“One by One, Two by Two”: St Vincent’s Prime Minister Pledges State Help to Repair Spiritual Baptist Churches

• Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves pledged government help to repair Spiritual Baptist churches
• He said there were over 60 such churches in the country, possibly 75
• The pledge came at the first national Spiritual Baptist holiday service in Kingstown
• He also proposed a school of Spiritual Baptist theology

St Vincent and the Grenadines’ government is prepared to help repair the country’s Spiritual Baptist churches, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said in May 2025. iWitness News reported on 25 May 2025 that he made the pledge at a worship service at Victoria Park in Kingstown on Wednesday 21 May, held to mark the first annual national holiday recognising the Spiritual Baptist faith.

“We also have work to do on the churches,” Gonsalves said, adding that “we have to get to help to repair them, one by one, two by two.” He told the gathering that there were over 60 Spiritual Baptist churches in the country, and that the number might actually be 75. No dollar figure or timetable for the repairs was given. Archbishop Johnny Jones and Archbishop Cosmore Pompey were among the church leaders named in the report.

The Prime Minister pointed to a precedent. Soon after his party won office in 2001, he said, the government rebuilt and enlarged the Pastor Free church at Sion Hill. “That was the church, that was a focal point of the resistance against colonialism after the war, and it was important for us very early in our administration to rebuild that church, to enlarge it,” he said. He also suggested that Spiritual Baptists set up a special school of Spiritual Baptist theology.

The holiday itself followed bipartisan legislation passed by Parliament in 2024, which declared 21 May as Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day.

A state pledge to repair church buildings raises familiar questions about public money and places of worship. Supporters see it as heritage protection and a way of honouring a faith that the Prime Minister tied to the country’s anti-colonial history; critics ask how such spending is prioritised, and whether it is fair to other denominations.

Jamaica has had its own version of this debate, over whether taxpayers should help fund church repairs, particularly for historic buildings and after hurricanes. The Vincentian approach, tying support to a faith’s history and national recognition, offers one model. Whatever route Jamaica takes, clear criteria, published amounts and proper accounting would help ensure that help for church buildings is seen as fair stewardship of public funds rather than political favour.

Follow Jamaica Homes on Youtube @jamaicahomes and Instagram @jamaica_homes and on Facebook @jamaicahomesnews Send us a message or email us at onlinefeedback@jamaica-homes.com or editor@jamaica-homes.com