Carrington Wesleyan Holiness Church

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A Church Built on Faith, Love, and Holiness

Established in 1918, it was an outshoot of White Park Tabernacle the forerunner to the actual church which was built in 1917, due to the determined efforts of some prominent ministers such as Rev. C.P. Jorge originally from British Guiana / Guyana and Rev. L.S. Braithwaite a Barbadian of Christian Mission origins who later served as District Superintendent of the Barbados District.

They spearheaded the drive to acquire and renovate a two-roofed house into a meeting place for the several converts and followers. They were ably assisted by outstanding laymen such as Bros. Mayhew, Wilkinson and Farnum. The initial congregation was largely made up of disaffected Christian Union and Christian Mission members who left their assemblies because of a disagreement. Service was held four times a week, with support from the White Park church.

The church did not remain at Quakers Road, for long. In early 1921 the members left that spot after two and a half to three years and moved to a temporary place at Welches for worship. One month later they moved to new accommodation at Bridge Road and eventually merged with an independent Baptist Mission owned by Pastor James and Salome Smith who offered their building to the expansionist pilgrims. However, by 1929 the building had to be extended to meet the steady growth of membership, which in that period stood at one hundred and sixty (160) members.

As the congregation kept expanding, a site was purchased in 1954 to build a larger church; but the owner returned the money and clearly stated that she did not want any church on her land. In 1955, the present site of the Carrington Wesleyan Holiness Church was acquired, and preparatory construction work completed; but due to the devastation of Hurricane Janet, work on the church had to be delayed until the following year. This work was done by the church members who worked hard and faithfully until the building was completed in late 1956.

The present Carrington church building had two dedications in two successive years. The first dedication was at its completion in 1956 and the second on February 25th, 1957. The second date is accepted as the official dedication date. In reviewing this early history of our church, there are lessons to be learned. Today’s Anniversary Corner highlights two of them. The first is obedience to the Great Commission as found in Matthew 16: 15: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”. It is to the obedience of the early stalwarts of the Pilgrim Holiness Church that the Carrington Church owes its existence. If we are to go forward, we the current members must also be obedient and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must live up to our vision to be a “lighthouse in the community, a place of shelter for whoever is going through a storm; a house of prayer and a training centre geared to making disciples of Christ”.

The second lesson is that of commitment. It was commitment that drove the expansionist perspective of the early congregation. Three moves took place to accommodate the growing congregation. The members renovated buildings, rented space and eventually purchased land on which was built a permanent church, the one we currently occupy. All this was done despite the challenges faced, and there were many, some of them being very contentious. The congregation even moved beyond the church’s immediate borders which led to the establishment of other congregations among them the Brittons Hill and Haggatt Hall churches. They remained faithful to the cause of Jesus Christ.

The question to ponder and to answer today is what will our legacy be when the history of our period is being reported? Will we be found faithful? Let us be obedient to God and be committed to the cause. If we take these lessons to heart, history can repeat itself. Our church will grow, many souls will be saved on a continuing basis. God will come through for us. As the song says, “He’ll Do it Again”.

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