A historical landmark that encloses the Cane Garden Bay Methodist Church, which stood for almost 90 years has been demolished Wednesday, March 10 for the construction of a new one.
Reverend Jeanty Maurose, head of the congregation said that the long-standing structure has already fallen due to old age and it already needs renovation. He also said that though the establishment encompasses significant historical reputation, the destruction became necessary for the safety of everyone who would visit the church.
“I know the history has been a concern – even for us as the church, but it has reached a point where the only thing that we can do now is to rebuild it because of the state of the building itself. It is an old building; it has been there since 1926. With the state of the deterioration, the only thing that we can do now is to replace it with a more modern building,” Rev. Maurose said.
Reverend Maurose also said that for the mean time members of the congregation would worship at Carrot Bay Methodist as the renovation takes place. The reconstruction of the area will take up to 9 months that made possible with the help of donations from the fundraisers.
In an anniversary booklet, members of the church mentioned the former struggles they experienced for the approval of the area’s renovation. But somehow they managed to overcome the issues, “the initial plan proposed building the church within the confines of the current site, and approval was given by the relevant Government authorities and the Leeward Islands District Conference in 2012.”
“However, we give God thanks that a way was opened up for us to acquire land behind the church, and this led to the revision of plans to make effective use of the space. On the path to receiving final approval for commencing construction of the new building, we have had many struggles and frustrations, but God has been faithful in getting us to this point.”
In 1924, the old Cane Garden Bay Methodist Church has encountered a hurricane that forced the people rebuild the place. After 2 years, which is in 1926, the people managed to reconstruct the church that has been demolished today.
“This chapel has also impacted the community and other surrounding communities in a powerful way by housing the village school for many years. Children walked from as far as Brewers Bay, Meyers, Chalwell, Doty and Mt. Fertile to attend school,” according to church members.
“There is no denying the role of education in the building of both this country and the church. Many who served in teaching roles were also instrumental in the life of the church, which seemed natural as both aimed at uplifting the people,” they added.
Church members proudly said that within a number of decades, even before the emancipation era, the Cane Garden Bay Methodist has been a torch and light of hope of the community. Whom up to now still provides the same encouragement and support to people, and at the same time strengthens the community’s bond.
90-Year-Old Historical Church at Cane Garden Bay Demolished
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