The Church in the Bahamas

A group of Latter-day Saints began meeting in Nassau in 1979. English-speaking members and members who spoke Haitian Creole and French developed a local Church culture together. Bahamian Latter-day Saints have served their communities, and the Church has contributed to disaster relief efforts.

History of the Church in the Bahamas

Latter-day Saints in the Bahamas hail from many different walks of life, including those with ancestral ties to the islands and those from other countries, such as Haiti and the United States. Early converts such as Clarence Newry, Helene and Alexandre Paul, and Antoine and Leona Ferrier threw themselves into the work of establishing the Church. Forming strong ties of sisterhood and brotherhood, Latter-day Saints worked together to share the restored gospel and contribute to their communities.

Latter-day Saints’ civic contributions and moral examples have been particularly important in the face of many years of government restrictions. By sharing language talents, developing a reputation for healthy living, and helping neighbors in the aftermath of hurricanes, Latter-day Saints have helped overcome local prejudices and establish the Church as a fully recognized institution in the Bahamas.

In a setting surrounded by nature’s beauty as well as its most destructive forces, Latter-day Saints have labored to establish the Church, diligently rebuilding structures and institutions when they require repair. Latter-day Saint meetinghouses have provided places of physical as well as spiritual refuge, withstanding many storms. Latter-day Saint congregations have been places where people of diverse backgrounds and native tongues can come together to find fellowship and faith. Through their creativity and diligence, Bahamian Saints have gathered “together upon the land of Zion” and created fellowship “for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm” (Doctrine and Covenants 115:6).

Read more in Global Histories.