UPDATE ON OUR EFFORT #2
Pastor
Our Church History
Thirty years ago, the Kingstown Baptist Church (KBC) formerly known as the St. Vincent Baptist Chapel opened and dedicated a building in Dasent Cottage, Old Montrose along the Largo Height road for use as a sanctuary. The Vincentian newspaper in an article entitled "Baptist Chapel Starts Services" described the event thus: "On 1st May, 1977 the opening service of St. Vincent Baptist Chapel will be conducted... The service will commence at 9:00 am. All are invited to attend."
The opening of the Baptist Chapel in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) was the genesis of a vision which was conceived by and given to Reverend Don Overstreet in 1976 by God. Today, the flames of that vision continue to shine, personified by the presence not only of the KBC but by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Baptist Convention (SVGBC) which consists of eight (8) member churches scattered throughout SVG.
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Rev. Don Overstreet originally and his wife, Marti from the United States began their missionary sojourn to SVG on December 31, 1976. Their arrival in St. Vincent was precipitated by a direct call to service as missionaries in the Caribbean and more specifically in SVG. According to The Vincentian newspaper of April 12th, 1977, the Overstreets were newly appointed missionaries with the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention which at that time had approximately two thousand seven hundred (2,700) missionaries in eighty-eight (88) countries. The Southern Baptist Convention was established in May 1845 in the United States, at which time a constitution was adopted and the Foreign Mission Board established. Missionaries were deployed that same year by the Foreign Mission Board to China.
Therefore, the Overstreets were members of a historically strong and seasoned church movement which emphasized the importance of impassioned missionary activity in distant countries. Further, Rev. Don Overstreet was himself an experienced man of God having pastored for seven (7) years in California. He held a Bachelor of Arts Degree from California Baptist College and subsequently completed the Master of Divinity from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in San Francisco in 1974. This experience coupled with his passion to win the lost for Christ influenced his continued thrust in the missionary field and by extension his work in SVG.
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The Overstreets’ call to service in SVG was a direct response to their prayers. They were in a hotel room in Richmond, Virginia when they prayed, asking the Lord for clarity in identifying where they should serve. Indicatively, the Lord's response was "to the English-speaking Caribbean." According to The Vision - Special 25th Anniversary Edition, produced by the Kingstown Baptist Church (KBC) to commemorate its twenty-five (25) years of existence, this mandate from God was confirmed by a later request by the Windward Island Baptist Mission for the Overstreets to serve in St. Vincent.
The Overstreets obeyed that call and moved to St. Vincent in December, 1976 to begin their work. The embryonic phase and the foundation of the Overstreets mission to SVG can be traced to Tuesday night Bible Studies conducted in the home of a new convert, Joel Daniel and at the Overstreets home in Queens Drive. In addition, Rev. Overstreet spent a significant portion of his time during his first few months in St. Vincent getting to know people and handing out Bibles. Subsequently, the Overstreets were led to Dasent Cottage, Old Montrose where the St. Vincent Baptist Chapel (original KBC) was opened.
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The opening of the St. Vincent Baptist Chapel in Old Montrose was influenced by two converging incidences which confirmed to the Overstreets that Old Montrose was indeed the area where the first chapel should be established. Rev. Don Overstreet was informed by someone who searched him out for a Bible, of a vacant building owned by Mr. Dennis George in Old Montrose. The building was then under renovation. This claim was investigated by Rev. Overstreet who later negotiated with the owner for the building to be used as a chapel. The transformation of the building into the St. Vincent Baptist Chapel was undertaken by the said owner who also constructed the benches and the pulpit.
In addition, the Overstreets were informed by Mrs. Sheila McDonald (Sister Mac) that she had been praying fervently for the establishment of a church in Old Montrose for a long time. There followed the formal opening of the St. Vincent Baptist Chapel on May 1, 1977 with a relatively small number of persons attending the first service. The number of persons attending the church increased as church members evangelized within the community. The Chapel often provided a nursery for children under two years old to facilitate the participation of parents in their services. Bible Study was usually held on Thursday nights at 7:00 pm.
