A church is only as strong as its membership. This is something Father Peter Scott, priest at Holy Spirit Anglican Church ascribes to, and as the 73-year-old parish looks ahead to celebrate its diamond jubilee in 2014, it will honor 12 members annually until the big day.
This year, stalwarts Rudolph and Patricia Moseley, Val Turnquest, Livan and Eva Mortimer, Velma Burrows, Marguerite Dahl, Garnell Babb, Patsy Nicholls, Louise Simmons, Bernice Eneas and Brenda Sands will be honored for their contributions to the church's continual growth and development.
"We are grateful for their many contributions to the Church of the Holy Spirit over the years, and we believe it is a good thing to say thank you while they are around to hear it," said Father Peter Scott.
The honorees will be celebrated at a Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, April 29 at the church's 10 a.m. service, followed by a luncheon at the British Colonial Hilton at 1 p.m.
The stalwarts also got to visit with the Bishop of the Diocese, Laish Boyd, and were treated to lunch with local entertainment featuring Nita Ellis, Mario Johnson and saxophonist Sydney Hepburn.
The Church of the Holy Spirit, located on Howard Street, has served the Chippingham community faithfully for 72 years. It was the brainchild of Canon Edward G. Holmes, rector of Saint Mary the Virgin Church.
The church came to be because there was a need for an Anglican church in Chippingham, where people who usually worshipped at St. Mary's Church could worship. This was around 1938, a time when few people owned cars and getting to church required walking quite a distance.
Howard Chipman offered a piece of property to the late Bishop Roscoe Sheddon for the erection of a church. Alma Sands, a longtime employee of Canon Holmes owned a piece of property adjacent to the site given. She exchanged it with another piece located on Dunmore Avenue, Chippingham, so that there would be a larger plot of land for the church.
Since that time many changes and developments have occurred at the little Anglican church, which still stands as a beacon in the Chippingham community, and has been made successful as a result of the committed members over the years who have contributed significantly in funds and physical labor.
While only a few members of the church will be honored over the course of the next two years, Fr. Scott said that they will hope to be able to honor more of the faithful members while they can still appreciate it.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian