Rev. Garth E. Rolle
Pastor, Mt. Hermon Union Baptist Church, Mt. THompson, Exuma, 2016- Present
Superintendent, Bahamas Baptist Union of Churches 2021-
Garth is the sixth of nine children born to Arnold Rolle (deceased) and Lizzie A. Rolle, in the settlement of Mount Thompson, Exuma on May 15,1959.
He attended Mt. Hermon Union Baptist Church, Mt. Thompson until he left to attend The Government High School in Nassau in 1971, graduating in 1976.
While in Nassau, Salem Union Baptist Church became his church home, and he became very involved in The Youth Society, Sunday School, Children’s Choir, Youth Choir and Royal Ambassadors.
Youth meetings were fun packed and there was an enthusiasm and excitement that drew the young people together. It was during one of these meetings, led by Gregory Bethel, that Garth came to know the Lord as his Savior. His life was forever changed for the better.
In 1978, Garth attended the Alabama A&M University, where he graduated in 1982 with a B.Sc. in Food Science and Technology and a M.Sc. in Food Microbiology in 1984.
Not wanting to be a part of the group who are trained, only to neglect God, Garth, immediately on his return, served as President of the Youth Society for a number of years, taught a Sunday School class, served as President of the Youth Department of the Bahamas Baptist Union, Director of Evangelism, served as Executive Secretary of the Bahamas Baptist Union, 2 nd Assistant Superintendent, 1 st Assistant Superintendent and as of May 2021, became the sixth Superintendent of the Bahamas Baptist Union.
Upon his return from university, Garth was employed briefly with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, attached to the Food Laboratory from 1984 – 1987.
Looking for more of a challenge, his career path took him to Purity Bakery, where he served as Production Manager, Operations Manager and finally as General Manager. This employment lasted for thirteen years. Desirous of testing his abilities in a new field, Garth joined Tropical Shipping and served as Port Manager and Regional Port Manager until 2010. In October 2010, he joined ACL Shipping as Port Director, a position he held until its closure in 2012.
In June 2013, he joined Salem Baptist Church full time, where he served with the newly installed Pastor Heuter Rolle as Pastor of Administration. In December 2013, then Superintendent Saunders, asked Rev. Rolle to travel to Mt. Hermon to oversee a matter, which was of grave concern to the Union.
This led to Rev. Garth travelling to Exuma each week on Fridays and returning to Nassau each Tuesday. This became the pattern for the next three years. On Sunday October 16 2016, Rev. Rolle was installed as Pastor of Mt Hermon Union Baptist Church.
Garth is married to Janice Rolle for the past 35 years and the couple has two lovely daughters, Krysten and Kryshell.
The Late Rev. Daniel Wilshire
Pastor, Salem Union Baptist Church, 1892-1932
Superintendent, Bahamas Baptist Union of Churches, 1892-1932
In 1805 Rev. Joseph Burton, a British missionary came to our shores and worked at Bethel Baptist Church for some time. Later, he advocated the building of a town Church known as Zion; not long after this move, all of the activities of the London Baptist Missionary Society were operated out of Zion and Churches were established throughout the island in the name of the London Baptist Missionary Society. As Zion was the headquarters, from time to time, the London Baptist Missionary Society sent various Missionaries to the Bahamas who carried out its Evangelism program and they were always based at Zion.
In March of 1878, the London Baptist Missionary Society requested the release of Rev. Daniel Wilshere to oversee the Pastors and to develop self support in the Churches in the Bahamas. Con- sent was given and Rev. Wilshere, his wife Charlotte, and his sons Charles and William arrived in the Bahamas on May 17th, 1878.
Rev. Davey, who was Pastor of Zion, retired and was succeded by Rev. Daniel Wilshire. In 1888, Rev. Wilshire became ill with a heart ailment and went to New York for surgery. Rev. Charles Dann arrived in 1889 to relieve Rev. Wilshire for one year. Upon Rev. Wilshire’s return to Nassau, some problems developed between himself and Rev. Dann, and actually came to blows. Rev. Dann left for England in August and Rev. Wilshire tendered his resignation to the Bristish Missionary Society and he and Mrs. Wilshere left for New York on August 18th, 1890.
On October 28th 1890, the British Missionary Society passed a resolution that:
Rev. Wilshire should only be allowed to return to the Bahamas ONLYif he lived some place other than Nassau.
He should be Superintendent of the Bahamas Baptist Union and not Pastor of Zion.
Zion be allowed to call and support its own Pastor Zion called Rev. Dann as Pastor and the Bahamian brethren, being advised of the unhappy situa- tion between Rev. Wilshire and the British Missionary Society, wrote to Rev. Wilshire, and invited him to return.
