West Indies Baptist Fellowship Conference

 

“…truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

(I John 1: 3 b)

Ray Thompson

 

     In 1962 there were a few fundamental Baptist missionaries serving in St. John, St. Croix, St. Thomas and Puerto Rico that met on the island of St. John, at the invitation of Pastor George Starling, for a Bible Conference and missionary fellowship.  There was preaching and Bible teaching plus a wonderful time for prayer.  After one of the prayer meetings there was a prayerful discussion regarding the need of new ways to reach more people on our respective islands, and to reach out to other islands in the West Indies with the Gospel of Christ.  The churches we had planted were seeing some growth as a result of strong discipleship training and youth ministries.  Summer Bible camps had also been very successful in reaching children for Christ, and the churches that had weekly youth meetings were pleased with the response of the young people.

 

     Mrs. Thompson and I were serving Christ on the island of St. Thomas.  Calvary Baptist Church had been planted and the people had built their first church building on Veterans Drive.  When the church was organized in 1956 the services were held in a warehouse building that had been built during the days of the Buccaneers.   When we went to St. Thomas in 1955, all I knew about church ministries was what I had learned from Dr. Lee Roberson when I was in Bible College.  Like Dr. Roberson, we used the means of radio to inform people of the Gospel and the ministry of the church.  The Scripture Truth Broadcast is still being heard over a radio station in St. Thomas and over the BIMI, Caribbean Radio Lighthouse in Antigua.  Then we opened the Bible Book Nook, a bookstore where Bibles and Christian books could be obtained. The need was urgent because a Bible could not be purchased on the island or on neighboring islands.

 

     Then we started Camp Fortuna, a summer Bible Camp for boys and girls.  The camp has had a tremendous influence upon the people of the island all these many yeas.  There are men and women who are in fulltime Christian service that were saved at camp.  The Attorney General of the Virgin Islands was saved at Camp Fortuna, as was one of the Court Judges. 

 

     I have given the above information to let those who have become a part of the West Indies Baptist Fellowship in recent years, know that it was a humble beginning.  The ministry of church planting has been greatly blessed as many other churches have been planted on over thirty islands.  God has blessed and honored the preaching and teaching of His Word.  The Lord has indeed done an awesome work and has used His servants to bring glory to Himself.

 

     During the first conference in 1962, those of us who were pastors prayed and asked the Lord to show us how to reach other islands of the West Indies [a name that was generally used to describe the islands of the Caribbean] with the Gospel of Christ and plant more Baptist churches.  We talked about some of the visitors from other islands who attended our churches and said, “We don’t have a Baptist church on our island, could you come to our island and help us?  We would love to have a church like yours.”  Some people do not realize how difficult it is in an island world to move about as you can do in other places.   Thus, we knew that we could not personally respond to their request to help them have a church like ours. 

 

     It was most evident to us that there must have a Bible training institution established in the islands to train the young people that the Lord was calling into His service.  As a result of the prayer meeting on St. John the Lord directed us to jointly plan a Bible instituted.  Since there were classrooms available for classes at Calvary Baptist Church plus cottages at Camp Fortuna that could be used to house the students, St. Thomas was chosen for the location of the new school.  Missionary Clyde Simpson suggested that the school be named Bluewater Bible Institute.

 

     In the beginning the Bible school was a two-year institute.  However, it only took about two years for us to know that the students needed more training than we could give them in two years.  As a result a three-year institute was started and still exists.  Soon after that time a four-year Bible college was instituted.   Many of you who are a part of the West Indies Baptist Fellowship were students at Bluewater Bible College & Institute.   Since I am one of the original men who were in that prayer meeting in 1962, I want to say that I am indeed proud of each of you.  Since I returned to the USA to work full time with Baptist International Missions, I have traveled to many countries of the world and every where I go, I tell the churches about you and how God is using you to plant churches and sent missionaries to the field of God’s calling.  I also tell them that many of you are better preaches than I have ever been.  I thank you for all the churches, schools and Christian ministries that you have planted or started.

 

     During an annual W.I.B.F.C., it was agreed that another joint effort should be the establishing of a mission agency.  The Caribbean Baptist Mission was established.  The mission is now incorporated and the name changed to Caribbean Baptist Partners.  I want to encourage you who are pastors, to have a greater part in this mission endeavor.  I pray that your churches will make it possible for more of your young people to get to the mission field where God has called them to go, and where their home church has commissioned them to serve.

 

     The annual conferences became know as THE WEST INDIES BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP.  The fact that the conferences have continued for 49 years is a testimony to God’s blessings.  Time will not permit us to speak of all the conferences since 1962, but each has been a blessing and distinct.  I have been privileged to attend all of the conferences except the Anguila meeting 1987.   My wife and I were in a meeting with Dr. Dave Adams, at New Testament Baptist Church in Nassau, and planned to go from there to Anguila.  However, we learned that my father was seriously ill and we had to return to Florida and drive to the hospital where he died. 

 

     The conference themes have described the desires of the host pastors for the fellowship.  I do not have a list of all the themes, but the following list will bring back memories of yesteryear:

           

“Behold He Cometh … therefore prepare”

           

“Explaining the past, Examining the present, Expecting the future”

           

“Remove not the Ancient Landmark”

 

“Heroes of the faith.”

 

“The Church and its Ministries”

 

“Redeeming the Time”

 

“Christ’s Mandate”

 

“A New Millennium “A Call to Holiness”

 

“The End-time”

 

“Surviving the Storm”

 

“The Family of God”

 

   

    Our Fellowship grows in numbers as churches are planted and pastors learn that their people will receive strength and encouragement for fellow believers and sister churches.  The W.I.B.F.C. is not a denomination, every church is an independent self-governing body.  As the name designates, it is a fellowship of Baptist churches that have joined hearts and hands to accomplish the task given by Christ to His church in a better and faster way.  We must covenant together to do all we can to prevent any false doctrine from becoming a part of the fellowship, or the ministries, or institutions that are jointly sponsored.  Our Baptist distinctiveness must continue.  Amen.