According to Reverend Cecil Richards, current pastor of the KBC, the vision of the Overstreets and in particular, Rev. Don Overstreet can be summed up using the phrase "the whole Gospel for the whole man." Further, Rev. Don Overstreet's selflessness allowed him to meet people at their point of need. He was a "people’s man", a man who tried to assist wherever he could. Speaking at the twentieth (20th) anniversary celebrations of the Baptist Convention, Sister Mac described Rev. Don Overstreet thus: "He fed us spiritually and attended to the physical needs of others practicing what the word of God teaches." (The Vincentian newspaper, 1997).
Rev. Overstreet in a statement to the Vincentian newspaper of April 7, 1977 indicated the aim of his mission in St. Vincent thus: "We will not personally receive anything from the chapel. We are here to minister and start churches that will meet the needs of the people. The churches will be Vincentian. We are here to give as Jesus gave himself for us."
Therefore, the St. Vincent Baptist Chapel under Rev. Overstreet and his wife implemented numerous programmes to minister to the needs of the people. The various ministries of the early church included: Music, Vacation Bible School (VBS), Literacy, Drama, Prison, Sewing, Youth, Puppet, Bus Ministry and the Ladies Group. The latter was started in the inaugural year of the church.
The strong tradition of music which is visible at the KBC today can be traced to the thriving music ministry which blossomed at the hands of Mrs. Marti Overstreet. Mrs. Overstreet attended the California Baptist College and was qualified in music. Music classes were therefore professionally instructed by Mrs. Overstreet on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 pm at the church. She taught persons over the age of thirteen (13) years how to read music, conducting and also how to sing harmony parts. Classes were free and were not restricted to members of the Baptist Church. Sister Mac recalled that music examinations were set, administered and graded by Sister Overstreet, following which certificates were presented.
It was also at the St. Vincent Baptist Chapel that various instruments including the clarinet, the trumpet and the recorder were taught. The music students often participated at the national level and in several competitions including playing against the Police. Later, interested persons were taught how to play the guitar by Dr. Lennox Adams who by then also headed the youth programme. Dr. Lennox Adams later headed numerous ministries in the church and later functioned as President of the SVGBC for several years.
The St. Vincent Baptist Chapel's Music Ministry continued to bear fruit reflected through the establishment of a forty (40) piece steel orchestra which also participated at the national level. Cecil "Stokes" Dennie and Alfred "Two-food" Gordon, two of the outstanding members of the orchestra competed and won national awards. The former, Cecil "Stokes" Dennie was the captain of the steel orchestra and played pan with the Faith Temple Worship Team. Today, the Music Ministry is led by Brother Alphonso "Sleepy" Richards who continues to offer the same professional leadership as the founding members of the ministry.
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The Prison Ministry was another of the early fervent ministries of the St. Vincent Baptist Church. This ministry was spearheaded by Rev. Overstreet who visited the Her Majesty's Prison weekly and shared the Gospel of Christ with the inmates there. In keeping with his vision of meeting the needs of the whole man, Rev. Overstreet also conducted reading and Bible study classes with the inmates. The annual prison concert which is currently held during December was also started by Rev. Overstreet. He also initiated a three-day crusade at the prisons, following which forty-eight (48) commitments were made to Jesus Christ.
Significantly, the story of James "Beebs" Jarvis, a man convicted and sentenced to hang reminds us of the importance of evangelism and the legacy of the early Baptist Church of reaching the lost for Christ. James Jarvis received Christ as his personal saviour after he was ministered to by Rev. Overstreet during one of his visits to the prison. It was only then that he received the peace that he had been searching for.
In his testimony entitled "How Sweet It is to Know Where I am Going" Jarvis recounted his conversion experience thus: "... The second thing that gives me the assurance that I was not condemned by God, was one night I was praying from my heart, I felt the “egoes” move in my head. I felt like someone was there with me. I felt nice, so joyous and a sweet indescribable feeling[s] rushed through me. I felt so nice I wanted to shout His "Jesus" name out hard, then my eyes were filled with tears."
James Jarvis was eventually hanged, but his testimony of his assurance of where he was going once he accepted the Lord into his life beckons us to ask the question, "Are we ready to meet the Lord?"
The relocation of the church to its current location, near to the Botanical Gardens was undertaken at the turn of the 1980’s. According to Sister Mac, the relocation of the church was undertaken after they were given notice to leave by the landlord of the property at Dasent Cottage, Old Montrose. By then the church was also experiencing numerical growth. The members of the congregation prayed about the matter, following which a "Searching Committee", headed by Rev. Overstreet and which also included Sister Mac was established.
