Trinidad
& Tobago
“The islands came
under British control in the 19th century; independence was granted in
1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean
thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism,
mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing.”
The Church
of the Nazarene
The work in Trinidad was the overflow of the work in Barbados. In 1926,
J.I. Hill received an invitation from an independent holiness pastor to
come and evaluate the possibility that this group unite with the Nazarenes.
This union was accepted. In 1927, Hill called Carlotta Graham from Barbados
to Trinidad to help establish the church. Miss Graham began to pastor a
church in Tunapuna and was there for the next 38 years. During that time
she also pastored the St. James church for a period of five years from
1940-45.
Until 1942,
Barbados and Trinidad were a joint district. However, it was not until
1956 that Trinidad held its first District Assembly.
During this
period many changes occurred. Trinidad received its first missionaries,
Rev. and Mrs. Lelan Rogers. They arrived in 1944. He immediately took
the pastorate at St. James and also the superintendency of the field.
Rogers
was integral in opening the work among the East Indians on the Island.
Today about 1/3 of the population is East Indian.
In 1949, Ray
Miller and family moved to Trinidad after serving 19 years in Africa as
missionaries for the Pilgrim Holiness church and a brief
stint at Bethany Nazarene College as a professor. Their arrival was
a needed
source of stability for this district. Through his ministry the Church
of the Nazarene became well known and well respected on the island.
Possibly the most important accomplishment of Rev. Miller’s
six year term was the establishment of the Bible College, which continues
today as the
training center for the entire English-speaking Caribbean. Also during
this time, several other missionaries came to work at the college namely
Wes and Modelle Harmon, Howard and Dorothy Sayes, and Ruth Saxon. Miss
Saxon was the last missionary to pastor a church in Trinidad resigning
her position in 1976.
In 1962, Trinidad & Tobago
gained their independence from Great Britain. As seen in other British
colonies, this move to independence again boded
well for the health and growth of the church. The vigor to claim
ownership of their future prompted Trinidadian leaders to spur their churches
boldly
into the future. 1971 was the first year that a national District
Superintendent was named, Rev. Hugh McKenzie. In 1976, Trinidad gained
mission district
status by reaching the goal of 50% self-support.
The church has
grown slowly but surely since. Today, it is now a full or regular district,
hosting some of the most healthy and
fastest growing
churches on the region.
Sources:
Parker, J. Fred. Mission to the World: A History of Missions in the
Church of the Nazarene through 1985. Nazarene Publishing House, Kansas
City,
MO, 1988.
http://www.odci.gov/