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Grenada Conference

By Clinton Lewis

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Clinton Lewis

First Published: January 29, 2020

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The State of Grenada consists of three islands – Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique – which form the southern end of the Windward Islands. The State of Grenada lies between Trinidad and Tobago to the south and St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the north in the Eastern Caribbean. Grenada is 120 square miles, Carriacou is 13 square miles, and Petite Martinique is .75 of a square mile.1

Since the first Seventh-day Adventist missionaries arrived to Grenada in 1898 and in 1904, establishing the first company of believers, God has richly blessed the efforts of laity and clergy in building up His kingdom in the State of Grenada.2 The growth of the church has accelerated since the Grenada Conference became a local administrative unit on January 1, 1981, and a mission on January 19, 1983. In 1981, the church had 4,426 members, 23 churches, three companies, and five pastors. In 1983, when the Grenada field became a mission, membership decreased to 4,160. The mission became a conference on July 23, 2003, and membership rose to 9,838.3 The population of the State of Grenada in 2003 was 89,258.4 By 2007, the conference had 33 churches, six companies, and eight ordained and four licensed pastors. There were two credentialed literature evangelists, seven credentialed missionaries, and four licensed missionaries.5

First Administrators and Institutions of the Conference

At the Grenada Conference Session from July 23-26, 2003, Dr. Clinton Lewis was elected conference president. Pastor Christopher Williams and Brother Donald Modeste were elected executive secretary and treasurer, respectively.

The Grenada Conference began with two pre-primary schools, two primary schools, and one secondary school. The conference also began with George Eric Charles Memorial Home at Diamond, St. Mark, and Seventh-day Adventist Dental Clinic at Church Street, St. George’s. The conference operates Adventist book centers at two locations: Church Street, St. George’s; and Grand Bras, St. Andrew. A third store was opened at Grenville, St. Andrew. The Inter-American Division Publishing Association (IADPA) took over its operation and officially reopened as IADPA Book Store in 2014.

The conference began with a two-acre campsite at La Poterie, St. Andrew. Two additional acres were purchased to make the site a four-acre lot. The site is constantly developed and regularly used by members and non-Adventist organizations.

Conference Growth

The membership of Grenada Conference grew from 9,838 in 2003 to 14,629 in 2019 in a population of 112,003. Members worship in 51 congregations comprised of 48 churches and three companies. From 2003-2019, 18 congregations were planted with three of them in the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The island of Grenada has 47 congregations, and Carriacou and Petite Martinique have four congregations with a membership of 254 in a population of 9,595.6 Currently, Grenada Conference has a work force of 33: 13 with ministerial credentials, two with ministerial licenses, four with commissioned missionary licenses, seven with missionary credentials, three with missionary licenses, and four other workers.7

New Initiatives

The conference administration actively pursues opportunities to build new schools and restore and upgrade the existing ones.

Pastor David Gates operates a radio station named “Grenada Family Network” on 91.3 FM on the island. The station can be accessed at http://www.globalfamilynetwork.net/site/radio/. The station began broadcasting on June 2, 2009, and broadcasts every hour of every day. The southern regions of Grenada were the only areas able to receive the signals at first, but the radio station can now be accessed on the islands. Furthermore, equipment has been secured to begin operations of a TV station to reach the southern end of the island.8

In efforts for youth to minister to youth, the conference launched new initiatives, “Youth Live” and “Youth Unplugged,” in 2015. “Youth Live” and “Youth Unplugged” air live Friday evenings at 7:30 PM. To accommodate for the live streaming of programs, the conference also established a media center with two employees. An initiative titled “Children Empowered to Serve” also airs live online biweekly through the media center. Children are trained to minister to other children through this venue.

One Hundred Years of Adventism

Grenada Conference celebrated 100 years of Adventism in the State of Grenada from July 10-18, 2004, with the theme, “Celebrating the Past: Facing the Future with Confidence.” On July 17, it was estimated that over 5,000 Adventists and friends gathered at the Grenada National Stadium to worship and celebrate. The island’s prime minister, Dr. The Right Honourable Keith Mitchell, and other government officials were present for the morning service. Dr. Roy Adams, associate editor of the “Adventist Review,” delivered the Sabbath sermon.9 On Sunday, July 18, thousands joined in a motorcade that traveled from Queen’s Park, St. George’s, to Pearls Airport, St. Andrew, where Grenada Conference President Dr. Clinton Lewis addressed the gathering.

