On January 6, 1919, Pastor Cassius B. Hughes returned to Jamaica to reopen the West Indian Training School (WITS) in Mandeville which was closed in Riversdale, St. Catherine, in 1913. While he was the first principal of the educational institution, as an ordained minister, he functioned as the first pastor of the campus church. Under his leadership, the great house on the Coolsworthy property in Mandeville served as living, classroom, and worship space for the WITS students .

Pastor Hughes concluded his ministry on October 11, 1920 and was replaced by Pastor W.H. Wineland as principal. He led the effort to build the first campus chapel in 1927 that hurricane Charlie destroyed on August 17, 1951. It was rebuilt in the summer of 1952 under the leadership of the new principal/pastor, Dr. M. J Sorensen.

The Sorensen Chapel has been the second home of the campus church for more than 70 years. While the Chapel is used for worship services, it also doubles as a venue for classrooms and social events. On special occasions when the number of worshippers swells beyond the seating capacity of the worship space, services are held at the Gymnatorium. Weekly, community students as well as members inquire at the security officers at the University entrances, “Where is service today?” Over the years, generations of students, staff, faculty, and community church members have longed for a permanent spiritual campus home.

The campus church and the University have labored to fulfill the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. According to General Conference Minutes, in 1906, when formation of the institution was approved, its mandate was “to train workers for the West Indies and Tropical Africa.”

Pastor Hilbert Nembhard, the longest-serving pastor and chair of the Department of Religion shared, “Many churches and companies have been raised up through the combined efforts of teachers and students.”  The young worshippers who served as evangelists and lay leaders during their matriculation have gone on to serve the denomination at all levels, both locally and globally.

In 1991, Pastor John C. Palmer took up the pastorate of the campus congregation. He energized interest in a building a home for the church. “Building up the temple” became the rallying chorus of the worshippers during building fund collection time, even to the present day.

Passion for a church building waxed and waned depending on the interest of the assigned pastor. Multiple plans were developed, various sites were discussed, and funds were raised to build a facility. Still, the church remains without a home of its own.

Reflecting on the need of the church for its own space before his departure in 2002, Dr. Denton Rhone reflected, “Northern Caribbean University needs a dedicated worship centre worthy of its divine calling, worthy of its university status, worthy of the reach of its impact – nationally, regionally, and globally.”

When Dr. Neil W. Reid transitioned from the Alpha Church in Austin, Texas, to serve as the new pastor in the summer of 2003, the leadership of the Church and the University stressed the necessity of starting work on the building project. Dr. Herbert Thompson wrote in the church’s first homecoming commemorative journal in November 2004: “The building of the University Church is central to the plans of the Administration, and we are committed to building the structure to the glory of God…. We are not satisfied that there is still not a church building to house the spiritual community.”

Not long after his installment, Reid with the support of the leadership of the West Indies Union, Central Jamaica Conference, and Northern Caribbean University began the work to develop plans for the church with Dr. Daniel Fider as chair.

Martin Lyn & Associates completed the plans for a state-of-the-art building complex to house both the church and the School of Religion. The Mandeville Parish Council approved the design and Elder Fitz Henry was hired to supervise the laying of the foundations and raising of the walls at the corner of Manchester Road and May Day Road. The long-awaited groundbreaking took place in the fall of 2004.

The congregation rejoiced that after almost 100 years of waiting, the dream of a church building on the campus was about to become a reality. Unfortunately, work on the project ceased in 2006!  

On June 27, 2021, after 15 years of dormancy, Pastor Joel Haye mobilized the congregation to host an international “Buildathon” to raise funds to restart the work. Pastor Everett Brown, Jamaica Union President; Dr. Lincoln Edwards, University President; Pastor Levi Johnson, Central Jamaica Conference President, and the other field leaders agreed that the work must go forward. They committed financial resources to the endeavor and requested Dr. Neil Reid to lead an international fundraising taskforce to aid the effort. Members of the taskforce included Pastor Joel Haye, Dr. Own Roberts, Dr. Donald King, Dr. Nicola McClymont, Dr. Canute Birch, Dr. Curtis Fox, and Dr. Marlon Robinson.

The Taskforce solicited and received significant financial support from the leadership of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference, the Atlanta Union Conference, the Inter-American Division, the Atlanta Belvedere Church, and many alumni and friends of the University in Jamaica and abroad.

Who would have believed that during the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, God would lay the burden on the hearts of Elder Desmond Young, Project Manager, and Elder Raymond Cooper, General Contractor, both members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, to step forward to assist in the effort? Together and with the untiring efforts of Pastor Joel Haye significant progress have been made.

On November 9, the 115-year-old campus church opened one section of its own building. The Jamaican Sunday Gleaner on November 27, 2022, heralded the news: "Look What God Hath Wrought!" This new section is complete with a large auditorium, meeting rooms, offices, and restroom facilities. Since the vicinity is an active construction site, use of the venue is limited. Soon, this segment of the building will serve as a community center with an eye towards area residents and returning expatriates.

We honor God for bringing the dream of generations of students and others to partial fulfillment. As we prepare to start the next phase, we invite you to join the campus family with prayers and financial support to complete the space reserved to honor God through worship and service to humanity at Northern Caribbean University.