Eastern Caribbean

During World War II, a man by the name of Ira Hamm worked at a U.S. Military Base in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. His home, however, was in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.

Through what may have seemed chance at the time, Mr. Hamm found a copy of The Church Herald and Holiness Banner in a trash can. Realizing his beliefs matched what he read, he wrote the editor, telling about a group of believers on Virgin Gorda. Through this contact, R. L. Kimbrough visited Virgin Gorda in 1947 and held services outdoors under a loblolly tree.

Over seventy years later, the results of this contact are many: eight churches, two missions, and three Christian schools are operating on seven islands. Due to the work of many faithful missionaries in the past and many faithful local leaders today, God's Word is still being proclaimed in the Eastern Caribbean. Other ministries, such as Youth Camp and talent competitions are also held.

Building on Others' Shoulders

The ministries of today have been built upon the foundations that have been laid by past servants of God through a continuous cycle of discipleship, leadership, and faithful and sacrificial service. This reminder came to me while I was in St. Croix, sitting in Pastor Stephen Marcel's office. While waiting there, I spotted a Church of God (Holiness) Academy yearbook for 1999-2000. Picking it up, I began paging through it, looking with great interest at the photos of past stude

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A Special Quartet

On Saturday night, while ministering in Cayman Brac, the conversation around the evening meal turned to music. Dwight Purtle and Rev. Philip Gumbs have an amazing gift of remembering the words of Christian songs. So, as different hymns were brought up, they would begin singing the song being focused on...and then, Pastor Rodney Davis and Dr. Gayle Woods would join in with them. They sounded great. We were worshipping God around our meal. A thought then came to me. I wanted t

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Discipling for the Future

Pastor Philip Gumbs spoke at the 2025 Ebenezer Valley Youth Camp in Virgin Gorda. What did Jesus do when He wanted to reach the world with the transforming power of His redeeming love? He chose and discipled twelve men for three and a half years. Those men, transformed by His teaching, His example and His fulfilled promise of their infilling by the Holy Spirit, became so much like Him that they turned the world upside down. Hour by hour He taught them and modeled the priority

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Health Care Sunday in Anguilla

As an outreach and a holistic service to its community, the Church of God (Holiness) in Anguilla hosted a second annual Health Care Sunday in March. This mini health fair provided a variety of free screenings and information to those who attended, including blood pressure, blood glucose, and hearing and vision tests. Pastor Philip Gumbs participated in 2025.

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Victories at Ebenezer Valley Camp

In July, Director Jim Lo and former director Mark Surbrook traveled to the Eastern Caribbean to speak at Ebenezer Valley Camp, the youth camp in beautiful Virgin Gorda. Highlights for Dr. Jim included an openness from the young people to hear from God, seeing many respond in faith, and praying with (and being prayed for) by a 102-year-old saint of God, Sister Flo. Rev. Philip Gumbs, Eastern Caribbean Overseer, wrote, “Dr. Lo’s preaching was trans-cultural, gentle, passionate,

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