A Brief History of the St.George's Baptist Church
It all began when a radio program, sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention, touched the heart of a prisoner on death row at the Richmond Hill Prison. His name was Leon Edwards, and from his contact, the Southern Baptist Convention sent missionaries to Grenada in 1975. They set up Bible studies at the prison, and one in St. George’s, which eventually transformed into the beginning of the church. The first assembly was located on Tyrrel St., not far from the current location of Bobby’s Tyre Mart. A year or two after, the church moved to a wooden building which stood on this present site, in Springs/Belmont.
Elaine and Manget Herrin, being sent from the Southern Baptist Convention, were the first missionary pastors of the church. (By the way, Elaine Herrin’s books can be found on-line). The church grew steadily under their leadership, and the busing service soon became inadequate due to a lack of space. It was then, in 1981, that a decision was made to open a second branch –the Grand Anse Baptist Church (shown here after Hurricane Ivan)—which would particularly serve individuals living south of Golf Course. The first shepherd of the Grand Anse Branch was Pastor Henry. The St. George’s branch continued to develop under the Herrins through their many years of faithful service. However, a local pastor –Mr. Osbert James—was installed in 1982 bringing the Herrins’ time in Grenada to a close.
Mr. James would pastor for five years, resigning in 1987 to further his studies in the USA. During his absence, Mr. Royston Isaac served as pastor of the church. It was he who, in 1988 , initiated the construction of our current church building in which we sit today. After five years of leadership, Pastor Isaac felt that the Lord was calling him to new ministries and therefore resigned as Pastor. As the Lord had it, Mr. Osbert James, having just completed his studies abroad and having returned to Grenada, willingly again took up the post of Pastor of the church in June 1993, although it was on a part-time basis.
In keeping with its goal of training and developing people, the church began “The Discipleship Hour” training program (1984), which was a series of 13-week courses held on Sunday afternoons. Members would attend and take different classes during one or both of the two terms each year.
In 1995, the church took a leap of faith by calling Pastor James to full-time pastorship. For the first time, the church would be responsible for the full support of the pastor, rather than receiving finances from the Southern Baptist Convention. The first deacons elected in the church were Clifton Griffith, Cosil McDonald, Jeremiah Williams, Elma Roberts and Judith Lett. 1996 saw the birth of the Deacon Family Ministry Plan in which deacons were designated to care for the needs of parishioners by dividing the region into 5 districts. Deacons were assigned to each of the districts to care more efficiently for individuals’ needs.
Pastor Stanford Simon later became an active member of the church. Pastor James would soon again be leaving, and the church would be run by a group of leaders known as the Church Council. It was these individuals who were responsible for weekly worship services in the absence of Pastor James. A decision was made to hire a permanent pastor from Dominica. His name? Mr. Wilkerson Williams. Pastor Williams served for approximately three years, after which the church voted in Pastor Stanford Simon as their pastor.
From then until now, Pastor Simon has been faithfully serving the congregation of St. George’s Baptist. He has popularized the church through his weekly radio programs and his boldness in motivating, not only church members, but Grenadians on a whole to live better lives—to live lives for Christ.
Current programs such as the monthly evangelistic outreach, Inspirational Moment and in-church programs, such as Servant Leadership continue to help people reach their highest potential in Christ.
The St. George’s Baptist Church is one of 6 affiliated Baptist Churches on the island; the other five are Grand Bacolet Baptist, Emmanuel Baptist, Grand Anse Baptist, Rose Hill Baptist and New Life Chapel.
Yes, the St. George’s Baptist Church has had a very interesting history—a dynamic history—a history that has seen the contributions of specific key people, and one that continues to expand daily. May God bless us all as we continue to unfold the history of this church for generations to come. We are the channel God chooses to fulfil the needs of humanity, building communities which become the model for winning people to Christ and empowering people to enjoy prosperity and fulfilment in life!