{"id":374132,"date":"2026-10-15T19:19:02","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T19:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/374132\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T19:19:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T19:19:02","slug":"brooklyns-vision-church-of-god-celebrates-vincentian-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/374132\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn\u2019s Vision Church of God celebrates Vincentian Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vision Pentecostal Church of God on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn on Sunday, Oct. 11, celebrated Vincentian Day, with past and present members coming together in fellowship.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives us an opportunity to reflect on how the church\u2019s longstanding members have helped shape our lives, while expressing love and appreciation for the friendships and meaningful relationships we have built,\u201d Curlina Hills, a Vincentian-born evangelist and member of the Church, told Caribbean Life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is also a time to celebrate our shared journeys, honor our heritage, and strengthen the bonds that unite us as a church family,\u201d added Hills, who is also an attorney by training.\n<\/p>\n

She said among some of the current prominent Vincentian members of the church, which is largely Barbadian, are the Hills and John families; Sis. Pearl DeFreitas, Besenia Blugh and Ogarro; and Bro. Alaska Edwards and Bill Samuel.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sis. Pearl DeFreitas.Nelson A. King<\/p>\n

Evangelist Hills said the late Sis. Carmelita Joseph and Clare Clark also played vital roles in the church.<\/p>\n

Joan Hills also told Caribbean Life that the celebration was \u201cabout family and unity, and how Vincentians bonded together as one when we arrived (migrated to Brooklyn).\n<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people had no place to stay, no work, or proper papers,\u201d she said. \u201cWe shared one apartment, supported each another, and helped each other get through difficult times.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe looked out for one another and built a community together,\u201d Joan Hills added.\u00a0
\n\"FirstmanFirstman \u201cBardo\u201d Hills with his wife, Joan Hills.Nelson A. King\n<\/p>\n

Barbadian-born Pastor Melchior \u201cHarry\u201d Springer said that the Vision Pentecostal Church of God started in November 1977 in the Brooklyn home of his late father, Pastor Denzil D. Springer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1978, Pastor Melchior Springer said the church moved to its first home at 1074 St. Johns Place in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.\n<\/p>\n

A few months after, Pastor Springer said \u201ca contingent of saints from St. Vincent and the Grenadines joined the church.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThose saints made a tremendous impact on the church, with their energetic worship and strong sense of community,\u201d he said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThey left such an indelible mark on the pastor and the church that Pastor Denzil Springer designated a day as Vincentian Day to honor and appreciate that first wave of saints from the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,\u201d he added. \u201cFrom that day forward, Vincentian Day has been an annual tradition at Vision Pentecostal Church.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years, Pastor Springer said the annual service has \u201cremained strong and has been well supported by people of the Vincentian community, as well as by people from other Caribbean countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

New St. Vincent and the Grenadines Consul General to the United States Roland \u201cPatel\u201d Matthews said it was \u201ca joy and a privilege\u201d to celebrate Vincentian Day at the church.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"VincentiansVincentians in national colors \u2014green, gold and blue \u2014 among some members of Vision Pentecostal Church of God.Nelson A. King<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a blessing it is to come together as a people to honor our heritage, celebrate our culture, give thanks for our nation, and acknowledge the goodness and faithfulness of Almighty God!\u201d said the former Member of Parliament, thanking Evangelist Hills for the special invitation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the pastor, church leaders, members, visitors and everyone joining in this special celebration, I am truly honored to be invited to this occasion,\u201d he added, stating that since his appointment of Consul General in March, he has had \u201cthe privilege of being invited to several churches celebrating International Day or Caribbean Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, this is the first occasion that I have been invited to celebrate a day dedicated to Vincentians,\u201d Matthews continued. \u201cThis is indeed truly remarkable. We are a people with a story. We are a people with a history. We are a people who have faced challenges, overcome obstacles, and continued to press forward with courage and determination.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been ravaged by storms and hurricanes. We have experienced the eruption of La Soufriere volcano, and we have risen like the phoenix from the ashes,\u201d he said. \u201cOur resilience as a nation has been tested, and we have come through with flying colors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PastorPastor Melchior \u201cHarry\u201d Springer with Evangelist Curlina Hills.Nelson A. King<\/p>\n

Matthews said the celebration was \u201ca powerful reminder\u201d that St. Vincent and the Grenadines is \u201ctruly blessed when its people acknowledge God, seek His wisdom, practice righteousness, and demonstrate love and compassion toward one another.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur children and young people need to understand the sacrifices of those who came before them,\u201d he said. \u201cThey need to appreciate our history, respect our elders, preserve our traditions, and recognize the importance of education, hard work, integrity and faith in God.\u201d<\/p>\n

The consul general noted that October is celebrated as \u201cThe Month of Independence\u201d for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

He said the theme for the 47th year of independence is \u201cHand in Hand, Uplifting Our Nation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHappy Vincentian Day 2026, Vision Pentecostal Church!\u201d Matthews exclaimed. \u201cMay we always be proud of our heritage, steadfast in our faith, united in our purpose, and committed to serving God and humanity. God bless Saint Vincent and the Grenadines! And may God bless us all!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Vision Pentecostal Church of God on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn on Sunday, Oct. 11, celebrated Vincentian Day, with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":374133,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-374132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/374133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}