Mission Chapel, a Congregational Church, was built around 1814 in New Amsterdam, Berbice, Guyana. [1] Mission Chapel is located at 12 Chapel Street, New Amsterdam, Berbice.
It was founded by the Rev. John Wray, [2] and was the first church to open its doors to slaves, [1] and the first without separate seating. [2] The history of the church dates back to around 1812 when Rev. Wray paid a visit to the Berbice slaves and was inspired to stay and help teach them. A large tamarind tree, beneath which Rev. Wray would sit to teach the slaves to read and write, still occupies part of the church compound. Wray, who served for 24 years, is buried in Stanleytown, New Amsterdam.
The church was opened in 1819 and was twice enlarged. It was destroyed by fire in 1824. The church was rebuilt in 1825, and again in 1944. Mission Chapel probably has the largest seating capacity of all churches in Guyana - 1,500 seats. [1]
A two-storey church manse was built in 1899.
In 1969, the Rev. Pat Matthews became the first Guyanese pastor at Mission Chapel. In 1978 he was honoured for meritorious service among the Amerindians.
In 1966, the Government made a gift of $25,000 to the residents of Berbice to renovate and further preserve the church. In 1976, the structure was named a historic one by the Government of Guyana. In 2001, Mission Chapel was designated a National Heritage Site by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.
British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana.
Demerara is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 until 1815. It was merged with Essequibo in 1812 by the British who took control. It formally became a British colony in 1815 until Demerara-Essequibo was merged with Berbice to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831. In 1838, it became a county of British Guiana until 1958. In 1966, British Guiana gained independence as Guyana and in 1970 it became a republic as the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. It was located around the lower course of the Demerara River, and its main settlement was Georgetown.
New Amsterdam is the regional capital of East Berbice-Corentyne, Guyana and one of the country's largest towns. It is 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the capital, Georgetown and located on the eastern bank of the Berbice River, 6 km (4 mi) upriver from its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean, and immediately south of the Canje River. New Amsterdam's population is 17,329 inhabitants as of 2012.
Berbice is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1792 a colony of the Dutch West India Company and between 1792 and 1815 a colony of the Dutch state. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the latter year, it was merged with Demerara-Essequibo to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831. It became a county of British Guiana in 1838 till 1958. In 1966, British Guiana gained independence as Guyana and in 1970 it became a republic as the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.
East Berbice-Corentyne is one of ten regions in Guyana covering the whole of the east of the country. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the Nickerie District and Sipaliwini District of Suriname to the east, Brazil to the south and the regions of Mahaica-Berbice, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Potaro-Siparuni and Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo to the west.
Mahaica-Berbice is a region of Guyana, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the region of East Berbice-Corentyne to the east, the region of Upper Demerara-Berbice to the south and the region of Demerara-Mahaica to the west.
Demerara-Mahaica is a region of Guyana, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the region of Mahaica-Berbice to the east, the region of Upper Demerara-Berbice to the south and the region of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara to the west.
The Canje River, located in northeastern Guyana, is the main tributary of the Berbice River. It runs roughly parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast in East Berbice-Corentyne, region 6.
Abary is a small community in the Mahaica-Berbice Region of Guyana, near the mouth of the Abary River, 43 miles (69 km) from Georgetown. Abary is known for the Abary Bridge located on the Main Highway. The bridge was originally a railway bridge with a very steep grade. The bridge was designed by Joseph Walter Holder who also built the Demerara Harbour Bridge.
The Colony of Demerara-Essequibo was created on 28 April 1812, when the British combined the colonies of Demerara and Essequibo into the colony of Demerara-Essequibo. They were officially ceded to Britain on 13 August 1814. On 20 November 1815 the agreement was ratified by the Netherlands. On 21 July 1831 Demerara-Esequibo united with Berbice as British Guiana.
The Berbice slave uprising was a slave revolt in Guyana that began on 23 February 1763 and lasted to December, with leaders including Coffy. The first major slave revolt in South America, it is seen as a major event in Guyana's anti-colonial struggles, and when Guyana became a republic in 1970 the state declared 23 February as a day to commemorate the start of the Berbice slave revolt.
Berbice High School is a school in New Amsterdam, Guyana.
There are several communities named Bush Lot in Guyana. This article covers four locations.
The Demerara rebellion of 1823 was an uprising involving between 9,000 and 12,000 enslaved people that took place in the British colony of Demerara-Essequibo in what is now Guyana. The exact number of how many took part in the uprising is a matter of debate. The rebellion, which began on 18 August 1823 and lasted for two days. Their goal was full emancipation. The uprising was triggered by a widespread but mistaken belief that Parliament had passed a law that abolished slavery and that this was being withheld by the colonial rulers. Instigated chiefly by Jack Gladstone, an enslaved man from the "Success" plantation, the rebellion also involved his father, Quamina, and other senior members of their church group. Its English pastor, John Smith, was implicated.
Quamina Gladstone, most often referred to simply as Quamina, was a Guyanese slave from Africa and father of Jack Gladstone. He and his son were involved in the Demerara rebellion of 1823, one of the largest slave revolts in the British colonies before slavery was abolished.
Albion is a village in East Berbice-Corentyne, Guyana.
Fort Nassau was the capital of the Dutch colony of Berbice, in present-day Guyana. It was situated on the Berbice River approximately 88 kilometres upstream from New Amsterdam.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Guyana (ELCG) is a Lutheran denomination in Guyana. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Caribbean Conference of Churches, and the Guyana Council of Churches.
The Court of Policy was a legislative body in Dutch and British Guiana until 1928. For most of its existence it formed the Combined Court together with the six Financial Representatives.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Guianas refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Guianas, primarily French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname. This is part of the Caribbean Area which is more similar culturally and linguistically than the rest of South America.
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