History
1754–1809 The beginning
The work of the Moravian Church in Jamaica started with the arrival on 1754 -12-07 of missionaries Zecharias Caries, Thomas Shallcross and Gotlieb Haberecht from England at the invitation of the Foster and Barham families, owners of several plantations in St Elizabeth. They landed on the coast of St. Elizabeth, deliberately shunning the towns and opting to remain mostly in the rural areas to serve the large slave population. Their first base was on the Bogue estate. During the first couple of years they had success in their work. Then, in 1755 Br Gottlieb Haberecht died and on 1756-12-24 his replacements Christian Rauch and ? Schulz arrived from America where Rauch had spent fifteen years working amongst Native Americans. The new arrivals disagreed with Caries and Shallcross about the conditions to be met before a slave could be baptised. The disagreement lost them the respect of many and caused confusion amongst those awaiting baptism. As a result, numbers attending services started to fall and did not recover until 1764 when a Br Schlegel arrived. The revival continued until he died in 1770. Thereafter, little progress was made until 1809.1810–1854 growth
The work now prospered, particularly after the close of Old Carmel estate in 1823, with membership growing dramatically during apprenticeship (which started in 1834) and after emancipation on 1838-08-01. By the centenary, membership had reached 13,129 including 4,249 communicants while there were 43 schools teaching 1,728 boys and 1,280 girls.1855–1954
1954–2007 Jamaicanisation
From the end of the 19th century, native Jamaicans began to be accepted into leadership positions in the church and in 1961, S U Hastings was consecrated as the first Jamaican bishop of the Moravian Church.Moravian Church Honours Three PioneersLegal standing
Marriages performed by Moravian ministers were legally recognised from 1835. Full legal recognition dates from Law 10 of 1884 entitled The Corporation of the Church of The Unity of the Brethren (commonly called Moravians) in Jamaica.Church Order of the Unitas Fratrum, 2002.Missionary mortality
During the first 100 years, 193 European brethren and sisters took part in the work in Jamaica. Of these, 64 died there, 98 returned home or went to serve in other islands and 31 were still in service at the centenary. Of the 64 who died: As can be seen, average life expectancy was low at the start of the work. It improved later as a side effect of moving the work to cool hilly areas which reduced the incidence of tropical diseases (Construction
The first building used exclusively as a church was erected in 1820 at New Eden. Prior to that, services were held in the hall of the missionaries dwelling house or under trees. Another eleven followed over the next thirty years:The Moravians in JamaicaFree villages
FollowingEducation
The church has always considered education to be an important part of its mission and as a result established 46 schools and two colleges, including theAgriculture and public works
The Jamaica Agricultural Society, which was established in 1895, benefited significantly in its early years from the involvement of the church, especially at Bethany, Mizpah and Nazareth in Manchester and Springfield in St. Elizabeth. In particular, the Rev. George Lopp of Bethany, Manchester is credited with the introduction of the Irish potato to Jamaica in 1890. Moravians were the first to establish a public water supply in St. Elizabeth and Manchester by erecting water storage tanks and associated catchment areas.Old Carmel estate
In c1740, one of the missionaries to the island of St Thomas became ill with fever and had no one to nurse him. It was not possible to obtain free servants then (there were none) so his congregation, slaves themselves, collected money and bought a slave that they presented to their minister to nurse him. This set a precedent whereby it became common for Moravian missionaries in the west Indies to hold slaves as servants. Accordingly, in 1755 the missionaries in Jamaica purchased (with the agreement of the directing board in Europe) a small estate of at New Carmel (now called Old Carmel) near the Bogue estate), and supported themselves in their missionary work by the labour of 30 or 40 slaves. As a result, their credibility amongst the slaves generally was low and their success in converting them to Christianity correspondingly low. The estate was sold in 1823 and the church headquarters moved to Fairfield.Organisation
''External links in this section are to WikiMapia.''Headquarters
3 Hector Street, Kingston 5, Jamaica. ThDistricts, circuits and congregations
