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TCI: Church of God of Prophecy celebrates its 50th Anniversary

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#Providenciales, October 11, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – The Church of God of Prophecy, will celebrate its 50th Anniversary on October 12, 2019.  To commemorate this auspicious occasion, the church is having a week of celebrations from October 5th, to October 13th, 2019.

The Church of God of Prophecy, affectionately called the ‘Jumper’ Church has been in the Turks and Caicos Islands for nearly a hundred years with its first Mission established in the settlement of Kew, North Caicos.  It is where Pentecostalism first originated in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

In 1961 the Church of God of Prophecy established a Mission under the leadership of Brother James Calvin William of Blue Hills.  The Mission engaged in house to house visitations and street meetings throughout the community of Blue Hills. As the Mission grew, permission was granted to utilize the school building on Bay Road (now the AIDS Hospice) for regular church services.

Bishop Isaiah J. Whyms, was the Colonial District Overseer of the Church of God of Prophecy, Turks and Caicos Islands at that time and appointed Brother James Williams, as the leader of the Mission along with Sister Nanless Taylor as the Secretary. 

“About three months before the dedication of the Church of God of Prophecy in Blue Hills, the National Overseer of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, the late Bishop Alvin S. Moss JP, CBE, received information from Brother James C. Williams of Providenciales and Bishop Isaiah J. Whyms, that the church building in Blue Hills was ready for dedication and church organization.”

On January 23, 1963, the ground-breaking ceremony was held, which officially established the first Church of God of Prophecy on the island of Providenciales.  Bishop Isaiah J. Whyms, laid the corner stone.

On Sunday, October 12, 1969, the Church of God of Prophecy, Blue Hills building was dedicated.  Bishop Moss recorded his greetings and sent Evangelist Clarence N. Williams to represent him in the capacity of the National Overseer and to implement the following:

  • the dedication of the church building
  • to organize the local church
  • to appoint and install Bro. James C. Williams as the local Pastor
  • to ordained Bro. James C. Williams as a Minister of the Gospel

The past and present leadership of the Church of God of Prophecy, Blue Hills, over its 50 year span of existences includes:

Bishop Alvin S. Moss, JP, CBE – National Overseer of Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands

Bishop Isaiah Whyms – District Overseer of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Bishop Clarence N. Williams – National Overseer of Turks and Caicos Islands

Bishop Clayton Martin – Interim National Overseer of Turks and Caicos Islands September 2019 – present

The Pastors of the Blue Hills, COGOP included:-

Pastor James C. Williams   –    October 12th, 1969 to May, 1984

Pastor Hoplyn Parker        –    June 1984 to June 1985

Pastor Sally Williams         – , June 1985 to April 1986

Pastor James C. Williams   –     April 1986 to June 1995

Pastor Emmanuel Rigby    –    June 1995 to March 1997

Pastor James Williams       –    April 1997 to April 2001

Bishop Andrew Stone,        –    May 2001 to present

Many churches, ministries, ministers, pastors, evangelist, and teachers have been birthed out of the Church of God of Prophecy, Blue Hills including Church of God of Prophecy Kew Town French Church, Wheeland and Kew Town Spanish Church, Lower Bight Church, Five Cays Church and other various churches throughout Providenciales. 

We will continue to shine the light and love of Jesus Christ, as we serve the community of Blue Hills, “Letting People Know That We Care.”

Celebrations for the 50th Anniversary includes the following celebration of praise:

Saturday, October 5, 2019   – 10:00 AM A walkabout in the Community of Blue Hills

Sunday, October 6, 2019     – 6:00 Am Pray Meeting, 11AM Divine Worship Service and 7:00 PM Grand Gospel Concert

Monday, October 7, 2019     – 7:00 PM a Night of History. Refreshments will be served

Tuesday, October 8, 2019   – 7:00 PM Bible Quiz and Trivia night

Wednesday, October 9, 2019     – 7:00 PM Saturate the Atmosphere Evangelistic Outreach Street  

Meeting, the Jetty, Blue Hills

Thursday, October 10, 2019      – 7:00 PM a Night of Brass featuring original and existing members of The Turk & Caicos Brass Band and the Church of God of Prophecy Brass Band

Saturday, October 12, 2019       – 10:00 AM Motorcade & Fun Time.  

