Brief History
The Methodist Church of the Bahamas was
formed in July 1993 by an act
of the Bahamas Parliament. For over 200 years…since 1800, our
church was a part of the British Methodist Mission. In 1968
(one year later than the rest of the Caribbean Districts), The
Bahamas District of Methodist Churches joined the Methodist
Church in the Caribbean and the Americas (MCCA). In 1967 the
Methodist Churches in The Caribbean and some countries in
Central America had been granted autonomy by the British
Methodist Conference. In 1990, The Bahamas District of
the Methodist Church passed a Resolution in its January
District Synod to move for self governance and autonomy. This
was realized in 1993. [click here for
a detailed history of the BCMC]
The Executive
Committee
The protocol and government of the Bahamas
Conference of the Methodist Church is based on the form of
Methodism known in Britain and the Caribbean. Four Officers
make up the leadership of the Conference. The offices of
President, Vice President and Treasurer are elected positions.
Persons may be elected for two three year terms. The office of
General Secretary is an appointed office without a determined
term of service. [Click here Biographies of BCMC
Executive's]
BCMC
Structure
There are three executive
organs of the Conference. First, there is the Annual General
Conference. These meetings take place in May of each year. The
Business Conference meets every three years and for the two
years between Business Conferences, Spiritual Growth
Conferences are held. At Business Conferences all members of
Ordained and Full time Staff have voting rights. Church
representation is based on a proportional representation model
according to the size of church membership, one representative
for every 50 members.
Secondly, there is the Central Council.
This Council meets in mid-November each year. Each Church has
one delegate to this body. It is smaller in membership and
usually meets from Thursday noon until Saturday morning.
Thirdly, The Conference Executive meets
monthly, on the first Thursday evening of each month. The
Executive is the on-going organ of the Conference and oversees
the work of the Conference in the absence of the Annual
Conference and the Central Council. Membership of The
Executive is made up as follows: The President, Vice
President, Secretary and Treasurer; Assistant Secretaries;,
Assistant Treasurers; The Legal Advisor, the Directors of the
five Divisions of the Conference: (i) Worship and Fellowship;
(ii) Property and Finance; (iii) Ministry; (iv) Doctrine and
Polity and (v) Service to the Community. [Click here
for Listing of Conference Officers, Staff and
Ministers]
Financially, the Conference is supported
by each member church through a system of apportionments based
on the membership size of each church. In addition, there are
four Conference Fundraising Events annually to aid the work of
the Conference.
Within the BCMC, churches are organized
into Regions. Each Region has a Ministerial Moderator and a
Lay Moderator. These are the administrators of the Region.
(See list of Regions and Churches). Churches are
administered by a Congregational Board. Each church sets the
size (membership wise) of the Board and the persons so elected
appoint the various positions: Chairperson, Secretary,
Treasurer and persons for specific boards (Women’s Ministry,
Youth Ministry, Outreach, and Evangelism etc.). [Click
here for Conference Structure]
The Church
Year
The Methodist Church year begins on
September 01. On the first weekend in September a Celebration
weekend takes place, usually in Nassau. This weekend includes
a Saturday morning Training Session and the Awards Banquet on
Saturday night. On the first Sunday of September there is a
pulpit exchange in all Methodist Churches in the Conference
during morning worship and in the evening a united service,
celebrating the opening of the New Methodist Church Year is
held in Nassau during which time, the President of the
Conference will deliver the charge for the New Year. [Click here
for BCMC Church Calendar]
Methodism in the Bahamas has a history
rich in music and song. Methodist Hymns and hymn singing
represents the true nature of many of our members. The
Methodist Church is also known throughout the islands for its
social outreach and ministry in areas of need and disaster.
Following Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the BCMC has actively
partnered with the Bahamas Government and the United Methodist
Church in the United States of America in a programme known as
Methodist Habitat. This programme has become the outreach arm
of the Conference. Each year hundreds of volunteers from UMVIM
come to The Bahamas to work on housing projects and Vacation
Bible Schools in the Islands.
[Click to go to Missions
& Outreach Programmes]
The BCMC has as it shield and motto a
picture of the Universal Christ, standing with arms open and
outstretched, with the symbols of WORD (The Bible), SERVICE,
(The basin and the towel) and FELLOWSHIP (the joining of hands
across the racial mix of The Bahamas).
In
all that we do and in all that we are, are aim is to be
students of God’s Word, Active in Service and dedicated to
Fellowship.
