Our Story

In July 2015, through a divine appointment, Pastor Derek met a gentleman by the name of Kenyatta Lewis who was serving at the time as the Director of Church Planting in the Caribbean for Harvest Bible Fellowship.  After much discussion with Kenyatta and serious exploration of HBF, Derek and Sheron followed the call to be church planters.

In August of 2016 Derek and Sheron moved to  the Chicago area where they underwent extensive training with the Harvest Church Planting Training Center along side 39 other pastors and their wives.  After four months in training they travelled to Columbus Ohio and Philadelphia Pennsylvania to complete a month of internship with Vertical Church Columbus (Pastor Luke) and Harvest Philadelphia (Pastor Matt).

They returned to Barbados at the end of January 2017 to engage in probably the hardest ministry exploit of their lives – church planting. The church was officially launched on Sunday September 24th 2017 with 271 persons in attendance.

Since our launch, God has written an incredible story of faithfulness and fruit:

• Small Groups Multiply: From just a handful in 2017, small groups became the heartbeat of our church. Today, many groups gather weekly across Barbados, including Student and Children’s Small Groups, where discipleship takes root in the next generation.
• Elder Leadership: In November 2021, M. Ian Blanchard and Dorrance Parris were installed as our first local elders, affirming Harvest’s commitment to shared spiritual leadership.  In September 2025, three additional elders were installed, Kent Emile-Smith, Kieron Swift and Kirk Taitt.
• Youth and Children’s Ministries: Leaders such as Dr. Fay Parris and Kamille Martindale, along with their teams,  invested in raising up a generation passionate about Christ. Camps, retreats, and outreach events have touched countless young lives.
• Serving Through Work: From food distribution and counseling to partnerships with local initiatives, Harvest members have faithfully used their gifts to serve both the church and the community.
• Witness Beyond Our Walls: Members have brought friends, co-workers, and family to Christ. Baptisms and testimonies continue to mark our gatherings as lives are transformed by the gospel.
• Worship and Teaching: Our worship ministry has grown under gifted leaders, leading the church to lift high the name of Jesus with excellence and passion. We've had leaders such as Ayodele Pompey, David Davila, Sheron Ward, and now Micah and Asha Humphrey leading the Worship team over the years. Biblical preaching has remained at the center, equipping disciples to live out their faith daily.
• Sustaining Through Challenges: Like many churches, we navigated the challenges of the pandemic, moving online, and later rebuilding momentum as we regathered. God proved Himself faithful at every step.