In a Church Basement Since 1976: Dominica’s Adventists Break Ground for a Three-Storey School

• Ebenezer SDA Primary School has operated in a church basement since 1976
• Classes held 30 to 35 students
• The planned three-storey building has ten classrooms, a lab and an auditorium
• The land loan was paid off before Hurricane Maria in 2017

An Adventist primary school in Dominica has broken ground for a new building after decades in a church basement, Inter-American Division News reported in March 2023.

Ebenezer Seventh-day Adventist Primary School in Roseau has operated in the basement of a church since 1976, with 30 to 35 students in each class. Plans for a new building were introduced in 2010, but Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the project. The loan on the land had been paid off before the hurricane.

The planned three-storey building will serve kindergarten to grade six and include ten classrooms, a computer lab, a resource room, an auditorium, offices, a staff room and a kitchen. Funding comes from local fundraising and an allocation from the 2024 Thirteenth Sabbath offering. The article did not give the cost.

“This will not just be another academic building, but one that will remind us each day to follow God’s command as we prepare people to save souls and serve others,” said Pastor Anthony Hall, president of the East Caribbean Conference. Principal Ursula Leslie said: “This monumental edifice in the city of Roseau will be a testament to the Adventist presence on the island.”

Paying off the land first gave the church a clear base for the project. Even when a hurricane and a pandemic intervened, the site was secure and the plan could resume.

Many Jamaican church schools also operate in church halls or older buildings. The Dominica approach, clearing the land debt first and then building in stages as funds come in, is a sound one. A school building can serve the church and community every weekday, making it one of the most productive investments a congregation can make.

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