BRINGING a rich history along with it from the colonial era, Anglicanism in Guyana this past week had much to celebrate. The All Saints’ Anglican Church located at Main and Trinity Streets in New Amsterdam on June 30 celebrated its 170TH anniversary since it was consecrated in 1839. The man that literally brought Anglicanism to British Guiana was Rev Francis Whitfield, the first officiating minister for Anglicans. He held that position from 1811-1816. Christianity was started in Berbice by the Lutherans in 1743. They built the first church in New Amsterdam (Ebenezer) in 1803. The Church of England, as it was then called, started up a few decades later.

Much dialogue and work were carried out in the years preceding 1839 by the bishops and rectors as well as the lay persons of those days with the end result being the establishment of one of the oldest churches in Guyana.

Work on the building of the church started on a site purchased from Charles Hollingsworth in 1836 at Lots 9 and 10 Main and Trinity Streets. No details are available of the cost, but it was mentioned somewhere that the sum of Four Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty Five Pounds, approximately Twenty Thousand Dollars (back then) were used to build the church. The Court of Policy made a grant of Fifteen Thousand Guilders and during the period of building, services were held in the old Masonic Hall which later became the Rectory.

On June 22, 1838, the Committee for ‘carrying into effect the building of a new Church for the Episcopal congregation’ reported that the building was completed and taken over from the contractor.

It is interesting to note that the pews of the Church back then were ‘rented’ by the Vestry to pay outstanding debts. For a twelve- month period, the pews were let to the highest bidders. Some pews were rented for a total of Five Thousand and Forty Six Guilders, “Berbice Currency”. The marble font in the church was received from Mr Semple of Liverpool .

On June 30, 1839 at 11 o’ clock, the Bishop Coleridge moved from the parsonage to the church along with the Venerable William Piercy Austin, Archdeacon of British Guiana, and His Lordship’s Chaplain. His Lordship was met at the church door by the Rector, Vestry and the Building Committee, and proceeded to the Altar where the usual formalities of presenting the Petition having been gone through, the Bishop commenced the Consecration Service. After the service, the All Saints’ Church Burial Ground was consecrated.

The clergy present for that grand occasion included: Archdeacon, the Rev J.R. Redwar, Rector and Rural Dean; The Rev T.N. Garland, Rector of St Michaels; The Rev T. Fathergili, Rector of St Patricks in East Canje , and the Rev G.W. Chamberlain, Bishop’s Chaplain. The Archdeacon was to become the first Bishop of Guiana on August 24, 1842, when the Diocese of Guiana was formed. Another interesting fact in the history of the All Saints’ Anglican Church is that the British Guiana Police Force was formed one day after the church’s consecration.

In 1841, the clock was installed in the tower at the cost of Two Hundred and Forty Pounds. It was made in London and is still seen on the church’s tower to this day. The clock was in working order until a few years ago and was giving good service to the town of New Amsterdam . The clock, with its four faces soon became a familiar landmark, as did the tall spire and its weather vane which welcomed travelers as they crossed the Berbice River.

In 1844, Her Majesty Queen Victoria donated Seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars for the purchase of a painted glass window for the east end of the church. The stained- glass central panel depicts Jesus in His Ascended Glory and the two side panels show St George and St Patrick. In a recent discussion with current Rector of the parish church in New Amsterdam Rev George Spencer, a need exists for the replacement of a few panels of the stained- glass. The priest related that the mural is a one-of-a-kind in Guyana and even the Caribbean and is urging generous- minded persons who may be reading this corresponding at home or abroad to check with the Rectory as to how they can assist with a replacement or a partial replacement of the missing panels from the stained- glass.

The All Saints’ School was formed in 1853 and Mr W. Brittain was appointed Headmaster.

The church’s roof was re- sheeted in 1957. This was followed by the building of a new wing on the north side of the church in concrete with wooden louvers replacing the old casement windows. A new electronic Hammond Organ was installed through a benefactor of the church in 1955. Internally the church was transformed. Shrines of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of Our Lady and new Stations of the Cross were installed. On the 120TH Anniversary of consecration, eight new statues were dedicated. The main Altar was brought forward on a temporary basis so that the priest and people were close together and a greater sense of fellowship could develop in the offering of the Mass. There still stands today a sepulcher in the north east corner of the church with its great stone rolled aside. Inside this tomb is a life- sized statue of Jesus’ lifeless body. Electronic bells were installed in the tower and instructions went out to the manufacturers that the bells must be heard in every section of the Town of New Amsterdam.

The school building had given much service to the community but was closed in 1962. After the school was deemed to be in a dangerous state, the teachers and students were then moved to the Vryman’s Erven Government School.

Although I am not Anglican, myself and my family do have close ties to All Saints’ Anglican, as we used to visit the church frequently in years gone by. I particularly remember visiting the sepulcher as a little boy and felt very frightened as I entered in the dark area.

In my brief conversation with Rev Spencer, he related to me that the church was built to accommodate nearly a thousand persons, but over the years membership has declined steadily with the current membership made up of mostly senior citizens.

The church is currently in the midst of a building project to do restoration works to the ailing structure. This magnificent place of worship, today, is in dire need of repairs, and if we in Guyana, and all those who worshipped at some point or the other at All Saints’ Anglican Church, are serious about preserving our historical buildings, then we would all be generous in our own way to lend a helping hand to the parishioners of this church during this time.

From pictures I was provided with (which can be viewed at my website www.leonjsuseran.webs.com), the church was a massive, elegantly constructed structure back in its time. And it can and must be restored to its original shape, colour, size, look and architecture as soon as possible.

Though full of information on the exciting history of the All Saints’ Anglican Church, this correspondence at the same time, serves as a call to all past, inactive and overseas- based members to take up the mantle and fully understand that it is incumbent that they quickly take note of what is happening to the once pristine and gleaming structure of All Saints’.