The Jamaica Province of the Moravian Church (formally The Moravian Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands) is part of the worldwide Moravian Church Unity.
History
1754–1809 The beginning The work of the Moravian Church in Jamaica started with the arrival on 1754 -12-07 of missionaries Zecharias Caries, Thomas Shallcross and Gotlieb Haberecht from England at the invitation of the Foster and Barham families, owners of several plantations in St Elizabeth. They landed on the coast of St. Elizabeth, deliberately shunning the towns and opting to remain mostly in the rural areas to serve the large slave population. Their first base was on the Bogue estate.
During the first couple of years they had success in their work. Then, in 1755 Br Gottlieb Haberecht died and on 1756-12-24 his replacements Christian Rauch and ? Schulz arrived from America where Rauch had spent fifteen years working amongst Native Americans.
The new arrivals disagreed with Caries and Shallcross about the conditions to be met before a slave could be baptised. The disagreement lost them the respect of many and caused confusion amongst those awaiting baptism. As a result, numbers attending services started to fall and did not recover until 1764 when a Br Schlegel arrived. The revival continued until he died in 1770. Thereafter, little progress was made until 1809.
1810–1854 growth The work now prospered, particularly after the close of Old Carmel estate in 1823, with membership growing dramatically during apprenticeship (which started in 1834) and after emancipation on 1838-08-01.
By the centenary, membership had reached 13,129 including 4,249 communicants while there were 43 schools teaching 1,728 boys and 1,280 girls.
1855–1954
1954–2007 Jamaicanisation From the end of the 19th century, native Jamaicans began to be accepted into leadership positions in the church and in 1961, S U Hastings was consecrated as the first Jamaican bishop of the Moravian Church.Moravian Church Honours Three Pioneers , Jamaica Information Service press release, Jermain O. Brown, 2004-12-24.
Following independence in 1962, and the resulting drive for Jamaicanisation throughout Jamaican society, full conversion to local leadership was gradually achieved, with the last British clergy departing in 19??.
Ordination of the First Female Minister, Rev. Penelope Morgan at Lititz Moravian on July 24,1988
The 250th anniversary was celebrated in 2004. As part of the celebrations the Jamaican Post Office issued a set of three stamps depicting pioneering Jamaican leaders of the church.
The current Bishops are the Rt. Rev Stanley G. Clarke Ep. Fr. and the Rt. Rev Devon O. Anglin Ep. Fr.
The Rev. Barrington E. Daley is the president of the PEC (the administrative body of the Moravian Church in Jamaica).
Rev. Dr. Paul Gardner former president (2005–2017) was elected president of the World-Wide Moravian Church in 2008 and became the second Jamaican to be so elected.
The Provincial Elders Conference include: President- Rev. Barrington Daley
Vice President and SDC Representative- Rev. Charmane Daley
Secretary and WDC Representative- Rev. Ockery Brown
Treasurer and Lay Member - Bro. Lowel Morgan
EDC Representative- Rev. Dr. Simon Jones
CDC Representative- Rev. Christopher Euphfa
Lay Member- Bro. Aaron Panther
Youth Representative - Bro. Dominic Blair
Legal standing Marriages performed by Moravian ministers were legally recognised from 1835.
Full legal recognition dates from Law 10 of 1884 entitled The Corporation of the Church of The Unity of the Brethren (commonly called Moravians) in Jamaica.Church Order of the Unitas Fratrum, 2002.
Missionary mortality During the first 100 years, 193 European brethren and sisters took part in the work in Jamaica. Of these, 64 died there, 98 returned home or went to serve in other islands and 31 were still in service at the centenary.
Of the 64 who died: Years served Died Years served Died Years served Died drowned on the way to the island 1 5 5 11 1 less than 1 year 6 6 2 12 2 1 10 7 3 13 2 2 7 8 3 14 1 3 7 9 2 15 1 4 8 10 2 19 1
As can be seen, average life expectancy was low at the start of the work. It improved later as a side effect of moving the work to cool hilly areas which reduced the incidence of tropical diseases (yellow fever, malaria, typhoid). Nonetheless, many missionaries died from these diseases. One enduring consequence is that most congregations today are found in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth and Manchester.
Construction The first building used exclusively as a church was erected in 1820 at New Eden. Prior to that, services were held in the hall of the missionaries dwelling house or under trees. Another eleven followed over the next thirty years:The Moravians in Jamaica, History of the Mission of the United Bretheren's Church to the Negros in the Island of Jamaica from the year 1754 to 1854, J H Buchner, Longman, Brown and Company, 1854. 1826 Fairfield and first school near New Carmel. 1828 New Carmel 60'x35' and Irwin Hill. 1830 New Fulneck. 1834 New Bethlehem. 1835 Nazareth and New Hope (Parker's Bay). 1837 Beaufort. 1839 Lititz. 1841 Bethabara. 1847 Springfield. 1849 Bethany. 1895 Mizpah Note: these are building dates, not start of work which was always earlier.
Free villages Following emancipation, the church was involved in the setting up of Free Villages for the formerly enslaved, including one at MaidstoneWikipedia article on Free Villages. (Nazareth) in Manchester, and at Beeston Spring and Beaufort near Darliston in Westmoreland.
Education The church has always considered education to be an important part of its mission and as a result established 46 schools and two colleges, including the Bethlehem Moravian College (1861). The first school, at Lititz, was also the first primary school of any kind in Jamaica.
Agriculture and public works The Jamaica Agricultural Society, which was established in 1895, benefited significantly in its early years from the involvement of the church, especially at Bethany, Mizpah and Nazareth in Manchester and Springfield in St. Elizabeth. In particular, the Rev. George Lopp of Bethany, Manchester is credited with the introduction of the Irish potato to Jamaica in 1890.
