ORIGIN

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew is an organization within the Anglican Church dedicated to the spread of Christ's Kingdom among men. It originated in the United States of America in the year 1883. On St. Andrew's Day of that year, twelve young men of St. James' Church, Chicago, Illinois under the leadership of the late James L. Houghteling, obtained the approval of their Rector to start an organization which would follow the example of St. Andrew in bringing men to Christ (St. John 1: 40-42). The rules of the organization were established as prayer, study and service. A Junior Department of the Brotherhood was organized in 1892. It was based upon the conviction that the missionary work of men in the Church necessitated previous training and that such training could commence with the youth. In this way the youth could work for the spread of Christ's Kingdom among youth while at the same time, a supply of trained workers would be gradually developed for the spread of Christ's Kingdom among men.

From these humble beginnings, the Brotherhood of St. Andrew spread to other Episcopal/Anglican Churches within the United States and beyond. It is today an international movement comprised of men and boys who are committed to the three-fold pledge of prayer, study and service and who are willing to labour for the Master in the spread of His Kingdom among men, especially young men. An air of simplicity has been intentionally maintained as a hallmark of this organization over time. In every country in which the Brotherhood now operates, the emphasis is on commitment to the three-fold pledge. The name of the organization is a constant reminder to all members that their work lies in following the example of the Saint whose name they bear. A Brotherhood Member cannot keep to himself the good news of the kingdom of Christ. His field of work is the man or boy next to him and his efforts are to be prompt, earnest and direct.

The Brotherhood is now established throughout the Anglican Communion, that is to say, in churches known as the Church of England, the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church and the Holy Catholic Church (in China and Japan). For us Jamaicans, it is the Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands in the Province of the West Indies.

THE BSA IN JAMAICA

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew was introduced into Jamaica in April of 1896 by the late Most Reverend Enos Nuttall, then Archbishop of the West Indies and Bishop of Jamaica. Archbishop Nuttall was the first leader of the Brotherhood in Jamaica. He presided over the first Annual Convention on St. Andrew's Day, 1897 at the Cathedral in Spanish Town and held the position of President until 1916 when he was succeeded by Bishop George F.C. DeCarteret.

It was Archbishop Nuttall who, as President in Council, prepared the first set of Rules for the local BSA and had them formally issued at Convention on St. Andrew's Day, 1897. These Rules were essentially an embodiment of the principles of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew and were drafted with the adaptations appropriate to the Jamaican situation. The Constitution and Rules stipulated from then that the Bishop of the Diocese was to be President of the BSA in Jamaica. Archbishop Nuttall passed away on May 31, 1916. His remains lie below a tomb just outside one of the entrances to the St. Andrew Parish Church in Half-Way-Tree. The Nuttall Memorial Hospital in Cross Roads was named in commemoration of him.

The first General Secretary of the BSA in Jamaica was one C.H.Coles who served in this position from 1897 to 1905.

Chapters of the Brotherhood were being established within the Church from 1896. As at the year 1901 there were twenty-eight foundation chapters established at:

St. Andrew Parish Church St. George's, East Street St. Matthew's, Allman Town St. Michael's, Victoria Avenue St. Luke's, Cross Roads The Cathedral, Spanish Town St. Faith's, Glengoffe, St. Catherine St. Saviour's, Harewood, St. Catherine Holy Trinity, Linstead, St. Catherine St. Cyprian's, Highgate, St. Mary Holy Trinity, Retreat, St. Mary St. Mary's, Port Maria, St. Mary Holy Trinity, Montego Bay, St. James St. Mary's, Montpelier, St. James Christ Church, Christiana, Manchester St. Jude's, Pratville, Manchester St. Barnabas, Siloah, St. Elizabeth St. Luke's, Balaclava, St. Elizabeth Christ Church, Moneague, St. Ann St. Matthew's, Claremont, St. Ann St. Ann's Parish Church Christ Church, Morant Bay, St. Thomas St. Andrew's, Golden Grove, St. Thomas St. Mark's, Clarke's Town, Trelawny St. Peter's, Falmouth, Trelawny St. Paul's, Chapelton, Clarendon St. Paul's, Little London, Westmoreland and St. Mary's, Negril, Westmoreland.

The constitution of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew requires the holding of a general meeting of the members of all chapters every year. This general meeting is called the Annual Convention. During the formative years of the local Brotherhood, the Annual Convention was held at the Spanish Town Cathedral on St. Andrew's Day or within the octave of that day. The event lasted for two days and this probably had something to do with the pace of ground transportation in those days.