As the name suggests, the mandate of the committee was to look for a suitable site to which the church could be relocated. Sis Mac was led to Mr. Alfie King who informed her that the Isaacs property near to the Botanical Gardens was for sale and that it was in the hands of the Barclays Bank. Sister Mac immediately prayed about the matter and proceeded to the bank where she spoke with the relevant officials. Sister Mac then informed Rev. Overstreet of her discovery and he initiated contact with the bank's lawyer.
The rest is history, the property was acquired and members began meeting at the new site for church services. Thus, when the Overstreets returned to the United States in the early 1980s, the St. Vincent Baptist Chapel was already endowed with a church site. The construction of the church was spearheaded by Rev. Orville Bryant, a missionary to SVG. Labour was provided by men from the Sandy Bay Baptist Church during the construction phase of the church. The original pulpit was built from one of the trees that were found in the yard. Notably, the church assumed the name Kingstown Baptist Church after it was relocated.
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The 1980s can be characterized as a period of consolidation and testing, during which time the leadership of the church changed frequently. Between 1981 and 1983 the church was administered by four missionary pastors. In 1981 the church was headed by two missionaries, Rev. John Moore and Rev. Larry Lee. The following year, Rev. Lee was succeeded by Rev. Clarence Hill who was replaced in 1982 by Brother G. Moore. Vincentian, Rev. Jeffrey McDowall replaced Brother Moore in 1983 and pastored the church for the next four years. Rev. McDowall was the first of three local leaders to emerge from within the membership of the church. The second of these leaders is our current Pastor, Rev. Cecil Richards who was first appointed as Pastor of the church in 1989.
According to Rev. Richards, his appointment coincided with the modified policy of the Foreign Mission Board whose emphasis now centered on "reaching the unreached people" in areas where the Gospel had not been propagated. His appointment thus closed an era of the missionary led Baptist Church. Notably, Rev. Richards appointment to the headship of the church was preceded by his stint as Assistant Pastor to Rev. Orville Bryant who headed the church between 1987 and 1989.
It was during the 1980s that the church faced some internal difficulties which frustrated many of the church members. However, undaunted by these difficulties, the committed members continued to support the church and its activities. During this decade the various ministries of the church continued to function and to affect the lives of many persons. The Lady's Group which was also known as the Acteen Club grew. The Living Nativity was reintroduced by Brother Alphonso "Sleepy" Richards in 2003 (first initiated by Mrs. Susan Bryant, wife of Rev. Bryant during his tenure as pastor of the church).
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Rev. Cecil Richards pastored the church between 1989 and 1992 at which time he migrated to the United States to pursue studies in Theology. Upon his departure, the church called Rev. Edward Miller from Barbados to lead the church. Reverend Miller pastored the church for the next four years following which the third Vincentian, Brother Jerry George who was a deacon of the church, emerged as leader. He led the deacons in administering the affairs of the church in the absence of a pastor. Brother Jerry George served at the helm of the church until the return of Pastor Richards in 1999. In that same year (1999), the church adopted its first constitution to govern the overall running of the church.
During the 1990s the various ministries continued to play an integral role in serving and ministering, not only to members of the church but to the wider community as well. In 1995 the Young Adults Group was formed to cater to the needs of the increasing number of young adults at the church. In December of that same year, the Young Adults Group published the first issue of “The Vision”, an informative newsletter comprising articles, poems, jokes and an advice column titled "Ask the Doctor." The editors of The Vision were Sisters Gwendolyn Burgin and Kay Lewis and the layout and typing was done by Brother Jarvis Alexis. The Vision was published at the "Alexis Media House" at New Montrose.
It was also during the 1990s that the Deaf Ministry was conceptualized and founded. Notably, at that time Jamaican, Brother Donville Jones and his family attended the church. One of his daughters, Felicia was hearing impaired and members of the church were thus encouraged and taught how to sign. Significantly, the ability of hearing members to communicate the Gospel to the hearing impaired influenced a number of hearing impaired persons to worship at the church. Seventeen (17) hearing impaired persons became members of the church. The KBC continues to be one of the few churches in SVG which caters to the needs of the hearing impaired. This early ministry was nurtured by Sisters Diana Alexis, Carol Richards and Norlan McCree.
