Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/4018/-1/140/
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Sovereign Grace Vibrant, Growing After 30 Years
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Thirty years have come quickly for Pastor John Gumbs, his associates and congregation, but it is really a long time for the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church at George Hill, Anguilla, to have survived its varied challenges and to be pressing on.
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Pastor John (right) and Ministerial Team
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Though comparatively small, it is a well-focussed, vibrant and growing church and has therefore made many inroads in the religious life of the Anguillian society. This fact was borne out on Sunday, October 22, when the church celebrated its 30th Anniversary.
The occasion attracted a capacity crowd comprising its members and many worshippers from other denominations across the island. The growth of the church may have been influenced by its motto, Faith is the Victory, boldly written on the front wall.
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Members of the Praise Team
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One of the successes of the church is that Pastor John, a graduate of Virgin Islands School of the Bible, has some very able persons serving with him. They include his brother, Quincy, who was schooled at the Cruz Bay Baptist Academy in St. John and is the President of Fair Play Group of Companies, and Richard Hobson, a long-time friend and colleague, who attended the Blue Waters Bible College in St. Thomas. In addition, Pastor John has the involvement of such influential persons like Dr. Bently Thomas, President, and Associates of Virgin Islands Baptist Mission, and a number of well known evangelists in the United States.
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Members of Youth In Action
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The preacher at the anniversary service was Reverend Willie Kingcade, of Ocala, Florida, one of the ministers normally seen in Anguilla during the special occasions of the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church. He highly commended Pastor John and his congregation on the development of the place of worship and the growth of its membership over the years. He spoke of his own ministerial achievements, one being an opportunity to work on the establishment of a church in the Bahamas.
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The congregation
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Among the other persons who participated in the service was Pastor Gareth Hodge, the Assistant Minister at the Hilltop Baptist Church at Island Harbour; Dr. Joseph Henry of the Bethel Baptist Church in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Pastor John and Richard Hobson. The service was marked by some rousing singing by the Praise Team, Youth in Action and the Ladies Fellowship of the church and little Laesha Hobson, a promising and impressive singer.
A week of revival services followed the anniversary service.