William Edwards: Gifted Member of the Household of Faith

William Edwards

On March 13, 1924, William Anthony Edwards was born the fifth child of Joseph and Sytrequilla Edwards in Ulster Spring, Trelawny. His upbringing in the home of a Baptist pastor evidently influenced his development as well as that of two of his brothers - Clarence and Joseph — who also became Baptist ministers. All three of them held leadership positions in the Jamaica Baptist Union - Clarence as president, Joseph as Clerk to the Executive Committee and the Assembly, and William as Secretary of the Jamaica Baptist Missionary Society.

William's early schooling was at Frankfield in Clarendon, when he resided in the home of his uncle William. Later, he attended the Ulster Spring Elementary School where he successfully sat the First Year and Second Year Jamaica Local Examinations, and at Calabar High School, 1938-1942, where he gained the Senior Cambridge School Certificate.

His working life started in Kingston in the Collector General’s Department when he was 19 years old. From the position of temporary clerk in 1943, he rose to become Assessor of Income Tax and later, Assistant Commissioner in the Income Tax Department.

Over the years, he benefited from several short courses taken in several countries. He also participated in international conferences involving tax administrators from around the world. After climbing the ladder in the administration of the income Tax Department, Edwards retired on November 23, 1974.

His second area of national contribution was the Bible Society of the West Indies, where he was Executive Secretary – the first person of African ancestry to hold that position in which he distinguished himself. In September 1974, he succeeded Mr. John Twentyman, a New Zealander, as Executive Secretary of the Jamaica Auxiliary of the Bible Society working on a part-time basis. In his 19 years with the Bible Society, the body became a Caribbean-wide entity with full membership in the United Bible Societies. Its operations were streamlined for effective management and delivery of service. In 1993, when he completed his tenure there, the Bible Society was financially able to hire a full-time person to succeed him as its chief executive officer.

The third sphere of Edwards’ service was the Jamaica Baptist Union, in which he served in many capacities in the Jones Town Baptist Church and the wider Baptist family. 

In 1950, he played a major role, together with Rev. William Knight, in the launch of the Jamaica Baptist Union youth camp programme for girls and boys 12 to 18 years of age.

In April 1961, JBU commissioned him as lay pastor of Bethel Baptist Church and he served as such for eight and a half years – a period in which the congregation experienced  vibrant growth and development – after the initial thrust by a group of believers led by Rev. C. W. McCollough from the Southern Baptist Convention, USA.

In 1969, he commenced 19 years of service as pastor of the Tarrant Baptist Church. This was immediately after Rev Clarence S. Reid, the last person associated with Calabar College or High School to exercise oversight of the church, had completed two years as pastor of the church.

During his pastorate at Tarrant, Edwards led the process to complete the construction of the church building which had been initiated during the pastorate of Rev C. S. Reid. He oversaw the church’s growth and development as a loving fellowship with a passion for  evangelism. He also made a significant contribution to the efforts resulting in the development of Balmagie Baptist Church, which first emerged after the Billy Graham Evangelistic Campaign in Kingston in 1958.

Edwards served the wider JBU family as the main presenter of the “Christ for Today” radio broadcast. In the 1970s, he was Baptist Chaplain at St Joseph’s Teachers’ College.

While serving as pastor of Tarrant Baptist Church, Edwards was appointed moderator of the Red Hills Baptist Church from 1980 – 1983 and he was elected Secretary of the Jamaica Baptist Missionary Society in 1983. Edwards retired from the pastorate effective December 31, 1988.

During his retirement, he served, from September 1988 to May 1991, as Moderator of the Hanover Street/Gardner's View circuit after their pastor, Rev Trevor Edwards had left the circuit to assume the role of JBU General Secretary.

Throughout his pastoral ministry, Edwards enjoyed the full cooperation of his wife, Mavis. It was while he and Mavis Gwendolyn Samuels were members of Jones Town Baptist Church that the couple exchanged marriage vows on July 19, 1952. The union produced three children, Jeanette, Dale and Michael. The Edwards became true partners in the Christian ministry. Mrs. Edwards was active in the Sunday School, Training Union and Women’s Federation. She also served the wider Jamaica Baptist women’s movement as Secretary of the national Jamaica Baptist Women’s Federation.

It was from he started his working life in Kingston that Edwards joined the Jones Town Baptist Church where Rev. M. E. W. Sawyers was pastor. He got involved in the Sunday School and choir, led the young men’s class and was assistant treasurer and deacon. He also sang on the celebrated Kingston Male Voice Chorale under the baton of Mr. Eglon Fairweather. On some Sunday evenings, Edwards attended the Torrington Christian Church, now United Church, where his uncle was the pastor. On one occasion, he deputized for his uncle at the interment ceremony following a funeral service. This might have been the beginnings of his emerging awareness that God might have desired his involvement in the pastoral ministry.

After 49 years of marriage, Edwards lost his wife Mavis, on October 4, 2001. Several years later, he married Mrs. Fern Anderson, a widow who had helped to edit his autobiography, Life, What a Journey: An Autobiography of William Edwards, published by the Caribbean Christian Publication in 2011.

Edwards’ 50 years of service to the Jamaica civil service, 19 years of leadership in the Bible Society of the West Indies and 30 years of pastoral ministry within the Jamaica Baptist Union have attracted much appreciation. When he passed away on November 2, 2025, Jamaica lost a significant contributor to nation building. He has left a legacy of responsible stewardship as a follower of Christ and a gifted member of the household of faith.