The Wilshire’s returned from New York and found themselves locked out of Zion’s premises, how- ever, they were embraced by the members of Mt. Carey who accepted them and they went to live in Fox Hill where Rev. Wilshire assumed his duty as Superintendent of the Bahamas Baptist Union.
Rev. Daniel Wilshire was a man of medium built and snow white hair. He often wore a helmet and rode a horse. He was always interested in the members of the Baptist family, and the people of the islands.
The sloop “ Experience” was purchased to make his visits to the family islands. One year after his arrival in the Bahamas, he recommended that a lighthouse be erected at the eastern end of New Providence. His recommendation was granted.
In 1901, Rev. Wilshire was saddened by the death of his wife Charlotte, and she was buried in Mt. Carey’s graveyard. Following the death of his wife, Rev. Wilshire married a Mrs. Rigby, who was his housekeeper.
In 1912, Rev. Wilshire expanded the Bahamas Baptist Union, by establishing Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Miami, Florida, United States of America. He continued his service to the people of the Bahamas, and in 1922 he wrote the following. “After forty-four years of service to the churches of this Union, I am not able to do the duties which are needed by the Union churches; with great and deep affection, I therefore present this statement to the trustees for their consideration and action, at the Annual Meeting. Yours in Christ’s service, Daniel Wilshire”
Rev. Wilshire continued this work as Superintendent until the Lord called him home in September of 1932. His funeral service was held at Salem on Parliament Street and he was also buried in Mt. Carey’s graveyard.
Rev. Wilshire left a rich legacy of churches and over fifteen hundred members.
The Late Rev. Enoch Backford Sr., J.P., M.B.E. 1893 – 1976
Pastor, Salem Union Baptist Church, New Providence, 1933-1974
Superintendent,
Bahamas Baptist Union of Churches 1932-1976
The Reverend Enoch Backford Sr., the youngest of eight children, was born 15th November, 1893, to the parentage of the late Robert and Patience Backford, at Deadman’s Cay, Long Island. His father, and one brother, William were lost at sea just two months before Enoch was born. When he was just nine days old, his mother took the remainder of the family to Simms, Long Island, where she could be near relatives while rearing her children.
The Reverend Enoch Backford grew up in Simms, Long Island and attended the Beulah Union Baptist Church under the pastorate of the late Reverend Abraham Butler. Little did anyone expect the little boy who walked with a lantern before the Reverend Daniel Wilshire while the latter rode on a horse to eventually succeed the Reverend Wilshire as Pastor of Salem and Superintendent of the Bahamas Baptist Union. But at this early age God was familiarizing little Enoch with the responsibilities which He had already foreordained that he would later assume.
With an insatiable hunger for knowledge, and moved by his destiny, young Enoch, in his mid-teens exhausted the educational offerings of Long Island and then left there for Nassau where he could further his education. In Nassau, he attended the Boys Central School, and the Grammar School.
He also availed himself of every opportunity for private study. Education was far more difficult to obtain in the latter half of the decade 1910 and in the 1920’s. For that reason, upon reaching manhood, Reverend Backford went to the United States Army to serve in World War I. He was sent overseas, but even that was working in God’s plan for the Manifest destiny of this young man. Before enlisting in the army he became conscious of God having called him to preach the gospel. He was possessed by the call throughout his military services, and upon being discharged from the Army, he returned to Long Island to make known his call to friends and loved ones.
After advising family and friends of his call, once again he set out upon his request for knowledge. This time he sought United States Government assistance to veterans to enroll in Morehouse College. Unfortunately, he had waited until after the deadline for making such a request. But, undaunted by this disappointment, he set out to work his way, through Morehouse College.
After a period at Morehouse, Reverend Backford returned to Nassau. While here that time, he met and married the Late Miss Maude Johnson to whom five children were born – Arthur (deceased), Lillymae, Naomi, Ruth and Enoch. Mrs. Maude Backford went home to be with her Lord, while the children were quite young. However, before leaving this world, she laboured and sacrificed beside her husband while he completed his college studies in Florida Normal and Industrial Memorial College in St. Augustine, Florida.
Upon finishing his formal college work, and after much soul-searching, Reverend Backford decided to return to The Bahamas and work where the Lord would see fit to send him.
Reverend Backford’s first task was to assist the Reverend Daniel Wilshire in the pastorate of Salem Union Baptist and also in his duties as Superintendent of The Bahamas Baptist Union.
The ministry of the Reverend Enoch Backford is a convincing testimony that his life and career were predestinated to be Pastor of Salem Union Baptist Union. And from these two tasks serving as a platform, his influence touched the Executive Board, the Sunday Union School Publishing Board, and the Foreign Mission Board of the National Baptist Convention, United States of America, Inc., from there, his name is also written in the annals of the Baptist World Alliance.
