Edmund Greaves: Total Commitment

Edmund Greaves

Edmund Henry Greaves (1899-1984) was born at Keith, St Ann and was reared by his maternal grandfather, Henry Gordon, a man known for his piety and Christian character. He attended Elementary School in Keith and then taught there as a pupil teacher. Meanwhile, in his youth, he was organist at the Keith Baptist Church.

Before he was 16, Mr. Greaves enrolled at a private school in Duncans, taught by Mr. Bradshaw, a master from Jamaica College. While there, he benefited from the ministry of Sidney Helwig, the pastor at Kettering, who served as his foster father and helped prepare him for entrance into Calabar College. In 1918, Greaves commenced his 5-year course at Calabar under president Ernest Price.

On completion, he was ordained and was called to the pastorate in the Mt Hermon circuit, St Catherine. When he commenced serving in the circuit, Greaves was undeterred by the fact that the Mt Hermon, the mother church, was roofless.

In 1928, he married Muriel Allen, daughter of “Doc” Allen, a pharmacist in Brown’s Town, St Ann. For him she provided a true, committed and gifted partner.

They spent 17 years in the Mt Hermon circuit, during which Greaves led the Mt Hermon Church in the celebration of its centenary.  Greaves’ dynamism led him to oversee the completion of the then 15-year-old roofless church building at Mt Hermon, the building of a new vestry, porch and choir stall at Zion Hill and the purchase of a new organ. At Lucky Valley, he oversaw the renovation of the building and the erection of a new Teacher’s Cottage.

In 1933, Greaves led the Berry Hill Class to become a member church of the Mt Hermon circuit and, up to 1940, at various stages, the Greaves served as pastor at Red Hills, St Andrew.

Greaves’ next place of service was Salter’s Hill circuit, with two churches in partnership – Salter’s Hill and Lottery. After completing two years and ten months there, Mr. & Mrs. Greaves left for the Mt Carey circuit where they would serve for the rest of their ministry –36½ years of unbroken service. Greaves and his family were to become a cornerstone in the development of the social, spiritual and educational fabric of – the Mt Carey and Shortwood communities. During this time, Greaves also served for periods of time at Fletcher’s Grove Baptist Church, Hanover, and the Burchell Baptist Church, Montego Bay.

In the churches he served, Greaves instilled the love of music and singing and he also unleashed a spirit of dynamism that inspired the people to improve the physical condition of the churches’ infrastructure.

Edmund and Muriel Greaves produced a large family with five daughters and six sons. Despite his devotion as a faithful father and pastor, Edmund Greaves made time for work beyond his circuit. He led his churches to care for the wards of the Garland Hall Children’s Home and challenged them through his personal example to care for people on the margins.

Not confining his ministry to Jamaica, Father Greaves’s overseas stint included guest preaching in Costa Rica, Panama and England. A man of unbounded energy and devotion, he was an effective preacher and a devoted pastor.

Greaves was deeply committed to the JBU and he served God by making his gifts available to the Union. When he was received in the Union in 1924, he was said to be the youngest minister in that distinguished body. He soon won the affection and confidence of the members and was elected to the Executive body where he served for many years. He succeeded J. T. Dillon as Secretary of the General Committee of the Calabar College and served in that capacity for nine years. He was also Treasurer of the Jamaica Baptist Missionary Society. In 1939, he was elected JBU Chairman (now President). Such was the esteem the people had for him that on two occasions they called him to serve additional terms as Chairman, 1956-57 and 1965-66.

When illness forced his retirement in 1979, Greaves was not only a veteran minister in the JBU, but also one of the longest serving ministers in JBU’s history. God granted him five more years on planet earth and, after a brief stay in Medical Associates Hospital, he passed away on July 27, 1984, aged 85 years. He was survived by his wife of 56 years, 11 children, 26 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

His funeral took place at Boulevard Baptist Church on August 3 1984. Delivering the eulogy at Greaves’ funeral service, the Rev. A. O. Fraser spoke of the depth and breadth of the late minister’s career that spanned half a century. Speaking before the large congregation which included many other ministers paying their last respects, Fraser remembered Greaves as “a man who loved the people, a man of dignity, a man of discipline, a man of principle…. Father Greaves lived a full life and was a source of inspiration and blessing to many. It’s so good to hear people speak of his guidance, counselling and the example set by him,” Fraser declared.

Nor was Greaves’ career confined to religion. He was deeply involved in education serving at different times on several school boards and as manager of schools in St Catherine and St James.

At his funeral, tributes were paid by Rev Raymond Anglin, JBU General Secretary, Rev D. A. Morgan of Metropolitan Baptist Church, Miami, and by representatives of the Mt Carey Baptist Church and Calvary Baptist Church. Mr. Charles Blake of the JBU Brotherhood also paid tribute to Rev Greaves.  

A duet by Mrs. Norma Panton and Mrs. Margaret Edwards, two of the daughters of the Rev Mr. Greaves, preceded the sermon which was delivered by the Rev Burchell Taylor of the Bethel Baptist Church.

After prayer by the Rev Luther Gibbs, the Rev Joseph Edwards of the Mamby Park Baptist Church read the second lesson, the first having been read by the Rev Vivian G. Panton.

Rev Cawley Bolt also offered prayers and Senator the Rev C. S. Reid gave the benediction.

The burial took place at the Mamby Park Baptist Church cemetery on Constant Spring Road in St Andrew where members of the Women’s Federation formed a guard of honour. Here, the Rev Dr Horace Russell offered prayers.