Spiritual Baptists rejoice over ‘special day’

Head of the Spiritual Baptist Archdiocese, Archbishop Melford Matthias Pompey and all other Spiritual Baptists, and their leaders, are rejoicing over a decision taken in Parliament on Tuesday August 27, 2024 to grant the religious movement greater prominence. Parliament unanimously passed the Public Holiday Amendment Bill to allow for May 21 to be recognised as a holiday for members of the Spiritual Baptist faith in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves (backing), meets with Spiritual Baptist leaders in Parliament.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, Archbishop Pompey said he is feeling “proud to be a Spiritual Baptist”, now that they have their own national holiday.

“As a Spiritual Baptist, I am feeling very happy that we have been given a day,” he added.

From next year, 2025, May 21 will be celebrated as National Spiritual Baptist Day. This makes St Vincent and the Grenadines the second country to grant a public holiday in recognition of the Spiritual Baptists. For several years now, Trinidad and Tobago has been celebrating March 30 as a public holiday, known as Spiritual Baptist Liberation day. Many Spiritual Baptists in Trinidad and Tobago are descendants of those who migrated from St Vincent and the Grenadines decades ago.

Spiritual Baptists in the two island Republic use the day to celebrate the repeal of Laws which prohibited them from practicing their religious faith.

When the holiday comes around on May 21 next year, Spiritual Baptists in SVG are expected put on a massive celebration to mark the historic occasion.

Archbishop Pompey requesting all Spiritual Baptist leaders in the country to have a special service this Sunday,September 1, 2024, during which they will pray and seek God’s face for direction for the future.

He said sometime soon local Spiritual Baptist leaders will meet to put together plans for a grand celebration on May 21 next year, which, coincidentally, will mark the church’s 74th anniversary of liberation or freedom to worship.

“We will be celebrating in a big way,” Archbishop Pompey said.

It is anticipated that for next year’s celebrations, Spiritual Baptists from around the world will be invited to celebrate with their brothers and sisters in SVG.

Before they were allowed freedom to worship, members of the Spiritual Baptist faith were treated as outcasts by the powers that be. Archbishop Pompey acknowledged on Tuesday, that there is still some measure of discrimination towards the faith;

he was however quick to point out that such discrimination is only from “a tiny minority”. The Archbishop credited his fellow Archbishop, Johnny Jones of the Mt Carmel Church at Chester Cottage for playing a lead role in their quest to have a public holiday declared for the Spiritual Baptists.