Reverend Backford was a giant in the faith, a bastion of moral and ethical principles an able Bible expositor, a progressive Pastor, a respected and visionary Superintendent with the longest tenure in that office. Under his distinguished leadership, he organized The Bahamas Baptist Union and its Districts into one of the most respected religious groups in the nation.
He served with distinction as President of the Bahamas National Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention and was a moving force behind its organization and growth in becoming the largest religious body in The Bahamas. He brought a strong commitment to the Baptist Educational institutions. In civic affairs he was a strong advocate for democratic reform, social justice, self determination and economic opportunities for the masses.
The second Superintendent of The Bahamas Baptist Union, and its first Bahamian Superintendent, Rev. Backford unselfishly fought successfully against all the odds of his time, and left and enduring legacy both to Baptists and The Bahamian nation.
The Late Rev. Dr. Leopold D. Cox
Pastor, Mt. Carey Union Baptist Church, 1962-1989
Superintendent,
Bahamas Baptist Union of Churches 1977-1982
“Let us now praise famous men and our fathers that begat us. The Lord hath Wrought great glory by them through His great power from the beginning, Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms. Men, renowned for their power, giving Counsel by their understanding and declaring prophecies.”
The year was 1900, a significant one, as it marked the beginning of a new century. For Jeremiah and Rebecca Cox, there was added significance, as they witnesses the birth of their first born, a son, whom they christened Leopold Duncan.
Like most parents, Jeremiah and Rebecca undoubtedly had many dreams for their son; dreams, perhaps, that one day he would be a great leader, and would exercise influence over many.
That dream became a reality, as Leopold Duncan, through his religious, fraternal and civic involvement, has touched the lives of countless, and today, we recognize the achievements of Reverend Doctor L. D. Cox, and give thanks to Almighty God for his life and dedicated service to Mount Carey Union Baptist Church.
Being the first of fifteen children, Reverend Cox was able to develop his leadership skills as he assisted with the teaching and nurturing of his younger siblings.
At the tender age of fifteen, having completed his education to the extent that the system of the day afforded, Reverend Cox began training in carpentry, a trade in which he later excelled. The Sunday school room which he constructed in 1965, and the addition of the church which was completed in 1972, attest to his mastery of the trade.
Reverend L. D. Cox has made an invaluable contribution to the construction industry in this country, and in recognition of this and his role as spiritual leader, he was made a Justice of the Peace in 1968, and awarded the Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honour on January 1, 1972.
Throughout most of his life, Reverend Cox has been actively involved in the community of Fox Hill, and the wider community of the Bahamas. He once served as Treasurer of the P.T.A. of Sandilands School, Secretary of the Fox Hill Farmers’ Union and collector of Crown Lands Revenue in the Fox Hill area. He has also played leading roles in many fraternal orders, including the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Courts of Calanthe and Love and Charity.
Despite his active involvement in the church and community, Reverend Cox has always been a family man. Following the death of his first wife, he reared his seven children, and was recognized in the community as a patriarch to whom many looked to for guidance.
Dr. Cox entered a second marriage to the former Naomi Weech Demeritte, but she predeceased him.
Reverend L. D. Cox’s involvement in Mount Carey Baptist Church spans a period of nine decades. In this church where he was christened, he had offices in the Sunday school and B.Y.P.U. (now B.T.U.) and has served as a church secretary and as a Deacon for twenty-six years.
In 1958, Reverend Cox was ordained to the Ministry and became Assistant to the Pastor, Reverend Pontius A. Adderley. A year following Reverend Adderley’s death, Reverend Cox was inducted as the eleventh pastor of Mount Carey, an office which he served faithfully from April 1962 to December 31, 1989.
The life of Reverend Doctor Leopold D. Cox and his service to the community, Mount Carey. The Bahamas Baptist Union of which as Superintendent and the Bahamas National Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention, constitute a source of blessing to all.
“Lives of great men all remind us; we must make our lives sublime. And departing leave behind us Footprints on the sands of times.”
Rev. Dr. C. W. Saunders, C.B.E., J.P.
Pastor, Salem Union Baptist Church, New Providence, 1974-2013
Superintendent, Bahamas Baptist Union of Churches 1982 – 2014
The last child of the late Rev. Prince Albert and Olive Julia Jane Saunders, the Rev. Dr. Charles Wellington Saunders was born at Moss Town, Exuma.
He received his Primary Education at Moss Town Primary School and became the first Exumian to pass the entrance Examination to the Government High School from a School in Exuma.
He came to New Providence and studied at the Government High Evening Institute and was privately tutored by the late C. V. Bethel, T. G. Glover and H. O. Nash.
He was made School Monitor in 1943.
He obtained the Cambridge Junior and Senior Certificates.
He was one of the first thirty (30) students to attend the Bahamas Teachers’ College from January 1950 to December 1951.