Moravians were the first to establish a public water supply in St. Elizabeth and Manchester by erecting water storage tanks and associated catchment areas.
Old Carmel estate In c1740, one of the missionaries to the island of St Thomas became ill with fever and had no one to nurse him. It was not possible to obtain free servants then (there were none) so his congregation, slaves themselves, collected money and bought a slave that they presented to their minister to nurse him. This set a precedent whereby it became common for Moravian missionaries in the west Indies to hold slaves as servants.
Accordingly, in 1755 the missionaries in Jamaica purchased (with the agreement of the directing board in Europe) a small estate of at New Carmel (now called Old Carmel) near the Bogue estate), and supported themselves in their missionary work by the labour of 30 or 40 slaves. As a result, their credibility amongst the slaves generally was low and their success in converting them to Christianity correspondingly low. The estate was sold in 1823 and the church headquarters moved to Fairfield.
Organisation
External links in this section are to WikiMapia.
Headquarters 3 Hector Street, Kingston 5, Jamaica.
The headquarters site and building was bequeathed to the church by Mary Morris Knibb who founded the adjacent Morris Knibb Preparatory School.
Districts, circuits and congregations The province is divided into four districts, with each having a minister who is a superintendent. Each superintendent serves on the seven-member executive board, which is completed by two laypersons and Dr. Gardner, who is president of the board which oversees the affairs of the province. There are 33 active ordained ministers in Jamaica, three in Cuba and two in the Cayman.
Western District Beaufort Circuit: Ashton (), Beaufort (), Cain Curran, Content (),
Minister: Rev. Aldwayne Brooks
Carmel Circuit: Beersheba, Carmel (), Kilmarnock. Minister:
New Irwin Circuit: Albion, New Irwin. Rosemount Minister: Rev. Ockery Brown
Salem Circuit
Salem (). New Works
Content (), Minister: Rev. Recardo Malcolm
New Hope Circuit: New Hope (), Petersville, Minister: Rev. Delwarren Palmer
Springfield Circuit: Claremont, Gracefield, Mount Olivet, Springfield (), Tatewood. Minister: Rev. Marvin Williams
Rosemount. Mission Work in Cuba: Belen, Christ King.
Central District Conference Bethlehem/Lititz Circuit: Bethlehem (), Ballard's Valley, Lititz (). Minister: Rev. Sacha Lambert
Carisbrook Circuit: Carisbrook White Hill Langton Minister: Rev. Sharon Frith-Barrett
Merrywood, Lay Pastor, Bro. Wilburn Barton
Holy Cross Circuit: Holy Cross (),
Minister: Rt. Rev. Devon Anglin
Goshen Circuit: Goshen Lacovia Gracehill New Eden
Minister: Rev. Barnaba Nyirenda
New Fulneck Circuit: Dober Middle Quarters - Rev. Norma Smith (Supplementary), New Fulneck Faith
Minister: Rev. Efeso Sichinsambwe
Ockbrook Circuit: Dublin (),Ockbrook (),
Minister: Rev. Everton Smith
Eastern District
Bethabara Circuit: Bethabara Sharon Patrick Town.
Minister: Rev. Paul Silwamba
Bethany Circuit: Bethany (), Mile Gully ().
Minister: Rev. Sherol Watson
Fairfield Circuit: Fairfield (), Fairmount, Montpelier, Prince of Peace, Lay Pastor Sis Iredell Rattray
Minister: Rev. Simon Peter Jones
Mizpah Circuit:
Mizpah () Ritchies ().
Minister: Rev. Ruth Stephenson
Moravia (), Top Hill
Minister: Rev. Delwarren Palmer
Nazareth Circuit: Nazareth () Bath Bethphage
Minister: Rev. Horatio Tomlinson
New Beulah Circuit: New Beulah. Constituted in 1963. Broadleaf ()
Minister: Rev. Christopher Euphfa
Zorn Circuit: Bohemia (), Zorn (). Formerly Beulah.
Minister: Rev. Lovern Skeen
Surrey District
Surrey District ** Covenant
Minister: Rev. Jermaine Gibson
Trinity. Established 1956.
- Supplementary Minister: Rev. Patrick Coke
Minister: Rev Winston Jones
Portmore
Minister: Rev. Kevin Marshall
Supplementary Minister- Rev. George Williams
Harbour View
Supplementary Minister- Rev. Kofi Nkrumah-Young
Minister: Rev. Valerie Royes
** Redeemer
Minister: Rev. Marsha Edwards-Brown
** Four Paths
Minister: Rev. Shantol Davy
Non-circuit: Covenant Cayman Islands Minister: Rev. Ruth Stephenson
Other work There is a youth camp at New Hope () where summer schools are held.
Archives The church established its own archives in 1957 at the Bethlehem Teachers' College, under the supervision of Mrs Vera MacLeavy. In 1974 the records were placed in temporary deposit at the Jamaica Archives. The five categories of records in the collection are: Records of the Provincial Elders Conference Congregation Registers and Diaries Records of the Bethlehem Teachers' College Family Deposits Photographs and Printed Material. The collection includes baptism, marriage and burial records, the earliest dated 1824.The Office of the Prime Minister, Jamaica Archives and Records Department, Ecclesiastical Records .
Educational institutions The Moravian Church in Jamaica founded and continues to oversee nearly 50 educational establishments at all levels, including Bethlehem Moravian College (formerly Bethlehem Teacher Training College), the first in Jamaica.
The Lititz All Age School in St. Elizabeth is the successor to the first primary school established in Jamaica. It accommodated about 300 students. It is one of a total of 46 schools established by the Moravian Church on 68 parcels of land across Jamaica. "Where ever the Moravians founded a church, they also built a school.".
The church also established a training college for men in 1840. But after 50 years it closed due to a lack of funds.
Architecture