At present the Annual Convention is completed within one day and although the opening service commences at eight o'clock in the morning, Brothers from all parishes of the island are able to make it on time, departing their homes on the same morning. Over the years, the day for this event has changed from St. Andrew's (a movable date) to Labour
(May 23) and now to National Heroes' Day, the third Monday of October in each year.
It is at the Annual Convention that decisions of general effect are taken. The decision was taken some time ago, for example, that the venue for this event should be rotated annually among the three Regions of the Diocese, the Kingston, Mandeville and Montego Bay Regions.

Although the Brotherhood of St. Andrew in Jamaica is now one hundred and six years in existence, the Annual Convention to be held at The Parish Church, Lucea Hanover on October 21, 2002 will be the 103rd. This is because three Conventions fell through during the war years.

The activities of the Brotherhood are firmly based on the three-fold pledge of prayer, study and service and have so been from the beginning.

The Rule of Prayer is to pray daily for the spread of Christ's Kingdom among men, especially young men and for God's blessing on the labour of the Brotherhood.

The Rule of Study is to study the Holy Scriptures regularly and the teachings of the Church, to attain a better understanding of how to follow Christ and bring others into His Kingdom.

The Rule of Service is to make earnest and continuous efforts to lead other men nearer to Christ through His Church.

Service involves both direct missionary work in terms of keeping men in the Church and bringing outsiders in, as well as the expression of Christian love in practical ways by the implementation of approved projects. Over the years service has included:

Prayer Meetings Bible Study Visiting of the Sick Conducting of Services in Missions, Chapels and Homes for the Aged Material Support to the Unfortunate Support for the Physical Maintenance of the Church, among other things.

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew has been instrumental in the establishment of missions, some of which have developed into churches. The Bishop Gibson Home for the Aged is another project which is a joint effort of the BSA and other organizations within the Church. This Home which has been named in honour of the late Right Reverend Percival Gibson, a past President of the BSA is located at 15 Hollywood Road in the Liguanea area. It was established in 1977.

The present structure of the BSA embraces a Council which manages the overall affairs of the organization and oversees the activities of all chapters throughout the island. For purposes of the more effective operation, the chapters are grouped into Local Assemblies. There are at present ninety-two (92) chapters with five established Local Assemblies, namely:

The Corporate Area Local Assembly (This includes chapters in the parish of St. Catherine) St. Thomas Local Assembly St. Elizabeth Local Assembly St. Ann Local Assembly and The Western Region Local Assembly

The Brothers at the Mandeville Parish Church Chapter are in the process of establishing an assembly of chapters in Manchester and Clarendon which might soon become the sixth.

LAY PRESIDENCY

History was created at the 96th Annual Convention hosted by the St. Jude's Chapter in Stony Hill in 1995. It was then that the first layman was elected President of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew in Jamaica. This fundamental change in the presidency in the hundredth year of the organization actually started with a challenge issued to the Brotherhood by the then President, the Right Reverend, the Honourable Neville W. deSouza in his address at an appreciation function held in honour of the Custos of Kingston, the Very Reverend, the Honourable Weeville M. Gordon in 1992. President deSouza challenged the BSA to reflect its true nature as a layman's organization by having a layman as its head. The challenge was accepted and a resolution was moved and passed at the 93rd Annual Convention in 1992 to put the process in motion. The change could only be made possible by an amendment of the constitution. Consultations were made with the then Chancellor of the Diocese, the Honourable Justice Ira Rowe on the legal issues involved. The organization has been fortunate to have the Honourable Justice Lensley Wolfe of the St. Jude's Chapter as a Member of Council. Justice Wolfe along with his colleague, the late Justice U.D.Gordon of the Church of the Ascension Chapter, Mona Heights and other Brothers drafted the amendments in time to have had them approved at a Special Convention held in Mandeville in mid 1995. Brother Alvin M.Alexander of St. Mary's Chapter, Southfield in St. Elizabeth was then elected at the (regular) Annual Convention in 1995. The Brotherhood still maintains the involvement of the Clergy. The Lord Bishop of Jamaica holds the office of Honorary President while there are seats reserved on the Council for members of the Clergy. The list of Presidents over the life of the organization has been

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew in Jamaica lives on.

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