Past Ministers

James Paul

1720 – 1750

James Paul came to Bermuda from Scotland and remained as the charge for 30 years until his death. He is famed for association with Whitefield, opening the church doors to his evangelism for eight weeks.

John M. Maltby, M.A.

1750 – 1768

John Maltby came from the Presbytery of New York and remained as charge for 18 years. Many of Rev. Maltby’s congregation migrated every year to Turks and Caicos for salt raking.

Oliver Deming

1771 – 1778

Oliver Deming came from the Presbyter of New York.

Thomas Dickson

1822 – 1823

Thomas Dickson was an assistant to Enoch Matson and took on the temporary role of minister for one year.

George Galloway

1832 – 1834

George Galloway was sent to Bermuda by the Glasgow Missionary Society.

Alexander O. Grieg

1835 – 1838

Alexander O. Grieg was sent to Bermuda by the Glasgow Missionary Society.

James Morrison

1839 – 1849

A minister of the Church of Scotland, was sent to Bermuda from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Rev. Morrison died in his home at Southlands August 16th, 1849 after fulfilling 10 years as Minister of the church.

James Adam

1850 – 1851

James Adam was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland. Prior to securing this position, he had been an assistant to Rev. Dr. Miller, minister- of one of the leading churches in Edinburg and became a very popular minister in Bermuda, and in less than two years twenty young people joined the church.

Alexander Forester, D.D.

1851

Alexandra Forester came from Chalmers Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia and held his charge for only 6 months.

Adam Stuart Muir

1852

Reverend Muir, formerly of Boston, came from the Church as St. John’s, Newfoundland to Bermuda to take on the position for only a few weeks.

Walter Thorburn

Walter Thorburn

1852 – 1881

Rev. Thorburn was sent from Jamaica to Bermuda by the Colonial Committee of the Free Church. During his term, he left Bermuda for Scotland between 1857 and 58 and his role at the pulpit was filled by Rev. Kempe. His colleagues and assistants included, Rev. Stothard, Rev. McKay, Rev. James McDowal, Rev. Thomas Cumming and, Kenneth F. Junor. Rev. Layton took the pulpit in 1876 until June 1877 while Thorburn returned to Scotland again. In 1891 the Thorburn Memorial Hall was built in his honour.

John Wallace

1882 – 1885

Rev. Wallace came from the Halifax Presbytery. He resigned his post in 1885 and Mr. Thorburn returned to Bermuda and resumed his work until a successor could be found.

Alexander Brown Thompson

Alexander Brown Thompson

1886 - 1888

Alexander Thompson was sent out by the Colonial Committee of the Free Church. Due to his impaired health, he resigned in June 1893.

William Robson Notman, M.A.

William Robson Notman, M.A.

1889 -1893

William Notman was sent out by the Colonial Committee of the Free Church. In the spring of 1893, he was forced to resign due to bad health and left in the autumn of 1893. After returning to the United States where he continued to minister, he came back to Bermuda where he died in 1908 and lays in the Church’s graveyard.

Alexander Christie

Alexander Christie

1893 – 1903

Rev. Christie was sent out by the Colonial Committee of the Free Church. He left Bermuda in 1903 to return to Scotland and brought in Jacob Layton as a substitute in his absence. However, he fell ill and was unable to return to Bermuda.

Jacob Layton

Jacob Layton

1903 – 1904

Jacob Layton was originally from the Presbytery of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He ministered under Walter Thorburn while he travelled to Scotland for two years, then again in 1903 when he was brought in to substitute for Rev. Christie. When Christie was unable to return, Mr. Layton took on the role of minister.

Archibald Borland Cameron, D.D.

Archibald Borland Cameron, D.D.

1904 – 1919

Mr. Cameron was sent out by the Colonial Committee of the United Free Church.

James Gilfillan

James Gilfillan

1919 – 1921

Alexander Bishop

Alexander Bishop

1922 – 1927

James McIllride

James McIllride

1927 – 1933

James Purves

James Purves

1933 – 1945

Peter Lovie

Peter Lovie

1945 – 1950

Eric Rule

Eric Rule

1950 – 1960

George Buchanan

George Buchanan

1960 – 1977

Rev. Buchanan was the minister during a volatile time in Bermuda with segregation and political -unrest. With a deep concern for race relations, he became the Chairman of the Race Relations Advisory Council. He was also concerned about the lack of low-cost housing for seniors. He and W.S. Purvis were instrumental in creating the Bermuda Housing Trust where he held the appointment of Chairman from 1965 to 1977.

Dr. Lewis Davidson

Dr. Lewis Davidson

1977 – 1981

Prior to coming to Bermuda, Rev. Davidson worked in Jamaica for 38 years. He was awarded the C.B.E by the Queen for his community work there and an Honorary Degree of Doctor Divinity from the University of Glasgow. Rev. Davidson’s greatest contribution was the ordination of women to the eldership.

Frederick J. Marshall, B.A.

Frederick J. Marshall, B.A.

1982 – 1992

After the sudden death of Lewis Davidson in 1981, Frederick Marshall arrived in Bermuda to take over the ministry in January, 1982. During his tenure the debt on the building of Thorburn Hall was repaid, and two publications were created, Presbyterians in Bermuda, The Story of Christ Church Warwick which was published in 1984 to celebrate the 375th anniversary of the settlement of Bermuda, and the 1990 Directory of Members.

Henry Shepherd, M.A., B.D.

Henry Shepherd, M.A., B.D.

1993 – 1999

Rev. Shepherd was the first Minister at Christ Church to appoint an Associate and Youth Minister to share the workload. The role went to Rev. Sarah Nicol who took on the responsibility of the Christ Church Youth as well an involvement with the Women’s Guild. When she left in 1993 Rev. Duncan McPherson took up the role of assistant to Rev. Shepherd.

Alan W. Garrity, B.Sc,. B.D., M.Th.

Alan W. Garrity, B.Sc,. B.D., M.Th.

1999 – 2008

Alan Garrity was the last minister to be appointed by the World Mission Council. He came to us from the town of Ayr in Scotland where he was the minister of the Auld Kirk of Ayr for 17 years. While he was minister, he oversaw the building of the new church office. He was also responsible for getting Christ Church involved with Habitat for Humanity under the Bermuda Overseas Mission which was and is still led by David Thompson. It was also his suggestion that Christ Church join the Presbytery of Europe (now International Presbytery) as a congregation of the Church of Scotland.

Barry Dunsmore, M.A., B.D.

Barry Dunsmore, M.A., B.D.

2009 – 2015

Barry Dunsmore came to Bermuda via St. Columbas church in London. While there he was devoted to helping the homeless and brought that dedication to Bermuda. He served as a director of the Eliza DoLittle Society and in 2011 helped launch the Loads of Love programme assisting the homeless with laundry services and showers. The programme is still running on Saturday mornings and nowalso offers breakfast. He resigned in 2015 and returned to Scotland to minister at the Cathedral Church of St. Machar in Aberdeen.