A EC$1.4 Million School on Church Land: A Kingstown Park Congregation Plans Its Own Primary

• Grace Community Baptist Church in Kingstown Park, St Vincent, plans to build a primary school on its site
• The project, Grace Christian Academy, is estimated at EC$1.4 million
• It will have one classroom for each grade from kindergarten to grade 6
• Funding is to come from members, Christian organisations and overseas churches

A Baptist congregation in St Vincent is planning to use its own land to build a private Christian primary school. iWitness News reported on 23 October 2025 that Grace Community Baptist Church in Kingstown Park intends to construct Grace Christian Academy on its church site at an estimated cost of EC$1.4 million.

Senior Pastor Dexter Kirby said the school would have one classroom each for kindergarten through grade 6, with an expected opening in September 2028. The church already runs a preschool with about 30 students. “We’re gonna build a school in phases,” he said.

The plan is for the shell of the building to take about six months, with finishing work to be done with the help of volunteer mission teams from the United States. The money is to come from church members’ donations, Christian organisations and overseas churches.

Kirby said the school would use a Christian curriculum known as Abeka. “It’s a private Christian school… we do have Christian curriculum out there — because the key is we would integrate God and his word in all of the subjects,” he said.

Using existing church land for a school is a sensible way to make an asset work harder. The congregation avoids the cost of buying a site, and the building can serve the church and community throughout the week, not just on Sundays.

Many Jamaican churches own land that sits idle for most of the week, and church-run basic and preparatory schools have a long history on the island. The Kingstown Park plan shows the approach: phased construction, volunteer labour for finishing and support from overseas congregations. Jamaican churches considering similar projects should secure clear title and planning approval first, and diaspora members can play a key role in funding the building in stages.

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