-7:30 PM Family Enrichment Seminar with Host Presenter Bishop Roger Ball, Ph.D. New York

Sunday, October 13, 2019  – 2:00 PM Anniversary Service followed by a Gala Banquet at the Shore Club. 

The public is invited to join us in our praise celebrations.

 “To God Be the Glory, Great Things He Has Done”

Release: COGOP

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Joyful Collaboration between 2 Regional Foundations Uplifts Tourism Professionals in Turks & Caicos

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CHTA Education Foundation & Sandals Foundation Training Celebration with TCHTA in Providenciales 20 October 2026. Front Row, L to R: Suzanne & Louise CHTAEF Trainers, Wesley Clerveau, PS Ministry of Tourism, Deryck Meany for Sandals Foundation, TCHTA team: Stacy-Ann Wharton, VP – Nicholette Thomas Operations Manager - Omega Simmons Board Member

Turks and Caicos – Caribbean Supercharged Service, Learning & Leadership workshops were enjoyed by professionals from Grace Bay Car Rentals, a local sponsor, alongside a Heavy Machinery Rental Company, a Paint retailer, 8 resorts, a luxury villa management enterprise and 3 TCHTA sponsored junior chefs, including Team TCI Junior Chef 2026, Zaliya Dickenson, who will complete at the Taste of the Caribbean in November for her country.

These workshops were the result of the longstanding partnership between the CHTA Education Foundation and their sponsor, Sandals Foundation, who support the Caribbean Supercharged programme on a different island every year. This year, the Turks & Caicos Hotel & Tourism Association (TCHTA) hosted the initiative to the delight of its members.

The workshops targeted new team members, seasoned professionals, managers and supervisors. Topics included Foundations & Finesse within Customer Interactions, Delivering Clear Expectations for Service Consistency and Making Memorable Moments.

Sandals Foundation was pleased to also sponsor chefs, cooks, stewards, warehouse & purchasing staff from 7 resorts and 2 high schools for an intensive HACCP Preparation & Pre-Requisites informational day, including international coursebooks, team training booklets and each person’s international assessment fee. The course is approved by the Royal Society for Public Health UK, earns Continuing Professional Development Credits, and is recognized globally as the leading Food Safety Management System.

Deryk Meany, General Manager, Beaches TCI, represented Heidi Clarke, Executive Director, Sandals Foundation at the 20 October Celebration with energy and passion for professional development and life-long learning in tourism to ever uplift and grow ourselves. He asked participants to ‘never stop learning! Today is a step upwards in your personal growth and that of the industry. We are never too old to learn, to share our experiences within training and grow”

Wesley Clerveau, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, gave spirited, positive inspiration and congratulations to the participants “Stayover arrivals in TCI have increased by 6% between January & June this year, we are hot! The place visitors wish to be, and your time, application and learning in each workshop is invaluable to us as a destination and to you as citizens and residents. I urge you to put what you have gained into practice immediately and keep applying yourselves; the more you upgrade, the more service elevates, the more we all succeed”

Karolin Troubetzkoy, Chairwoman, CHTA Education Foundation commented “Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year’s workshops, thank you for being fully engaged and making the most of your opportunity.

Special mention to the 8 past participants that we reunited with and are now working in leadership positions, BRAVO! We are delighted for you and encourage you to stay focused and keep shining and growing upwards.

It has been the Education Foundations honor to work closely with our sponsor Sandals Foundation and partner with TCHTA again to create Caribbean Supercharged positivity within each of you”.

Stacey-Ann Wharton, Vice President TCHTA, congratulated everyone present and stressed the TCHTA ongoing commitment to learning and development of members teams and management, along with special TCHTA scholarships for the HACCP session for 3 Junior Chefs, showing the Associations commitment to nurturing talent from High School upwards.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

First Insert: Wesley Clerveau, PS, Ministry of Tourism

Second Insert: Deryck Meany, GM Beaches TCI representing Sandals Foundation

Third Insert: Stacy-Ann Wharton, Vice President, TCHTA

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Multi-Agency Enforcement Exercise Targets Illegal Occupation of Crown Land in Five Cays

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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands: The Crown Land Unit, with coordination and support from the Informal Settlements Unit (ISU), conducted a multi-agency enforcement exercise in the Five Cays area on Thursday, September 17, 2026, as part of ongoing efforts to address the illegal occupation and unauthorised use of Crown land.

