Bethel Gospel Assembly St Vincent Church History

CHURCH HISTORY




Founder: Evangelist Venus Williams Reviver: Lady Jestina Charles



In 1937 the Lord moved on the heart of Evangelist Venus Williams a member of Bethel Gospel

Assembly, Inc in the United States of America. Evangelist Williams answered God’s call and

came to St Vincent & the Grenadines (SVG) with her four children to pioneer a work. Evangelist


Williams and her children spent one year from which her children attended the Georgetown

Primary School. While residing in the community of Georgetown they begun the search for a


church, however, they were unable to find a similar gospel church like Bethel Gospel Assembly,

Inc. As a result, Evangelist Williams started Sunday school in the downstairs of Douglas


building in Georgetown, thus, not only did children attended but adults also.


Lastly, not only did Evangelist have conducted Sunday school but held open air meetings from


which many souls received salvation, and before Evangelist Williams returned to the United

States she was moved with compassion as she thought it would have been best to build

something for the current members to gather in. Thus, she planted Bethel Gospel Assembly, St


Vincent and the first assembly building(Bethel Gospel Assembly Georgetown) was built on Back

Street, Georgetown from funds that her husband and other persons in the United States sent.



As time went on it was time for someone to be placed in charge of the church so a man by the

name of Brother Martindale who was a member of the church was given first preference to


govern the church. However, because of circumstances beyond his control Brother Martindale

was unable to take up governance of the church. Then the Lord sent a man by the name of


Brother Allen from Grenada who came and took up governance of the church. He worked at the

church for a while then he returned to his home country Grenada.

Following him was Brother Abraham Joseph who came and worked a while then he left. After

him the governance of the church was left in the care of Pastor Fred Mulcare who came and from


which he did a fantastic job where he sent seven persons to Bible school. The seven persons were

Parnell McDowall, Radcliff Joseph, Lionel Bruke, Elgiva Toney, Letisha Williams, Jestina


Charles, and Morton Billingy. After graduation, Radcliff went to the United Kingdom, Leguvy

and Letisha went to Curacaos, and Jestina Charles remained in the Republic of Trinidad and


Tobago.


While in Trinidad Jestina Charles lived for five years in the town of Gasparillo then went on to

Fyzabad to open up a new assembly where she did her piloting work at a private school with one


hundred and eighty children along with two teachers and herself. While there Jestina heard that

the church was down completely and was locked up because Pastor Mulcare got sick and Pastor


Malson was left in charge. Pastor Malson took care of animals and as a result he was injured

when he went to tie out his animals; he later succumbed to the injury while in the hospital.


Having heard all this Jestina thought to herself that she can’t stay in Trinidad and work up

Trinidad with a big private school and having the little church running and her home church


closed down so then Jestina requested permission to return to SVG. However, they hesitated to

send her back because of the marvelous work she was currently doing but Jestina was told that a

prophet has no honor in his home country and among his own people but the urge to return was


still there.


Therefore, Jestina Charles returned to SVG in the early 60’s and met the church closed up with


the lock so rusty. Having remembered Olive Glasgow, Jestina went down by the Glasgow’s and

spoke to Olive’s mom who then sent Olive and her siblings (Bernard, Peter, and Janice) along


with Jestina. They headed to the church where they saw-off the lock and cleaned up the entire

sanctuary. Sunday school was then started the Sunday; following that Young Peoples meeting

was then started with persons such as Doddridge Bynoe and Corney who were Jestina’s best


boys in those days. Later on there was a visitation from Hollis Charles along with Pastor Errol

Daniel who came to the church which also saw Ormond King who came into the church under


the wings of Hollis Charles. From that time several open air services were held in the

communities of Orange Hill, Dickson, New Grounds, Park Hill, Sandy Bay, Colonaire, and


South Rivers from which persons got saved. Transportation to and from the open air services was

taken care of by one of Lucky Balcombe’s brother; via the use of his truck. The open air

services were a great success.


As Sunday school begun to strive, it was then extended into the community of Colonaire and

Orange Hill where even more persons got saved.



After graduating from college at the age of 21 on September 1953 Jestina Charles started as a

Minister when she begun to minister at the church in Trinidad in October of that same year.


With the operation of one assembly in Georgetown, Bethel Gospel Assembly, St Vincent was

then extended into the community of North Union when its second assembly was opened after


the building which the church occupies was turned over to Hollis Charles and Minister Jestina

Charles and church services were in operation in 1965.



Moreover, in 1967 after being ordained as pastor, Pastor Hollis Charles then took over Bethel

Gospel Assembly Georgetown(Bethel Georgetown) from Minister Jestina Charles while Minister

Jestina Charles held down the fort at Bethel Gospel Assembly North Union (Bethel North Union).



In 1970 the church received a bus and it was given the name ‘Bethel Express’; it was in

operation within that same year and it aided to built Bethel Georgetown’s 2 building now
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known as Bethel Gospel Assembly Mt Bentinck (Bethel Mt Bentinck).

The bus was driven by Mr. James of North Union and the conductor was Papa Bruke aka Sugar-

cake. The bus was used to take church members to and from church; also it took passengers from


Georgetown to Kingstown and vice versa.


A small church building was turned over to Pastor Hollis Charles 29 June 1977 from Pastor
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Russell Lavia and members of the board of directors and this building became the home of

Bethel Gospel Assembly Owia (Bethel Owia). Thus, Bethel Gospel Assembly, St. Vincent

erected a third assembly and since then church services were in operation.



Furthermore, when the new assembly building in Mt Bentinck was completed; Bethel

Georgetown was moved from its home on Back Street, Georgetown to its new home in the


community of Mt Bentinck, Georgetown. The building was dedicated to the glory of the God

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October 30 1977.


For a while the North Union Assembly was shepherded by Pastor James.


In 2001 Pastor Cecilio Mitchell took over the North Union Assembly from Minister Jestina


Bruke Charles while Pastor Hollis Charles tarred on with both Mt Bentinck and Owia

Assemblies.


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On October 27 2002 Pastor Hollis Charles was inaugurated as Bishop thus he became overseer
of all three assemblies.


After the departure of Pastor Mitchell in 2010, Bishop Hollis Charles was left with the


responsibility of managing all three assemblies with him being mostly the main preacher for all

the assemblies. However, from time to time when he was at anyone of the assemblies or he left


the country others from within each assembly were left to bring forth the word and in some cases

other persons or pastors from non Bethel Gospel Assembly were brought in.

After leaving us for eleven years, Pastor Calvert Williams returned home to us and was given the

responsibility of pastoring at the Mt Bentinck assembly. He was then given full responsibility


after he was ordained as a Pastor in August 2013.


Deacon James Nanton who was ordained as a deacon in 2014, currently ministers at Bethel Owia.



In uniting as one body in Christ, the three assemblies gathers together as one big family with the

hosting of Family Fun Day with four having being held so far. The fourth Family Fun Day was


recently held on 24 July 2016 at the Black Point Golden Year Activity Centre while the
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previous three fun days were held at the three assemblies. The Family Fun Day comprises of the

three F’s; Food, Fellowship, and Fun.



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October 30 2017 marked 40 years since Bethel Mt Bentinck church building was built and in
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celebrating this joyous occasion three days of services were held from 25 , 26 and on 29 with
a march from the ruins of the old church(Bethel Georgetown) to our current location(Bethel Mt

Bentinck.



In addition, 2017 marks 80 years since Bethel Gospel Assembly St Vincent was planted.