Sisters’ anger at church school being leased to government

A 2013 picture of the vacant Bahamas Academy School building on Wulff Road. Picture copyright M Guillaume

As of Monday, June 29, 2015

Pictured left in 1914 is the Shirley Street first Seventh-day Church and its members including the great-grand and grandmothers and parents and aunts of the Guillaume, Rollins and Antonio families. The picture is from the Image Collection of the Tynes families, reproduction copyright M Guillaume. Pictured right is Evangeline L Antonio Wood-Holmes, the first child of the First Seventh-day Adventists in The Bahamas and who were self-appointed pioneers and missionaries. She is seen in this portrait taken on the site in the 1950s with her three grandchildren, from left, Kirk Rollins (Knowles), Maxine Rollins and her brother Sylvester Rollins. Picture copyright the Guillaume and Rollins families.

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

TWO sisters have come out against a proposed deal between the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the government to lease the former Bahamas Academy building and property on Wulff Road.

Margaret and Hadassah Guillaume, who identified themselves as the great grand-daughters of the first Seventh-day Adventist missionaries in The Bahamas, explained that the denomination condemned business partnerships with non-believers, and called for the building to be recognised as part of the congregation’s spiritual heritage.

“When the original Bahamas Academy was built in 1948, it was (a) community effort, the original part of the building is still there and it falls under the Bahamas Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation, and has been registered so that part must be restored, not renovated,” Hadassah said.

“When it was dedicated, it was indicated that it was going to be used for the service of the Lord. It wasn’t to be sold and it belongs to the members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, every member has a piece of this building and the property and anything that goes on there must be something to promote the service of the Lord.

“The church members were not told of this building being leased to non-believers. It was a gift from the community.”

According to news reports earlier this month, the South Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the Ministry of Education are in talks to lease the Bahamas Academy property on Wulff Road. It is proposed that a $3.5m complex will be built on the premises.

In response yesterday, Pastor C Melvin Lewis, treasurer of the South Bahamas Conference, said: “We don’t want to go public with this as yet, there is no need to be answering the Guillames through the newspaper. The way it is done in our church, if there is a problem you come in and sit to discuss it.

“We have not signed any documents. If they want to, they can come back and we can sit and talk,” he added. “I thought we had settled the matter already, as a church we are not going to respond to them in the newspaper.”

The sisters acknowledged that while their decision to go public with the matter was not encouraged by the church, the decision was made after intense consideration and prayer.

“The proposed lease agreement will violate God’s Sabbath command,” Margaret said. “The partial transfer of our properties belonging to the Seventh-day Adventists by leasing means that the control of the business is still in the control of the South Bahamas Conference, and Sabbath observance will be an issue.

“Leasing the property to non-believers would mean that there would be no control of any of these biblical principles regardless to any clause that is added to the proposed agreement.”

The sisters insisted that it would be difficult to monitor the actions of individuals on the property, particularly concerning the adherence to religious teachings that prohibit the consumption and sale of “unclean foods,” like pork or shellfish.

The Seventh-day Adventist denomination was first established in 1893 by missionaries William Charles Antonio and Mary Griffith-Antonio, according to the Guillaume sisters, who are researching the religion’s history in the Bahamas. The first Adventist school, All Age Christian School, was established in 1912 and later went on to become Bahamas Academy.

“The school was established by my great-grandmother Mary Griffith-Antonio, and my grandmother Evengeline Antonio Wood-Holmes, because they wanted children to receive a Christian education,” Margaret said. “One of the first students was our mother and her three sisters.”

“The property must be protected and the beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventists must be upheld,” she said.

duppyVAT 8 years, 9 months ago

Unfortunately, religious right wingers like the SDA Church want to have their cake and eat it too ........ they dont complain when the government gives them crown land, concessions to build their churches/halls and money to run Pathfinders etc......... but the government must not lease a dilapidated ghetto property that will soon become an eyesore for drunks, jonesers and cons to hide out in????? ....... SMT

caribguy 8 years, 9 months ago

While I agree with the premise of what you're saying, what about the school's property is "ghetto"?

duppyVAT 8 years, 9 months ago

Its on Wulff Road for Christ's sake!!!!!!!!! That's as inner-city/ghetto as you can get!!!!!!!! ............. the prime place for churches, rum-bars and numbers houses to thrive in The Bahamas ................. and your point??????

ted4bz 8 years, 9 months ago

If they don't want to lease it, it will cost to keep it, are they willing to waste dollars maintaining it or should hungry jobless people pay more in church to do nothing with the building. There are far more important issues to deal with other than a few people with no problems attached to the past. What's past is past, so grab hold of your emotions, forget about this and move on.

duppyVAT 8 years, 9 months ago

The SDA Church should find the use of the "abandoned" property by the Government very good ............ the Government wants to use the old BA school to rehabilitate disruptive high school students ................. like Programme SURE .......... that is a noble purpose that the Church should heartily join with the Government on this project

duppyVAT 8 years, 9 months ago

Or but I forgot ............some members of the "original" SDA families don't want to lose their monument/heritage ........... is the Government going to demolish the old BA????? Just look up the road and look at what the government did with the closed Our Lady's School ...... Church-State at its best.

sansoucireader 8 years, 9 months ago

School looks abandoned and is falling apart in some areas. Drive through Penny Savings Bank Corner and see for yourself. If it is so important to the history of the 7th Day Adventist Church, they should do something to maintain and keep it.

Chucky 8 years, 9 months ago

The god that people talk about is another man made dogma; works well to control the masses. Use you imagination and you might think you know someone who is a believer, or claims to be religious (likely millions). But they don't believe,clearly, one can't really be a believer and religious, and own possessions, join in the endless pursuits for money and stuff, drink, sex up every woman they can etc etc etc. The religious, they all purport to be "fine upstanding people", yet they chase money like any whore? Does "god" tell them too? Does god also "need money", cause all these criminal scam churches sure seem to be very interested in collecting money.

The biggest problem with believers in these religions is that they believe, and they believe justice will be forthcoming, that there is an after life blah blah blah.

Let me tell you this, there is no proof for any of that garbage. What we do here and now, we need to take responsibility for it. There is no other life and there is no justice coming. There will be no return of anyone to set this world right.

Either people face up and take responsibility for there own actions, and also take on the bad actions of others, lest we be guilty accomplices via complacency, and this world will fail.

The religious dogmas are man made / created & designed to do just as they are, that is, to have common folk believe there is another life after, and that they should leave justice to a god. With that thinking people stay calm, leave matters alone, don't take on life's big challenges etc etc etc

They elite folk who acknowledge and purport to be religious, well they just talk the talk, just as these politicians talk about the nation. The elite feel throwing in their "endorsements of religion" lends sufficient credibility to the masses.

Sorry to say, but that's the real truth! You can either stand up, or keep believing a "man in the sky will solve the worlds problems".

Which do you think will have a greater effect?

Lastly, ask yourself this, if people really believed, really thought it was true; why would the vast majority of countries be worrying about things like climate change? You do note that all the UN members talk about solutions. Funny they don't just leave it to their gods? What about health care & decease, why don't all the "worlds religious" leave it in gods hands, clearly if you believe, you must believe he wants those sick people back.

The truth is and always has been right before your eyes, it's the biggest scam going.

The simple fact is that for as long as we accept anyone in society who still believes in this medieval garbage, we will continue to have deluded people living their fantasy lives! These believers, yes all of them, are as immoral as one can be, and the think they can do all their disgusting acts, crimes, scams and yet "only must come to god" to be saved and will go on to a better life. IDOTS IDIOTS IDIOTS IDIOTS IDIOTS IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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