A Chat with Anthony Quimby

Born and raised on the Caribbean island of Barbados, Anthony Quimby is pastor of St. James Church of the Nazarene in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. He has served on the denomination's General Board and is a member of the Trinidad and Tobago District advisory board. Also, he is president of the Caribbean Nazarene College (CNC) alumni association. Recently, CNC honored him with a D.D. degree. He and his wife, Marcia, have four children.


HT: You have served at St. James for how long?
AQ: 15 years. Previously, I pastored the Arima, Trinidad, Church of the Nazarene for 17 years.

HT: Should pastors have a goal of longevity at a church? Is that realistic?
AQ: It is realistic, but there comes a time when you believe you have fulfilled your purpose, then it is time to move on.

HT: But how do you know you have fulfilled your purpose?
AQ: First, when you go to a church, you set certain goals-evangelistic, developmental-and you see young people develop spiritually and educationally. You then think you are ready for a new challenge.

HT: How do you know when a new opportunity is the right opportunity?
AQ: Seek God's will in the matter, seek His direction. In the case of me taking the St. James church, a scripture came about a new door being opened. I discussed this with my prayer partners and received their confirmation that this transition was the right decision.

A series of events tend to occur when a change is made. One pastor moves; the members pray about their new pastor and receive affirmation about the man or woman who is right for the church. Often a positive vote by the congregation is one more piece of confirmation in this process. All of these pieces-these signs-tend to come together to show that we are hearing from God and we are making the right decision.

HT: How do you balance various age groups in worship?
AQ: There must be a compromise. We must remember that older people want hymns, and younger people appreciate contemporary choruses. All of us must understand that times have changed. It's a new era. Young people are going to take over the church and if we don't have their style of music, we will lose them. However, young people should understand that the church is composed of the young and not so young-they will get older, too. There should be mutual respect between ages.

HT: Explain how technology affects your worship services.
AQ: We have the screens, a laptop computer, and projectors. Words to the music, scriptures, and points of my sermons appear on the screens. With technology, we can E-mail updates to members. Technology allows us to reach our members, and those on the fringe, in the shortest possible way.

HT: How many attend your church?
AQ: About 300. Membership is over 450.

HT: Tell us about your church people.
AQ: Most of them are civil servants-nurses, teachers, business people. They are the warmest and friendliest people in the world (in my opinion!). Ushers greet you at the door, shake your hand, and offer a hymnal and a bulletin.

HT: What do you wish the broader Church of the Nazarene could know about the church in Trinidad and Tobago?
AQ: 
1)    We still preach and live holiness.
2)    People are still being saved and sanctified.
3)    We have a spirit of evangelism-still have open-air services in the streets.
4)    We are a vital part of the international church.
5)    No missionaries. We have been without missionaries for over 11 years.

HT: Best thing about living in Trinidad?
AQ: We don't have to fight over the snow. Beautiful beaches. Sun, sand, and sea. Heaven on earth!

HT: How did you get to Trinidad?
AQ: I was called to ministry in 1966. CNC is the regional college serving 13 islands in the Caribbean. I went to school there in 1967 and graduated in 1971.

HT: What is your greatest challenge in ministry?
AQ: I see the church moving from the kind of worship that we once knew, such as one song leader, to a team of worship leaders. And they request 45 minutes of worship. It seems that the message, sharing the Word, becomes secondary.

We have to understand the needs of our people. Some have physical or family situations where they cannot stay for an extended time. So weaving together the time of praise and worship, and sharing the Word, is a challenge.

HT: How do you prepare for a sermon?
AQ: I look at the church calendar and see what Holy Days are upcoming. Some sermons are natural fit for those celebrations. We have special emphases too. Our church theme for 2009 was "Victory is mine, in 2009." So we had themes of victory over self, over sin, or grudges, and so on. I pray. I study. As I visit, I see needs of my people. I preach about the sufficiency of God and emphasize, "My God shall supply all my needs."


Trinidad and Tobago

Population:
1,228,691.

Location:
Northeast of Venezuela; the islands are situated between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean.

Primary Religions:
Catholic-26 percent. Hindu-23 percent. Other-51 percent.

Language:
English is the official language.

Source: CIA Factbook

Church of the Nazarene in Trinidad and Tobago

Churches: 27.

Members: 5,206.

Holiness Today, July/August 2010

 

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