The Baptist Union of Jamaica dates back to 1782 when
George Liele, a formerly-enslaved man from
Atlanta,
Georgia, came to
Jamaica and began preaching in
Kingston. In 1814, the
Baptist Missionary Society, a British organization, sent its first missionary to the island to open a school in
Falmouth in
Trelawny Parish, for the children of slaves. The ministry continued to grow and expand during British colonization. Baptists are involved in the struggle for the
abolition of slavery. After abolition, Baptists contributed to the creation of "
Free Villages" for the newly emancipated people. This included the purchase of large parcels of land cut into small holdings, which were sold to families. The villages also included a school and a Baptist church. The Baptists also created, in 1843, the Calabar Theological College for training ministers for local preaching and missions in Africa and the Caribbean, which became part of the
United Theological College of the West Indies in 1966. In 1849, the Jamaica Baptist Union is officially founded. Three of Jamaica's
National Heroes -
Sam Sharpe,
Paul Bogle, and
George William Gordon - were also Baptist. In 2018, Karen Kirlew became the first female president of the union. According to a census published by the association in 2023, it claimed 340 churches and 40,132 members. == Missionary Organization ==