William Menzie Webb, 1879-1912: Combining Daring Vision and Courageous Action

 

Stewart Town Baptist Church

 

William Menzie Webb was born on January 12, 1839, at Southampton, near Brown's Town, St Ann, which was then the property of Mr J. Parry.

His father, William Webb (Sr.), was united in marriage to Jane Syms, who was born in Shillington, Central Bedfordshire, England. The wedding took place at a church in Aboukir in 1838. Webb Sr. became manager of the Southampton Estate.  

Webb’s mother, a deeply devout woman, sought to bring up her son “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”  Webb spoke frequently of the godly influence his mother provided him during his childhood. Mrs Webb was a member of the Brown’s Town Baptist Church. She was principally responsible for bringing up her children in an atmosphere marked by the daily reading of the Holy Bible and family worship morning and evening with father, children, servants and visitors in attendance.

When he was about six years of age, Webb’s parents removed to their own property in Alexandria, in the Dry Harbour Mountains. They owned properties called Orange Vale and “The Mills.”

In those early years after emancipation, many parents longed for their children to receive a good education and this was one of the main concerns of Mr Webb (Sr.). So, while his son was still young, when men from Britain travelled about the countryside seeking jobs as teachers and accountants, he hired an elderly Englishman, a Mr. Cousins, as William’s tutor. Cousins taught young Webb to repeat from memory the Church of England Catechism and he introduced him to Thomas Dilworth’s spelling book and other books of that class.

At ten years of age, Webb’s father took him to Falmouth, boarded him with a family of strict Church people, and enrolled him at the Kirk school, under Mr. William Miller, a Scotch teacher with an outstanding reputation. Young Webb remained there for three years and his progress was considered satisfactory. While at Falmouth, Webb paid close attention to the sermons of the learned and devout rector, Dr Mc Grath. Webb was growing up in the path of godliness and virtue.

When he was 13, Webb returned home to his parents with solemn thoughts of God and of God’s gift of salvation given through Jesus Christ. He shared his thoughts with his mother, which filled her with joy. She advised her son to contact Rev John Clark, the celebrated pastor of Brown’s Town and Bethany Baptist Churches, and let him know about his desire for baptism. In that same year, his thirteenth, Webb was baptized and received into the fellowship of the Bethany Church.

He remained at home for two years pursuing his studies, and in January 1854, when he was fifteen years of age, he applied and gained admission to the Mico institution, which was then under the leadership of Julius Oliver Beardslee, an American abolitionist who contributed to the introduction of the Disciples of Christ Church in Jamaica.

For three years, Mr. Webb pursued his studies at the Mico. One of his outstanding teachers was   William Whitehorne, who succeeded Beardslee as principal of Mico. Webb left Mico with a first-class certificate when he was only eighteen. At the invitation of Rev. Benjamin Millard, then Baptist Minister of St. Ann's Bay, he took charge of the St Ann’s Bay Baptist Day School. Some of his students were young men and young women older than their teacher. They soon discovered that the teacher, although young, knew how to command respect, maintain discipline, and teach his pupils.

Webb was a strict and efficient teacher and the school flourished under his leadership. Soon, the student body moved from about 60 to more than 100 pupils. Mr. Millard recognized Webb’s exceptional gifts and not only placed his name in the church’s preaching plan, but offered to assist him in further studies. After two years of successful teaching work at St. Ann's Bay, Webb applied for admission to Calabar Theological Institution, then located at Calabar, near Rio Bueno. He was admitted, and came under the able leadership of Rev. David Jonathan East, Calabar’s president.

Over his four years at Calabar, Webb excelled in his studies and developed proficiency in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Theology and English Literature. East had the highest regard for Webb and looked forward to his future ministry with enthusiasm and optimism. 

When Webb completed the Calabar programme in December 1862, President East had temporary oversight of the Stewart Town Baptist Church, where Thomas Lea, William Knibb’s nephew, had just resigned the pastorate. East encouraged the church to invite Webb to be their minister. However, some of the deacons of the church and many of the members were not ready to have a Black minister and a young one at that. However, one of the deacons, Edward Samuels, a man of means and influence in the church, favoured Webb and promised that if Webb were accepted as pastor, he would contribute to augment Webb’s salary. The people accepted the offer and, in March 1863, Webb became pastor in the Stewart Town circuit, which included the Gibraltar church. In protest, some members left the church, but  returned later after realizing their folly. In November, 1863, Webb was ordained to the ministry and, with wisdom and zeal, he applied himself to the work of God.

Gibraltar Baptist Church

The Gibraltar Church was meeting for worship in an old coffee house when Webb became pastor there. Webb led them to erect a beautiful edifice which became the pride of the district. Church membership grew as people responded to the proclamation of the Gospel. Such was the rate of growth that, after a few years, Webb suggested that some of the members who had to walk for several miles to church should withdraw from the Gibraltar Church and form a church in Watt Town, some five miles away. One of the members, a Mr. Jarrett, donated land for the construction of a church building and the people, in appreciation, called the church Jarretton Baptist Church.

A visionary, Webb continued to plan for the expansion of the ministry of the church. Recognizing that the Stewart Town church building was too small to accommodate the worshippers, he influenced some members of the church to unite in forming another church in the district of Keith, a few miles from Stewart Town. There they erected a church building which brought corporate worship in the community nearer to people who were not likely to travel on foot over the distance from Keith to Stewart Town.

   

William Webb

             

Keith Baptist Church