Sidney Helwig: “A man of sterling character”

Sidney Helwig

Sidney Henry Augustus Helwig was born in Clarksonville, St Ann, to Henry Helwig and Frederica Caroline Haltaufarhide from the parish of Manchester on August 8, 1887. Henry’s grandfather had migrated to Jamaica from Essen, Germany, many years before. 

Growing up in Bethany, St Ann, Helwig came to faith in the Baptist church there and discovered his calling to be a minister of the Gospel. 

Helwig was a student of Calabar from 1908-1912. On completing his course of study, he was offered a scholarship to study medicine in Canada, which he declined. He proceeded to work as Assistant Pastor to Rev. Kirkham for less than a year, after which he went to serve in the Mt Carey/Shortwood circuit. 

It was while pastoring in this circuit a terrible storm completely destroyed the mission house and the pastor was forced to take up residency in the church vestry where he stayed for a year. Then, he answered a call to work in the Duncans circuit and served four years there. Then, after the death of Philip Williams at Bethel Town, the Shortwood, Bethel Town and Mt. Carey churches forged a relationship and Helwig was encouraged to come and work among them. He answered the call and spent six years with this new group of churches. It was while serving the Mt Carey circuit that Helwig got married to Agnes Ramsden, a teacher at Westwood High School, on December 17, 1918. Calabar principal Rev Ernest Price officiated. 

Helwig endeared himself to the young people in the Mt Carey circuit and Edmund H. Greaves, whom he had met in Duncans, was regarded as his “Timothy.” While in Mt Carey circuit, Helwig was a member of the School Boards of the Montpelier and Belmont districts. Meanwhile, in 1929, JBU elected Helwig as its Chairman. 

Repairs to further damage to properties in the Mt Carey circuit demanded Helwig’s leadership In 1936, Helwig accepted a call to the renewed Bethel Town circuit, during his four years there, he oversaw several building projects – the completion of the Shortwood Church building and the re-roofing of the Mt Carey building. A new school was erected at Roehampton. 

In February 1941, Helwig assumed the pastorate of Second (now Calvary) Baptist Church, Montego Bay, where he spent more than three decades. This was the place where his giftedness for ministry received its greatest exposure and received very generous and appreciative response. Meanwhile, he continued to be challenged by the demands resulting from climate-induced damage to church property. In 1944, a storm unroofed the church building. In August 1945, the repaired building was dedicated and the church’s name changed from Second Baptist Church to Calvary Baptist Church. In November 1945, a new mission house which the church had just erected was opened and dedicated. 

In March 1957, an earthquake did great damage to the church building. The church had the repairs done and continued its ministry. Meanwhile, construction work was undertaken at Salt Spring where Iron Shore Estates had given to Helwig a gift of three acres of land. A school which normally met in the Salt Spring church building secured a brand new building for its operation and the Salt Spring church was repaired and committed fully to its intended purpose. 

Throughout his ministry, Helwig who loved to preach maintained his very evangelistic focus. He found much joy in seeing people turn to Christ in faith and grow toward maturity in Jesus Christ. His love of preaching and his hectic pastoral visitation programme led to significant numerical growth in the church. The people were awed by the pastor’s spirit of cheerfulness and relished the joy he experienced over people turning in faith to Christ. 

Helwig completed his earthly pilgrimage at the age of 89, when he died on March 30, 1976, in Montego Bay, Saint James. The cause of death was determined to be congestive heart failure. 

Thousands of mourners attended Helwig’s funeral service which took place on April 5, 1976 at Calvary Baptist Church, under the leadership of Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU) President Burchell Taylor, who was assisted by Azariah McKenzie, JBU general secretary, Leo Robinson of Burchell Baptist Church, Edmund Greaves of Mt Carey, John Bee of Brown’s Town and Clarence Reid of Calvary Baptist. Other ministers in attendance included George Simpson, Lindsay P. Moncrieffe, L. U. Colquhoun, Alan Walker, John Alexander, and Junior Green. 

In his eulogy, John Bee, described Helwig as the “patriarch of the Baptist community in Montego Bay.” He said that Mr. Helwig was “a man of many parts, a kind of jack of all trades,” who had built all the pulpits in the churches where he served and designed all the platforms and church furniture. Bee called Helwig “a man of sterling character, a perfect preacher and forceful speaker, truly a man of God who learnt the art of sharing with his parishioners their way of life.” 

Local scouts provided a guard of honour at the funeral of a man who was a former chief scout for Jamaica. Helwig was buried in the Pye River Cemetery.