It
was in the year 1938 that Elder Elijah Erving
came to the parish of St. Thomas in the district
of Duhaney Pen. He was sent by Bishop Chase
to preach the gospel of the Kingdom and to
seek break for his family at the same time.
He first preached in the town of Morant
Bay at a spot where a Goard tree grew. The
spot was called "Packee tree".
On one occasion while he was preaching,
it was only one dog that sat there listening
to the sermon; nevertheless, he kept on
preaching.
Nicely dressed in his white suit with his
machete tied up neatly, Elder Erving went
to do manual labour on the Belvedere Farm.
The late Evangelist-at-large Lewis, (then
Mr. Lewis) along with his brother, the late
Deacon Thomas Lewis and Mr. Cyril Parchment
all worked on the same arm. They all noticed
that at lunchtime, the preacher was not
eating. In fact, he didn't seem to have
any lunch. It was Evangelist-at-large Lewis
who suggested to the others that they offer
the preacher some of their lunch and they
agreed. Evangelist -at-large Lewis took
the food to him himself. The preacher greatly
appreciated this gesture, and used this
opportunity to tell the then Mr. Lewis about
the fulfillment of Malachi 4:5 and of the
Church of God and Saints of Christ. Mr.
Lewis shared what he heard with his brother
and Mr. Parchment. Mr. Lewis and his brother
soon became members of the church. It is
not clear if Mr. Parchment became a member.
The history of the church in this part
of the vineyard states that Evangelist Erving
baptised twelve men before he baptised one
woman. When this was reported to Bishop
Chase, he said this was a very good sign.
The first service in a building was held
in the district of Duhaney Pen in the home
of Mr. Mathis Grant (that home is still
there today). Services were later held in
the home of Mrs. Rocker, then in a meeting
house called "Ackee Tree" (even
to this day).
The gospel was preached in the district
of White Horses, but the saints received
stones instead of offerings. However, people
joined from the district but unfortunately
did not remain in the church.
It was a Mrs. Melvina Lewis who made this
statement "If that preacher would join
with other preachers around here, it would
be better for him instead of preaching by
himself". She at that time did not
understand the purity of the gospel and
that it could not be mixed. The Lord later
opened her eyes, and she became a member
of the church.
The Elder was elevated to the office of
an Evangelist after much labour in the field
in St. Thomas. After the fall of Elder Erving,
Elder Leonard Watson was sent to pastor
the tabernacle in Morant Bay.
Uncle Elder Watson's leadership, many were
blessed and baptised. The church moved to
the district of Church Corner, next door
to the present location. At the removal
of Elder Watson from this field, at his
own request, Called-Elder M.I. Lewis was
advised to take up the mantle. He was ordained
an Elder in 1951 by the then Evangelist
W. C. Hamilton. The church visited a few
more sites before finally settling at 44
Church Street, Church Corner, under the
leadership of Evangelist M.I. Lews. This
is the 10th site in which the church was
housed.
The church grew in leaps and bounds under
the leadership of Eangelist M.I. Lewis who
was later elevated to an Evangelist-at-large
and Chairman of the Board of Presbystery.
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