The province is divided into four districts, with each having a minister who is a superintendent. Each superintendent serves on the seven-member executive board, which is completed by two laypersons and Dr. Gardner, who is president of the board which oversees the affairs of the province. There are 33 active ordained ministers in Jamaica, three in Cuba and two in the Cayman.Western District
* Beaufort Circuit:Central District
* Bethlehem Moravian: *Eastern District
* Bethabara Circuit: **Surrey District
* Surrey District ** Covenant Minister: Rev. Jermaine Gibson *Other work
There is a youth camp aArchives
The church established its own archives in 1957 at the Bethlehem Teachers' College, under the supervision of Mrs Vera MacLeavy. In 1974 the records were placed in temporary deposit at the Jamaica Archives. The five categories of records in the collection are: *Records of the Provincial Elders Conference *Congregation Registers and Diaries *Records of the Bethlehem Teachers' College *Family Deposits *Photographs and Printed Material. The collection includes baptism, marriage and burial records, the earliest dated 1824.Educational institutions
The Moravian Church in Jamaica founded and continues to oversee nearly 50 educational establishments at all levels, includingArchitecture
There are three main architectural styles of Moravian church buildings in Jamaica: * Traditional large * Traditional small * Modern.Traditional – large church
These were mainly built during the early years of the work in Jamaica between 1826 and 1849. They are often the main church of a circuit, where the minister resides in a manse. They can typically accommodate 700–1000 worshippers. In addition to the ground floor, there is usually a balcony, often running around three sides of the interior. The balcony is usually the home of a large, 18th century European built pipe organ – originally hand pumped, later converted to electric pumping and now often superseded by a modern electric organ. There is usually an altar table on a well raised Dais, a pulpit, a font and a lectern. These buildings were modelled on German churches of the period, with some adaptations to the tropical climate. The walls are usually built of local stone unrendered externally, plastered internally and painted white. Roofs are corrugated "zinc" sheets, often painted red to hide the inevitable rust. There is invariably a bell either in a separate tower or in a "cupola" over the main door at the front of the building. At the rear, behind the altar table will be a door to a small vestry. There is always a lightning conductor. Examples: Bethabara, Broadleaf, Carmel, Fairfield, Lititz, Mizpah, Nazareth, Salem, Springfield, Zorn.Traditional – small church
These were mainly built during the early years of the work in Jamaica. They are often the outstation churches of a circuit. They can typically accommodate less than one hundred worshippers. They comprise a single floor. Musical accompaniment was traditionally piano, now often augmented by a modern electric organ. There is usually an altar table on a slightly raised Dais, a pulpit, a font and a lectern. The walls are usually built of local stone unrendered externally, plastered internally and painted white. Roofs are corrugated "zinc" sheets, often painted red to hide the inevitable rust. There is invariably a bell either in a small separate tower (often no more than a pair of wooden uprights and a small roof) or in a small "cupola" over the main door at the front of the building. At the rear, behind the altar table will be a door to a small vestry. There is always aModern
This category covers any later building. Styles and sizes vary. Construction is usually breeze block, plastered and painted white both internally and externally. Roofs may be corrugated "zinc" sheets (often painted red to hide the inevitable rust) or shingles (wooden tiles). Internal balconies are absent. Organs are modern electric. There is always a lightning conductor. There is usually an altar table on a raised Dais, a pulpit, a font and a lectern. Examples: New Beulah, Harbour View, Trinity.Ecumenical relations
World Council of Churches
The Moravian Church is a member of the World Council of Churches. Rev. Dr. Paul Gardner, the President of the P.E.C (the Executive Board of the church) is a member of the World Council of Churches governing body, the Central Committee and the Executive CommitteeJamaica Council of Churches
The Church is a founding member of the Jamaica Council of Churches.Jamaica Ecumenical Mutual Mission
The Moravian Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands is a member of the Jamaica Ecumenical Mutual Mission (JEMM). JEMM began in 1979 and includes two other denominations, theBishops
Notes and references
External links