Kingstown St. Vincent May 21, 2026-The Spiritual Baptist faith is a \u201ccornerstone of Vincentian heritage\u201d and a defining part of national identity, Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs and National Heritage Shevern John has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing National Spiritual Baptist Freedom Day celebrations at Independence, the minister described the religion as more than a system of worship, calling it a living expression of culture, resilience and nationhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She spoke during commemorations marking 75 years of the faith\u2019s formal journey, under the theme \u201c75 and Alive: Honouring our journey, our resilience, our freedom in unity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the minister, the theme reflected not only survival but also continuity and collective identity. She said the Spiritual Baptist community had endured persecution and emerged stronger, describing its history as one of \u201ctriumph\u201d and resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In her address, Ms John recalled the historical suppression of the Spiritual Baptist movement, noting that it was outlawed in 1912 under what she described as the Shakerism Prohibition Order, which criminalised worship and led to the persecution of believers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite this, she said the community preserved its traditions in secrecy, maintaining ceremonies, songs, dances and prayer practices until legal and social change began to take shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She pointed to a 1951 court ruling that marked a turning point in the struggle for religious freedom, followed by the repeal of restrictive laws in 1965. These developments, she said, transformed the faith\u2019s public standing \u201cfrom oppression into liberation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFreedom was not given lightly. It was won through struggle, sacrifice, and faith in God,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ms John urged the Spiritual Baptist community to maintain unity and discipline as it moves forward, saying the faith must remain grounded in its values while adapting to future generations. She highlighted the importance of youth participation, encouraging young people to continue traditions and see their faith as a source of strength rather than something to be hidden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quoting biblical passages, she reinforced messages of resilience, moral instruction and spiritual grounding, urging the community to \u201ctrain up a child in the way he should go\u201d and to remain \u201crooted and grounded\u201d in faith.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kingstown St. Vincent May 21, 2026-The Spiritual Baptist faith is a \u201ccornerstone of Vincentian heritage\u201d and a defining part of national identity, Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs and National Heritage Shevern John has said. Addressing National Spiritual Baptist Freedom Day celebrations at Independence, the minister described the religion as more than a system of worship, calling it a living expression<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":45804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[746,743,748,745,742,744,729,740,741,747],"class_list":["post-45803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-local-news","tag-community-preservation","tag-cultural-resilience","tag-faith-and-values","tag-historical-suppression","tag-national-spiritual-baptist-freedom-day","tag-nationhood","tag-religious-freedom","tag-spiritual-baptist","tag-vincentian-heritage","tag-youth-participation"],"yoast_head":"\n