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AWANA, a Bible-based club for boys and girls was also implemented during the 1990s. More specifically, the establishment of the Awana Club at the KBC can be traced to May 1999. The name AWANA is a derivative from the first letters of Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed, an extract from 2 Timothy 2:15. The central focus of the club is to "reach as many boys and girls as possible with the Gospel of Christ...and to challenge and train boys and girls and their leaders to serve Christ." (Basic Training Manual, 2000). The Awana Club ministered to children who attend the church as well as those in the neighbouring communities.
Between 1999 and 2007 the Kingstown Baptist Church underwent significant changes. Numerically, the membership of the church expanded from sixty-one (61) persons in 1999 to a figure of one hundred and eighty-three (183) members (now in 2023, that figure exceeds 500 members). KBC was officially incorporated in October 2001 and two years later the property was transferred from the missionaries to the KBC. In that same year, the KBC sought to recognize the work of the early pioneers of the church. The original white building which housed the administrative offices, the library and the Sunday School rooms was renamed The Don Overstreet Education Building in honour of Rev. Don Overstreet.
In addition, Rev. Orville and Susan Bryant Day was also implemented to be commemorated annually on the third Sunday in May. The children's' play ground was also constructed with assistance from a group of volunteers from the Vine Baptist Church in the United States. The volunteers journeyed to SVG following an invitation from Rev. Overstreet. In 2005 a new temporary wooden structure was constructed, comprising a multiple purpose room which serves as a nursery among other things and a kitchen. During that same year, Pastor Richards led an evangelism team from the KBC to California where they utilized various opportunities to minister. Accompanying this team was “Angelos”, a musical group comprising members of the KBC.
The church celebrated its 30th anniversary as in 2007. After the 30th anniversary celebration, there were some administrative and organizational changes made. These included primarily, the restructuring of the make up of the church council. This was done according to the five (5) purposes of the church. These five purposes for which the church exists are: to worship, to evangelize, to shape disciples, to build fellowship, and minister to the communities around. These were considered to be the five principal purposes around which the church’s ministries should be shaped.
Each of these ministry was charged to a designated chair person. The constitution of the Church Council was therefore: the pastor, the five ministry heads, the secretary and the treasurer. This streamlining of the council allowed for more efficient and effective functioning to do the work of the church.
The next important change was that the composition of the council (members) would be determined by the church members biannually. Thus, rather than having a constant yearly turnover of council members (which interrupted continuity), the council was now being selected every other year. Further to that, there was a reshuffling of the ministries of the church. All of the current ministries of the church were reshuffled and placed under the oversight of each of the five ministry heads.
In addition, administratively, there was an emphasis on training of emerging leaders. This was a major intentional move and was done as a part of a doctoral process project undertaken by Rev. Cecil Richards, pastor. As a result of this leaders training project, many new leaders emerged within the church’s ministries and are now currently engaged in helping to lead the work of the church in the period 2007-2023. Among these are leaders such as: Kasia Robinson, Rhonelle Grant Matthias, Kevin Bailey, Asquith Mapp, Gwen Burgin, and Neville Gaymes.
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In the period immediately after 2007, the ministries of the church continued to expand seemingly each year. A big part of this expansion was the AWANA ministry which eventually morphed into a growing Children’s Church ministry. Currently, each Sunday morning between 30 - 60 children are ministered to in Children’s Church.
The Media Ministry also emerged during this period, to the extent that radio, television and social media became outlets for our growing ministry efforts. Alongside this, the music ministry continued to excel. The music ministry added TODAH (an evening of worship singing) and Night of Choirs. Both of these have become national music events for churches.
Other ministries added in the 2007-2023 period include altar counselors; intercessory prayer ministry; greeters ministry; ushers ministry; ministry to seniors within our community; cradle roll ministry; calling ministry (to facilitate the church’s assimilation ministry to our new members); small group ministry; live streaming services (which takes worship services beyond the walls of KBC). These are only some of the ministries that developed over the period under review.
