Spring Gardens Moravian Church - St. John's, Antigua
Posted by: neoc1
N 17° 07.504 W 061° 50.564
20Q E 623108 N 1893756
The Spring Gardens Moravian Church is located on St. John's Street between Dickinson Bay Street in St. John's, Antigua.
Waymark Code: WM12D6W
Location: Antigua and Barbuda
Date Posted: 05/03/2020
Views: 4
The Moravian Church, formally the Unitas Fratrum (Unity of the Brethren) is one of the oldest Protestant denominations. It was formed in Bohemia as a result of the Bohemian Reformation in 1457.
Samuel Isles was born in Yorkshire, England and traveled to Germany to become a Moravian missionary.
In 1756 American missionary the Rev. Samuel Isles arrived in Antigua but his message was not accepted by the white settlers. He then began to preach to the black slaves of the island with better success. He the first group of slaves met with him under a sand box tree to form the first Moravian congregation in Antigua on April 1, 1756.
The present church building was erected in 1964 replacing an older wooden structure which the community for many years. On September 4-5 1995 hurricane Luis destroyed the church and services were relocated while repairs were made. In 1997 the church opened and rededicated.