The exercise brought together representatives from the Crown Land Unit, ISU and the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force. Security for the exercise was provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. Inspections were conducted across several parcels of Crown land throughout Five Cays, where instances of illegal occupation and unauthorised use had been identified.

During the exercise, a total of forty (40) Section 22 Notices of Unauthorised Occupation were served in accordance with the provisions of the Crown Land Ordinance. The notices related to various forms of unauthorised occupation and use of Crown land, including incomplete structures, shipping containers, derelict vehicles, trailer chassis, building materials and other items.

Where persons were not present, notices were affixed to the relevant structures or items. The exercise forms part of the Crown Land Unit’s continuing efforts to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown land and to ensure that identified instances of unauthorised occupation are appropriately addressed.

The Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands reminds the public that Crown land must not be occupied, developed or otherwise used without lawful authority.

The Crown Land Unit, supported by the ISU and its other partner agencies, will continue to identify and address instances of illegal occupation of Crown land across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Persons affected by notices issued during enforcement exercises are encouraged to comply with the requirements outlined and to seek guidance from the relevant authorities where necessary.

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BermudAir Launches Service to the Turks and Caicos Islands on October 26th, Expanding Air Connectivity Ahead of Winter Season

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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (October 22nd, 2026) – The Turks and Caicos Islands welcomes BermudAir as the airline begins its service to the destination on Monday, October 26th, marking the start of a wider expansion that will connect us with additional cities across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

BermudAir’s service will begin with a new nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Providenciales. The flight will depart from the Howard Hamilton International Airport at 8 am on Monday morning and arrives at 7.40 pm. Aboard the inaugural flight will be a delegation from the Turks and Caicos Islands led by Experience Turks and Caicos and the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA), and will include Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Anya Williams, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Zhavargo Jolly, as well s representatives of the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA), the board of the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourism Authority, Invest TC and local media.

BermudAir will operate the Fort Lauderdale–Providenciales route three times weekly, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, through May 3rd, 2027. making it easier for business travellers with the schedule offering the potential for same-day return trips. The airline is also launching nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and Belize City, Belize, on the same schedule, offering travellers in South Florida direct access to both destinations.

The new service introduces BermudAir’s premium leisure inflight experience to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Flights will operate on Embraer E190 aircraft configured without middle seats, giving every passenger a window or aisle seat, alongside complimentary snacks and beverages.

Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Zhavargo Jolly, welcomed the airline’s arrival, noting the importance of expanding airlift to support the continued development of the destination’s tourism industry.

“Air connectivity remains one of the most important factors in the continued development of our tourism industry. BermudAir’s expansion represents an opportunity to strengthen our connections with key international markets while opening new doors for our sister islands. I am particularly encouraged by the planned direct service between Newark and South Caicos, which speaks directly to our vision of expanding tourism opportunities across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Our objective is to ensure that improved connectivity translates into greater economic activity, stronger local businesses and more opportunities for Turks and Caicos Islanders to participate in and benefit from tourism.” said Minister Jolly.

Commenting on the significance of the new route for the country’s development, the Honourable Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID), stated: “The introduction of BermudAir’s new service is a testament to the continued growth and development of our aviation sector. The Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, alongside the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority, remains dedicated to enhancing our airport infrastructure to accommodate increased airlift. We are committed to working to ensure that our facilities provide a seamless, world-class experience for all incoming passengers and we warmly welcome BermudAir to our shores.”

The Fort Lauderdale launch is the first of several new services BermudAir plans to introduce to the Turks and Caicos Islands for the 2026–2027 winter season. Additional connections to Providenciales are scheduled from:

  • Bermuda to TCI and Grand Cayman: Beginning December 18th, 2026
  • Anguilla: Beginning December 19th, 2026
  • Boston, Massachusetts: Beginning December 19th, 2026
  • Toronto, Canada: Beginning December 19th, 2026
  • Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina: Beginning December 20th, 2026
  • Newark, New Jersey to South Caicos: Beginning December 20th, 2026
  • St. Petersburg/Tampa, Florida: Beginning December 21st, 2026
  • Baltimore-Washington: Beginning December 24th, 2026

The expansion will give travellers more options for reaching the destination during the winter travel season, while broadening access from established and developing source markets. The additional routes also create opportunities for tourism stakeholders to reach new audiences and encourage visitors to explore more of the islands.

For flight schedules and bookings, visit www.flybermudair.com.

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