While the country continues its celebratory path to its 50th independence anniversary on July 10, St. Agnes Anglican Church parishioners are on a likeminded journey, gearing up to celebrate the church's 178th anniversary, a mere six days later - on July 16.
As a precursor to the celebration, the church, at which Archdeacon Keith Cartwright is rector, and Father Ruel Strachan is assistant curate, will host what they term a friends and family homecoming service on Sunday, May 28 at 5 p.m. at the church.
"A very enjoyable and inspirational evening is planned," said Maxine Williamson, a member of the planning committee.
"[We] wanted to capture the essence of why its members chose to belong to the congregation of St. Agnes," she said.
The history of St. Agnes Church shows that circa 1648 when the Eleutheran Adventurers first arrived in The Bahamas, among them were two Anglican priests.
In those early days, the Anglican Church remained essentially an institution of the elitist establishment until 1841, when Deacon Edward Jordan Rodgers, of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, was placed in charge of Grants Town and began holding services at the old African schoolhouse at what is now Market and Cockburn Streets, a mere seven years after the Emancipation Act of 1834. It was this singular move that represented the church's pastoral and evangelical response to the "new Bahamas".
Rodgers, who served a year in the Out Islands, was later instructed to take his St. Agnes congregation to Christ Church when he had to return to England to be priested. He came back to The Bahamas and continued his ministry with the flock at the old African schoolroom. In 1845, Bishop Spencer of Jamaica, who had responsibility for The Bahamas, arrived in Nassau and dedicated the schoolroom as a church. Thus, St. Agnes Church, in 1845, began officially its mission of service to God and man in Over-the-Hill. From there, the Anglican church's popular outreach and appeal was to spread to every inhabited corner of New Providence.
Rodgers also served as chaplain to the Garrison and as pastor of St. Matthew's, ministered to the St. Agnes flock until 1847, then returned to England, where he lived for another 50 years.
In the Anglican faith, they are the disciples of Jesus Christ, worshippers of God the - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and subscribers to the Creeds of the early church.
In keeping with Anglican theology, their beliefs and practices derive from scripture, reason and tradition.
The Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas & The Turks and Caicos Islands faith says they are Catholic in holding all the Christian faith in its fullness and being part of the one worldwide church of God. And are reformed in believing that the church's life should be aligned with scripture and that the church should only require its members to accept those doctrines to which scripture bears witness.
Anglicans rejoice in the progress on unity made by the ecumenical movement. They seek to remove obstacles to full communion between Christians and gain from the insight and experience of others, and provide a context where people of diverse views on theology and liturgy can live and worship together.
In the faith, they regard worship as a priority for every Christian. In particular, they see Holy Communion (the Eucharist) as the primary way church members celebrate their love for God and each other, and become renewed as the Body of Christ for mission and service.
The Book of Common Prayer is a source of unity within the church and an expression of a liturgical language, traditional and modern, which has captivated people by its beauty and spiritual power over the years. They see a direct relationship between the language of common prayer and the language of doctrine: the words that church members themselves pray and own become the expression of what the church itself believes.
They affirm the ancient three-fold ministry of bishops, priests and deacons. The ordained ministry serves the whole people of God to facilitate and encourage its members in their worship and identify their particular church as baptized Christians.
According to Anglican church history, Reverend William John Woodcock was the next rector and his ministry was perhaps the most significant of the time, since it was through his drive and generosity that the Bain Town Free Day School (Woodcock Primary) came into existence, thus extending the church's service to man in a very necessary and meaningful way.
Woodcock fell ill and died in November 1851 and was succeeded as rector of St. Agnes by Deacon Robert Swann, an English teacher who had been recruited in 1850 to serve in the growing Grant's Town school system. He later became a priest.
The next rector of St. Agnes (1856-1906) was the Rev. James Fisher, on whose watch the new church was constructed with funds granted by the legislature, positioned under the altar at the eastern end of the church, and became the first priest to be called "father". Under Fisher, a vestry was legally constituted, St. Agnes Cemetery was consecrated, and a new chancel and Lady Chapel were added to the church.
Fisher was succeeded by Fr. Audley Joseph Browne, who was to lead the church further forward in the 20th century.
In 1925, Fr. Herbert George succeeded Browne as rector of St. Agnes while he was still headmaster of the Diocesan Western School in St. Mary's Rectory.
During this time, on September 15, 1928, a hurricane hit New Providence, wreaking widespread destruction. The church was hard-hit and had to be completely refurbished, according to the church's history.
Cartwright and Strachan and the church's associate clergy are looking forward to welcoming people to St. Agnes as it celebrates 178 years.
Williamson said an enjoyable and inspirational evening is planned.
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