The
Bahama Islands
The Bahamas is a nation consisting of over 700 islands spread over approximately
70,000 square miles in the western Atlantic, just off the southern coast
of Florida. Because of this The Bahama Islands are always considered part
of the Caribbean islands. Of its 700 islands, only about 30 are inhabited.
The
first settlers were Lucayans, Arawak Indians, who arrived in the 9th century
A.D., having been chased across the Caribbean Islands by the more
aggressive Carib Indians.
A few hundred years later,
in the late evening of October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived on
the island of Guanahani.
He promptly stuck a flag in
the ground and renamed the island San Salvador.
Charles Town (now Nassau)
thrived on piracy and wrecking and was soon teaming with the world’s
outlaws and rebels. The British Royal Navy even used these mercenary
seamen to assist in its wars with Spain and France. During
wartime the British Government would legalize ‘privateers’ to
patrol the Caribbean; i.e. kill, steal, and sink the ships of any French
or Spanish fleets found.
Letters of Marque gave
pirates the authority to become privateers, and dozens of ambitious adventurers
saw an opportunity
and flocked
to the
Bahamas to
ply their trade. The privateers would ambush passing treasure ships
returning to Europe from Central America using the Bahamas’ complex
network of islets, cays, channels, coral reefs and currents as the
perfect hunting ground
for their gruesome trade.
In 1695, Charlestown
was renamed Nassau after the new King of England, William III (the Dutch
usurper William
of Orange Nassau). In 1703
a joint Spanish
and French fleet destroyed Nassau again, but this time when the
pirates and privateers returned and rebuilt the town, they did not have
a
Governor, and
instead they called it a ‘Privateers’ Republic.’ This
Privateers’ Republic
lasted from 1703 until 1714, despite being viciously and repeatedly
attacked by the Spanish Navy.
Wrecking was by this
time a popular source of income and supplemented piracy and smuggling in
the economy
of the Bahamas. Nassau flourished
with merchants’ trading
houses, brothels and gambling dens. The notorious Blackbeard declared
himself Magistrate of Nassau and was known to be quite harsh.
The Church of the Nazarene
In 1950, Rosalyn Henfield went from The Bahamas as a new convert to an independent
Bible School in Haiti. While there she met and married Massillon Pierre.
This young couple began to pastor one of the independent churches associated
with the Bible College. These years also saw the Henfields joining the
Nazarene church. The Nazarene church they were pastoring was one of the
largest Nazarene Churches in the capital of Haiti. However, in the late
1960s Rosalyn’s mother in Nassau, Bahamas, became ill. Rosalyn
went to be with her. In a short time, her husband had moved to be with
them in the Bahamas. During this same time there was a large movement
of Haitians into the Bahamas. Pierre also had contact with Dr. Paul Orjala
(pioneer missionary to Haiti) while ministering in Haiti. Due to this
affiliation, Pierre wrote to Nazarene Headquarters requesting permission
to start a Nazarene work in Nassau. Permission was granted and Pierre
began to pastor a Haitian Creole-speaking church in a facility owned
by a physician. This facility attracted both Bahamians and Haitian immigrants.
Shortly they began to have bi-lingual services utilizing interpreters.
In a few years membership was at 200 with Sunday attendance averaging
400.
In 1975, an unusual development
occurred for the Church of the Nazarene. On the island of Grand Bahamas,
north of Nassau, two couples received a Nazarene
MANUAL through an acquaintance. After they had read and studied it, they
decided to build a church at Eight Mile Rock and give it to the Nazarene
church. In two years its membership was 100 people.
In 1983 Rev. Hilton
Outten, one of the founders of the Eight Mile Rock church, became the
first Bahamian District Superintendent, with others
following.
During the next two decades the Church of the Nazarene was started on
other neighboring islands. Strong English-speaking churches were established
in Freeport, Grand Bahamas, and in the capital city of Nassau.
Rev. Pierre
died after a short illness in the 1980s. Interestingly, his church requested
that his wife Rosalyn pray about becoming the pastor.
After prayer
and fasting she accepted their offer. She was ordained and pastored
the original Nazarene church in The Bahamas until 2003 when she retired.
Work is still
vibrant and growing in The Bahamas and currently the total membership
for the churches in The Bahamas is 1700+.
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.
Dr. John Smee
http://www.tvo.uk.com/bahamas.htm