilometres. Then, at 5:30, inside the Annotto Bay Baptist Church (ABBC), there will be an “evening of praise which will feature diverse talents”.

It will be the beginning of a yearlong observance of the bicentenary of the ABBC, founded by the Reverend Ebenezer Phillips in 1823. The official opening church service will take place the following Sunday, January 22, at 10 a.m. The main preacher for the occasion will be Reverend Dr Glenroy Lalor, president of the Jamaica Baptist Union.

“The initial challenges could have easily discouraged Baptist missionaries from continuing with the work in Annotto Bay. However, they persevered and today the church celebrates 200 years of Christian witness in the town of Annotto Bay,” The ABBC says, under the theme of ‘Celebrating the past, embracing the future’, in recognition of “those who contributed to the development of the church in her initial stage”.

“ ‘Celebrating the past’ recognises the works of Moses Baker, Reverend Phillips, and many others .‘Embracing the future’ depicts the total trust in God as he is Sovereign. The future progresses with Reverend Travis Drummond, blazing the torch lit by Reverend Phillips,” ABBC also says, “The members of 2023, like the members of 1823, are motivated to continue blazing the fire that was lit by the Spirit through the leadership of Reverend Ebenezer Phillips (1823-24).”

Phillips, an English pastor, came to Jamaica as a result of representations made to the Baptist Missionary Society in England for missionary help to convert enslaved Africans by Moses Baker, an American member of the Reverend George Leisle’s church. When he established the church in the centre of the town it was the first church in the community and the first Baptist church to be planted in St Mary.

However, Reverend Phillips’ work ended abruptly as he and his wife died in the space of two days, and are buried in the churchyard in Annotto Bay. Their deaths were just two of the many among the missionaries, several of whom lost their lives shortly after their arrival in these tropical climes. Among them was the first English missionary, Reverend John Rowe, who died three years after he came.

As soon as the Reverend Rowe arrived, he began to labour in Annotto Bay, taking up from where Phillips had stopped, by building a structure in which to worship. Rowe bowed out in 1827, and the Reverend Charles Flood came from England and took charge of the work at Annotto Bay while he lived at Mount Charles. Yet, four years later, the Christmas Rebellion, said to be planned by the Baptist deacon, Samuel Sharpe, exploded.

Many churches and plantation buildings all over western Jamaica were burnt to the ground. Buildings in other parts of Jamaica were also destroyed, and the Baptist chapel at Annotto Bay is said to be one such. To rebuild some of these structures, Reverend William Knibb and Thomas Burchell went to England to solicit financial aid. They got £13,000, partly from the British parliament through help from a member of parliament named Buxton. From that money, many of the churches, including the one at Annotto Bay, were rebuilt in 1835.

Fifty-nine years later, the chapel was rebuilt again under the leadership of Reverend Charles Barron from Scotland. He was trained for missionary work at Cliff College and Hartley College in London, and came to Jamaica at the request of the Jamaica Baptist Union in 1886 to take charge of the Mount Angus circuit of churches. The goodly reverend did most of the work, including, and especially so, the architectural and supervisory aspect, himself.

In designing the windows of the chapel, Reverend Barron cut the glass by hand and fitted them into the frames. He also decorated the walls of the church with Bible verses. The result of Reverend Barron’s work is an eye-catching structure, “magnificent in size and mosaic in style”. It is still regarded as the only church in the island with such “elaborate decorations”.

The chapel has been led by a long string of pastors, the current being Reverend Travis Drummond, who is supervising the 200th anniversary planning committee chaired by Deacon Joy Davis. “It is the desire of the committee that after the yearlong celebration, as a church, we will be challenged to reflect more intentionally on our mission and mandate to the community. The celebration would have helped us to remember the work of many faithful servants who have served sacrificially, some among difficult circumstances, but have kept the ministry of the church going,” Reverend Drummond told The Gleaner.

“The celebration will also allow us to connect and reconnect with persons who have moved on, and are living elsewhere, but this church was instrumental in their early spiritual formation. This 200th anniversary celebration for us is a recommitment to a ministry that is people-focused and community-oriented.”

Over the years, the ABBC has also been involved in the social development of Annotto Bay. There was once a basic school operated by the church; some of the current members are past students. The care ministry has been catering to the needs of the indigent, sick and the shut-ins. And, in partnership with the HEART/NSTA Trust, the church’s office provides on-the-job training in the HEART/NSTA Apprenticeship Programme. The community also benefits spiritually through evangelistic outreach programmes, the annual crusade, and Vacation Bible School during the summer months.