History of Springfield Baptist Church

WESTERN BUREAU:There seems to be some discrepancy as to the date when the Springfield Baptist Church was founded, neither is it settled as to who started the ministry.

The Reverend Walter Dendy is credited with starting the 130-year-old ministry, but the memorial tablet erected in the church refers to the Reverend Thomas Hutchins as the founder of the church in 1881.

However, the records of the Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU) list the church's origin as 1882.

Hutchins, the son of an English missionary, was born in Jamaica and served as pastor of the church from 1882-1901. He is credited with having participated in the free-village movement - an attempt by missionaries to purchase land and subdivide it for freed slaves - and to have started the boys and girls' schools.

The Reverend James A. Jones, the first pastor of African descent, replaced Hutchins in 1901. He served for 34 years, a period of tremendous growth for the church.

The Reverend Victor Mornon did a brief stint, followed by the Reverend David A. Morgan, a Nicaraguan with a Jamaican father.

Morgan was a stalwart in the JBU, and during his 17-year tenure, he saw a number of developments come to fruition, including the construction of the Springfield All-Age School, resulting in the amalgamation of the boys and girls' schools on the premises of the church.

In 1955 came the Reverend Noel Belinfanti, an advocate for street evangelism, who served for seven years. The Reverend C.S. Edwards followed with a 19-year stint. He then served as the president of the JBU between 1974 and 1976, during which time the Reverend Vincent Fletcher served as his assistant.

The Reverend Hervin Green, a dynamic preacher who placed great emphasis on evangelism, succeeded Edwards in 1984, and after six years, he was replaced by the incumbent, the Reverend Joseph Anderson.

- Information courtesy of the Springfield Baptist Church