Mission Emphasis

Grenada Conference is a mission-driven conference. Over its 17 years of operation, missionaries were sent to various countries around the world. Desron Rasheed and Seon Tugwell were sent to Guyana for two years. Maxcen Noel and John Hall were sent to Guyana for one year. Dwight Bowen and Donnoth St. Louis were sent to Suriname for two years. Dr. Clinton Lewis went to San Andres, Colombia, as an evangelist with Andy Paul, Wilma Alexander, and Hazleann Benoit as Bible workers to conduct a series of evangelistic meetings from April 12 to May 2, 2015. These efforts resulted in a new church being planted. Pastor Kwame Diabour and family were sent to the Ivory Coast in West Africa for six years beginning in May 2018. Other lay evangelists and pastors have been sent by the conference to Haiti, Antigua, Cuba, Mexico, and Honduras.10

Among the challenges the conference faces are: the building of three new plants to house its school population; reopening the dental clinic; the completion of the campsite facility; to get more members involved in the mission of the church, especially children, adolescents, and youth; and the need to place more emphasis on family life, stewardship, and the “Lord Transform Me” initiative.

Lists of Administrators

Presidents: Clinton Lewis (2003- ).

Executive Secretaries: Christopher Williams (2003-2007); Nord Punch (2007-2011); Charles Gittens (2011-2019); Oliver Scott (2019- ).

Treasurers: Donald Modeste (2003-2017); Allena Peters (2017-2019); Anslem Joseph (2019- ).

Sources

“About Grenada.” The Official Website of the Government of Grenada. May 7, 2013. Accessed September 2019. http://www.gov.gd/about_grenada.html.

Adams, Roy. “Remember Grenada–and Ivan the Terrible?” ARH. November 11, 2004.

“Gospel Ministries International Reports.” July 30, 2012. Grenada Conference archives, Grand Bras, St. Andrew’s, Grenada.

“Gospel Ministries International Reports.” June 3, 2019. Grenada Conference archives, Grand Bras, St. Andrew’s, Grenada.

“Grenada Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 1st Quadrennial Session Report Book.” Unpublished manuscript. July 2003. Grenada Conference archives, Grand Bras, St. Andrew’s, Grenada.

“Grenada Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 2nd Quadrennial Session Report Book.” Unpublished manuscript. Grenada Conference archives, Grand Bras, St. Andrew’s, Grenada.

“Grenada Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 5th Quadrennial Session Executive Secretary’s Report.” Unpublished manuscript. July 2019. Grenada Conference archives, Grand Bras, St. Andrew’s, Grenada.

“Official Booklet for the Grenada Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Centennial Celebrations.” Unpublished manuscript. 2004. Grenada Conference archives, Grand Bras, St. Andrew’s, Grenada.

“President’s Constituency Report.” Unpublished manuscript. July 24-27, 2019. Grenada Conference archives, Grand Bras, St. Andrew’s, Grenada.

“The Grenada Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Secretariat Report.” Unpublished manuscript. 2019. Grenada Conference archives, Grand Bras, St. Andrew’s, Grenada.

The World Factbook: 2004 (CIA’s 2003 Edition). Washington, D.C.: Brassey’s, Inc., 2004.

Notes

  1. “About Grenada,” The Official Website of the Government of Grenada, May 7, 2013, accessed September 2019, http://www.gov.gd/about_grenada.html.↩

  2. “Official Booklet for the Grenada Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Centennial Celebrations,” unpublished manuscript, 2004, 3.↩

  3. “Grenada Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 1st Quadrennial Session Report Book,” unpublished manuscript, July 2003, 2.↩

  4. The World Factbook: 2004 (CIA’s 2003 Edition) (Washington, D.C.: Brassey’s, Inc., 2004).↩

  5. “Grenada Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 2nd Quadrennial Session Report Book,” unpublished manuscript, 13.↩

  6. “The Grenada Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Secretariat Report,” unpublished manuscript, 2019.↩

  7. “Grenada Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 5th Quadrennial Session Executive Secretary’s Report,” unpublished manuscript, July 2019.↩

  8. “Gospel Ministries International Reports,” July 30, 2012; and “Gospel Ministries International Reports,” June 3, 2019.↩

  9. Roy Adams, “Remember Grenada–and Ivan the Terrible?” ARH, November 11, 2004.↩

  10. “President’s Constituency Report,” unpublished manuscript, July 24-27, 2019.↩

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Lewis, Clinton. "Grenada Conference." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. January 29, 2020. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=5C43.

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Lewis, Clinton. "Grenada Conference." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. January 29, 2020. Date of access October 14, 2024, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=5C43.

Copy to clipboard Download Word File

Lewis, Clinton (2020, January 29). Grenada Conference. Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. Retrieved October 14, 2024, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=5C43.

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