The West Indies (Barbados)
Our History
PAWI Barbados began with the arrival of Lydia Dowdye. This missionary endeavour came as a result of a move of the Holy Spirit in Montserrat in the early 1900s. As the spiritual revival swept through the Caribbean, Barbados, which previously had a dominant presence of religious groups, such as the Anglican and Methodist churches, was targeted.
​
Sis. Dowdye’s arrival coincided with the work of other Holiness groups that had started to make their presence felt in places like Payne’s Bay, St. James. She subsequently established an Assembly at her residence in Roebuck Street and also opened Assemblies in the central districts of Hunte’s Street, Richmond Gap, Bank Hall and Hill Road before moving on to Trinidad, says Rev. Thomas Maginley. It was there that she met and married a Barbadian, Charles Mings and the two relocated to Trinidad,
later returning to Barbados to help blaze the Pentecostal trail across the island. It is important to note that Charles Mings became the first local minister to serve as Field Superintendent in Barbados.
​
Establishment of Assemblies
God ensured that there was no lapse in this infant work during Sis. Dowdye’s absence, hence she was followed by a Canadian missionary Bro. Jamieson in November 1919, he reportedly discovered several Assemblies with “spirit filled” believers on his arrival in Barbados. Jamieson began his missionary work in Bridgetown, but apparently was unable to establish a station there. Therefore, he
moved on to Holetown where according to Rev. Maginley, the Pentecostal fire burst out in the most unlikely of places, as worshippers gathered for a time, in a funeral home with coffins stacked along the wall. This work was later subsumed into the burgeoning Assembly at Prospect, which was for a period of time the premier Assembly of the District as it hosted the early quarterly meetings. The Assembly at Prospect known as Full Gospel Assembly, was dedicated in 1922 by Jamieson with a seating capacity of 250, which accorded it the privilege of being heralded as the “Mother Church” of the Barbados District. Jamieson continued on his missionary journeys to St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands returning to the Barbados work in 1923 accompanied by Montserratians Rev. William (Daddy) Morgan Sr. and his wife. The Morgans settled in Barbados, not only giving leadership and firm direction to the Prospect Assembly, but were instrumental in the founding of several other PAWI Assemblies across the island. Rev. Morgan is credited with the founding of the Assemblies at Kendal Hill in 1933, now called New Life Tabernacle, the Bright Hill Assembly currently known as Elim
Pentecostal around 1940, to be followed by Morgan’s Revival Centre sometime in the 1950’s. As if to endorse his exemplary spirit led leadership, Rev. Morgan became the first regional minister to be appointed as Field Superintendent of the work in Barbados.
​
The establishment of these Assemblies coincided with the spread of the Pentecostal fire across the island by other church planters. This included the pioneering work by Elder Lloyd at Paynes Bay in the 1920’s, along with the now contested establishment of The People’s Worship Centre at Road View around 1923, by either Pastor Jonathan Cox or a Jamaican, Sis. Mohan. The flame then moved to the work at Arch Hall in 1934 through Christopher Hope, whose preaching assignments in that area resulted in the establishment of Evening Light Pentecostal Church.
​
Sister Josephine Morris who was a member of New Life Tabernacle met the need of children in Inch Marlow, Christ Church with a street Sunday School. The Assembly that emerged out of this work has been through several name changes, initially being called Walls Pentecostal and currently known as Kingdom Life Assembly. The present building was constructed with significant assistance from a
Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada work team, which erected the structure in one month, dedicating the facility before returning to Canada. In 1950, Bro. Norman Greene recognised that the people of the Charnocks district faithfully ventured through hazardous, winding cane tracks to attend services at Bright Hill. He therefore established an Assembly at Charnocks to accommodate these believers who were thirsty for the gospel. Although untutored in church work, Pastor Greene’s fervour for the spread of the gospel meant that he willingly supplemented his $5 monthly stipend from the modest Assembly with his carpentry work, as he continued to strengthen what was to become a lighthouse to the neighbourhood.
​
Similarly, the work at Drax Hall was started in 1953 when a group of believers from Bright Hill Pentecostal Church, now Elim Pentecostal Temple, pioneered the work under the leadership of Miss Euretha Barnett. Founding members posited that a building which was owned and used by a Ms. Harry as a dance hall, and was situated opposite the present church building was purchased and relocated to the present site with the permission of the land owner. The evangelistic enthusiasm in the new Bethel Pentecostal Church resulted in evangelistic campaigns in many areas of St. Philip like
Thorpe’s Wood, Sunbury Tenantry and Six Roads, these endeavours resulted in a pioneer work at Marchfield in Six Roads, now known as Zion Tabernacle.
​
At the end of the decade a quiet cul-de-sac in Ashton Hall, St. Peter was energized by the arrival of Bro. Luke. His evangelistic efforts resulted in the establishment of Ashton Hall Evangelistic Centre
in 1959.
​
The fire continued to blaze as the 1960’s ushered in the establishment of six additional Assemblies from the north in St. Lucy and St. Andrew to the east in St. John and St. Philip. It was during this decade that three pioneers utilized two wooden buses to commence the work at Crab Hill. Accordingly, Bros. Broomes and Shepherd, along with Sis. Lucas held meetings in the make-shift structure until land was acquired and a permanent structure dedicated in 1962. In the year following, Holmes Williams a former banker, was impressed upon by the Holy Spirit to establish an Assembly in the heavily populated area of Bishop’s Court Hill, St. Michael. He started with the construction of
Evangel Temple, which had a seating capacity of 500, but was later forced to increase the size of the building as the congregation grew exponentially. It was later renamed The People’s Cathedral and this ministry expanded to include a school, credit union and radio station.