At the Bahamas Teachers’ College, he sat the Examination and became an Associate of the College of Preceptors (C.P.A.).
He did further studies at Southampton and Oxford Universities in the United Kingdom where he obtained the Dip. Ed. In Mathematics and later became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Mathematicians.
At Oxford, he studied Theology and obtained his B.Th. Degree. He returned to the Bahamas and read for the Master of Education from the Metropolitan School of Education, London.
He started his career in Moss Town, Exuma, and taught at Southern Senior, Eastern Senior and Western Senior Schools as Assistant Teacher and served as Principal as Stanyard Creek, Andros, Savannah Sound, Eleuthera, Moss Town, Exuma, Roker’s Point, Exuma, George Town, Exuma, Nassau Street, Oakes Field and William Gordon.
He was transferred to the Ministry of Education in 1971 and served as Senior Education Officer, Secondary School and two (2) Teachers’ Colleges, Assistant Director, (Management Division), First Assistant Secretary, (Personnel), Deputy Permanent
Secretary and he was the Officer in Education in charge of the responsibility of establishing the College of the Bahamas. In April 1977, he became Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
He retired from the Government Service in December, 1977.
He served as a member of the following Government Boards:
The Board of Directors of the Central Bank
College of the Bahamas Board
Advisory Council to the Minister of Education
Vice Chairman of the Task Force on Education
Chairman of the Implementation Committee of the Task Force on Education
He became a Licensed Minister of Salem Union Baptist Church in 1960.
He was Ordained to the Sacred Gospel Ministry on the 27th October, 1968.
He served as Assistant Pastor at Salem from 1968 to 1974 and became Pastor of Salem on the 11th May, 1974.
In 1981, he was elected President of the Bahamas National Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention where he served for seventeen (17) years.
During his presidency, he organized the C.W. Saunders Baptist High School in 1988 and the Bahamas Baptist Community College in 1995.
Served as Vice President of The National Baptist Convention USA Inc. for 17 years.
He was made an Honoree Citizen of Detroit, Michigan, in 1986
AWARDS AND CITATIONS
In 1967, he was awarded the Queen Certificate and Badge of Honour.
In 1987, he became a Justice of the Peace.
He 1981, he became Commander of the British Empire Civil Division (C.B.E.).
He was made Chairman of the Police Service Commission since in 1992.
In 2000, he was selected as one of the one hundred (100) most outstanding Bahamians of the Twentieth Century.
He was recognized for his contributions to the Bahamas on the observance of the Silver Jubilee of the Bahamas.
He served as Principal of the Jordan Prince Williams Baptist School from August 1978 to December 2001.
Rev. Dr. Wilton Albury Mckenzie, J.P.
Pastor, South Beach Union Baptist Church, New Providence, 1986 – Present
Superintendent, Bahamas Baptist Union of Churches 2014- 2021
The Rev. Wilton A McKenzie J.P. was born in the settlement of Ramsey Exuma and is the seventh child born to the Late Rev. Dr. Ernest and Flora McKenzie.
He received his formal education at the Mt. Thompson Public All -age School Mt. Thompson Exuma.
Upon completion of required education courses , he applied to the Bahamas Teachers College which later became the College of The Bahamas and upon acceptance he relocated to New Providence.
In keeping with the Baptist Faith and its Covenant, he united with the First Baptist Church ,Market Street , Coconut Grove, pastored by the late Rev. Dr. Earl Francis and actively participated in the Senior Choir and the Men’s Ministry.
Realizing the call of God upon his life ,In March of 1983, was licensed to exercise and develop his gifts. He accepted the mantle to the leadership for the mission church established by First Baptist, located in South Beach when after three years he was ordained and installed on October 28th.1986 as pastor of the South Beach Union Baptist Church. He has been a faithful servant in many areas of ministry within the church and the work and the witness of The Bahamas Baptist Union of Churches namely.
* Assistant Secretary/ Vice President and later President of New Providence District Men’s Department for fifteen (15) years.
* First (1st) Vice President and President of The New Providence District Convention.
* Fourth (4th.) Vice -President of the Bahamas National Baptist Convention with Responsibilities for Evangelism.
* Evangelist and 1st Assistant Superintendent and upon the retirement of The Rev. Dr. Charles W Saunders , Rev. McKenzie was elected Superintendent.
* Superintendent McKenzie is a 1975 graduate of The Bahamas Teachers/ College of The Bahamas. He is a 1983 graduate of the Bahamas Baptist Bible Institute and in 1994 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology from the Louisiana Baptist University..
* He is married to the beautiful, talented and extremely patient Stephanie Ferguson. They are the proud parents of two sons two daughters . Two daughters in law Jane and Christal, and four (4) grand-children.