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This latter period (post 2007) was therefore a period of growth for the church, especially in ministry as multiple new ministries were added. However, the church also grew in its reach as we expanded the geographical and demographic boundaries in ministry efforts. Consequently, the church grew numerically.
At the rate of group at that time, it was apparent around 2009 that the church would have soon outgrow the facility (which at best could seat an absolute maximum of 225 persons). This precipitated the emergence of a five year vision plan to embark on the construction of a new facility, to accommodate the growth of the church. The initial part of this plan included a fundraising campaign, given that the estimated cost of the proposed building was way beyond what the church had within its resources.
Consequently, a programme for church capital campaign was launched. The name of the Building Fund Programme was, United We Build (UWB). Under this programme, all members of the church were encouraged to give as they were able to contribute, over and above their tithes. This was indeed a period of immense sacrificial giving on the part of the church members, and ought never to be forgotten.
At the same time that the UWB was launched, steps were taken to begin the process to get ready for constructing the building. These included having the architectural drawings done and procuring the planning board’s approval of the drawings. The ground breaking ceremony for the new construction was held on April 14th, 2013, and by July of that same year, the decision was made that the time had come to begin the building process. On Sunday 21st July, 2013, we transitioned away from the facility to allow for the demolition of the current structure and the beginning of the building of the new structure.
The decision was also taken to rent the Russell’s Auditorium to continue to conduct Sunday worship services until the completion of the new KBC facility. Thus, Sunday 28th July, 2013 was the first service away from the KBC home site. At that same time, the church agreed to rent an office room offsite in order to maintain the administrative functioning of the church.
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The next few years after that move were some of the hardest years in the church’s history. It was initially estimated that the new building would take just one year to complete, giving us minimal time in rented facility. However that was not to be as one year rolled into two years and then into three years and then into four years.
This was indeed a period of extreme challenge for the church. Not having a space exclusively for the church’s use severely limited the ministries that the church was able to do. At the temporary facility the church was forced to curtail many of the ministries it had previously been engaged in. Furthermore, because the rented facility had multiple users many unsavory activities took place in the very place that the church was having worship service. This was unacceptable.
Consequently, the numbers attending began to drop as the period away from the church home dragged on. By February 2018, it became painfully apparent that the bleeding had to stop and the church came to a decision that at all cost, the move back to the church’s own facility was necessary. This move back began with a simple first step: build a much needed retaining wall on the north side of the property.
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Because the church was totally out of funds, a new fund-raising campaign was launched under the slogan, “Build the Wall”. That slogan stirred a miraculous momentum shift among the member as they again sacrificed and gave of their resources and volunteered their efforts to see that the wall got constructed. This was the beginning of a push that would ultimately carry over into an all out effort to bring the facility to a point where the church could resume meeting for services and other ministries.
The ensuing months between February and August, 2018, was a period of constant incredible sacrifice of the members, as they continued to give of their resources and their time to volunteer to work on the building. At the helm of this final push were the facility manager, Curtis Lewis and contractor, Kenroy Matthias (who volunteered his time, skills and resources).
By all estimates the task at hand seemed impossible. And it would have been impossible had it not been for the miraculous hand of God at multiple times and in multiple ways, as the Herculean effort was being made to complete work (that had been in process for years) in just a few short months. In what can only be described as a great move by the hand of God, the work on the facility got to a point where the church was able to move back into the facility on Sunday 16th September, 2018.
In the period 2018 - 2023, after worship and ministry resumed at the new KBC facility, the church had moved progressively to reestablish all of its ministries to a point of higher functionality than was possible in the prior years at the temporary rented facility. One of the major highlights has been the growth in small groups at the church. The new facility provided sufficient space for small groups to meet and thrive. By 2023 the church had established 12 functioning small groups.
Small groups are fundamental to the functioning of the church. As the church continues to grow numerically, the small groups have become a place for the development of connection, the shaping of consistency and encouragement towards commitment of the members. The small groups have become a place where members learn the Bible. It is where they learn about the church’s ministries and get to know other members of the church family.
In 2022-2023, KBC embarked on a new mission to expand its ministry beyond its current membership. This is done on under the theme, “Church Beyond the Walls”. The goal is for the church to not only impact its members, but to minister to the nation and other places and people beyond the nation. This is a little church, but it’s a church with a big vision to do big things for a big God, in the years that lie ahead.