St. Philip was not to be left out of the spread of this Pentecostal flame, thus, the year before Barbados gained its independence, a young zealous Christian, George Callender established Calvary Temple to serve the environs of the Crane and surrounding villages. He was not the only one with a pioneering spirit that year as Belleplaine in St. Andrew was blessed when the doors of Evangel Temple were opened. The 1960’s also saw purchase of land at Wilson Hill in St. John and the
construction of a building now known as Faith Temple, this assembly continues to accommodate believers in some of the nearby rural districts in that parish.
​
The church planting spirit seemed to have abated during the 1970’s but was revived during the 1980’s. Notably, William Cuke established Abundant Life Assembly meeting first at The Garrison Secondary School (now Graydon Sealy) until land was purchased in the densely populated district of Haynes Hill, St. Michael in 1980. The fire then moved to Christ Church where another pioneer, Basil Clarke commenced services in the Christ Church Foundation School Hall and later utilized a tarpaulin at the present, picturesque Maxwell Hill location, until they could occupy a unique steel building called Revival Time Assembly.
​
The flames then spread to the bustling St. Peter district of Speightstown in 1989, as Pastor Holmes Williams responded to then District Superintendent Gerry Seale’s call for the establishment of a work there. Subsequently, the Christ is the Answer Family Church which met under the big tent near to the heart of the first established Barbadian town, received the first group of people into membership in 1993. In 1997, Rev. Ferdinand Nicholls, returning from service through Curepe Pentecostal Church in
Trinidad, responded to the call of God to start an Assembly in what was to become one of the fastest growing business districts in the country, the Warrens area. This Assembly was initially established as JFJ Ministries, and came into the PAWI fellowship as the name was changed to Family Worship Centre. In 2011 the name was again changed to House of Freedom.
​
The expansion of the Barbados District continued into the 21st century with the establishment of additional assemblies. In 2000, Rev. Wesley Dear, accompanied by his wife, Ann and some of the members of Bethel Pentecostal Church moved out to found Covenant Life Teaching Centre. They like some other assemblies first met in a school hall until land was acquired in Green Hill, St. Michael where a tent was initially erected for worship services. However, the congregation quickly outgrew the temporary structure, leading to the construction of a permanent sanctuary. In 2007 a young minister, Rev. Edison Bynoe buoyed by a commitment to missions and church planting, pioneered Harvest Christian Fellowship. The fledgling congregation was birthed in the hall of Grantley Adams Memorial School in Blackmans, St. Joseph.
​
Likewise, in 2012 Pastor Juliette Small felt led by the Holy Spirit to revisit the parish of St. Philip, where she first established Lighthouse Assembly in the Mangrove area, before moving to a building, which had previously been a shop in Brereton. Later that year Dr. Carol Phillips pioneered the now defunct Truth in Love Assembly in Brittons Hill, an urban district teeming with young people. Meanwhile, Rev. Stephen Harris, concerned for the men of the city, began gathering men for weekly worship and biblical teaching in the chapel of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the numbers quickly exceeded 70 men. When the hospital’s administration withdrew permission to use the chapel, Rev. Harris relocated to St. Patrick’s, Christ Church and named the gathering Change of Life Assembly.
Unfortunately, many of the men were unable to make the transition to the new site.
​
Empowered International Ministries, which was established by Pastor Roger Husbands, grew out of a need expressed by young men and women who initially came for counselling due to their previous involvement in drugs or crime. The prospective congregants desired to worship in a more contemporary setting, which to that point had been absent from the Barbados District. The group first met in the offices of the Drug Education and Counselling Services in Bay Street. It is interesting to note that as this assembly outgrew its first home in less than a year, it returned to the place where PAWI Barbados was started by Lydia Dowdye that is, in the heart of the city in
Roebuck Street.
Church planting in the City continued when Rev. Jamal Medas felt the urging of the Holy Spirit to pioneer Come As You Are Ministries in Fairchild Street in May 2019. This ministry was birthed out of a desire to see the restoration of families within the Kingdom of God.
​
PAWI’s contribution to the religious landscape of Barbados is significant. Throughout the decades there have been congregations that transitioned to other Pentecostal denominations or became thriving non-denominational or independent Assemblies continuing the work started in this fellowship. Furthermore, casual encounters in business offices, supermarkets, or hairdressing salons, often result in reunions, as members of this faith-based community discover many brothers and sisters who forged a relationship with Christ, as a result of PAWI’s ministry, but are now serving
in other congregations throughout the island. Regardless of where they eventually settle, the foundation provided by fellowship within PAWI assemblies is reflected in their ministry.
It is obvious then, that after 100 years of ministry in Barbados, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies, rather than growing old and irrelevant, has preserved the flame while appropriating changes in some of its Assemblies. This is evidenced by the diversity of services across the District today. Hence, from the rural districts in the north and east, to the urban concrete jungles in the central and southern parishes, along with the platinum coastal enclaves in the west, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies has not just survived for over 100 years. The Pentecostal flame carried by PAWI in this island has enlightened many dark hearts over the century moving from a membership of 11 Assemblies and 450 congregants in 1952, to 26 Assemblies with over 6,000 members today, along with numerous congregants who are not formal members but worship with
us regularly.
​
As we look toward the future, emphasis is placed on the extension campus of the West Indies School of Theology in Barbados. Through our training arm, PAWI Barbados is poised to release an army of ministers and missionaries like Rev. Sherry-Ann Griffith who is serving in the jungles of Suriname. We excitedly anticipate that this well-equipped, spirit-filled army will continue to carry the flame, which has been preserved and take the torch into districts and nations where the fire has not yet been released into dark hearts.