St Mary the Virgin Anglican Church in Warwick will celebrate its 400th anniversary through several services in the coming weeks.

A statement said the Right Reverend Nicholas Dill, the Anglican Bishop of Bermuda, will lead a dedication service to free and enslaved Black people near the Rubber Tree, across from the Middle Road church, on September 13.

The service, to begin at 3pm, will honour Black people who could not be buried on St Mary’s grounds during enslavement and racial segregation, and were instead laid to rest in the old Warwick graveyard near the Rubber Tree.

A group led by musician Robert Edwards will perform during a jazz service at the church from 4pm on September 27, refreshments will be served after this event.

The Most Reverend Philip Wright, the Anglican Archbishop of the Province of the West Indies, will be the guest preacher during a special rededication service at the church on October 4, to start at 4pm.

The Reverend Carl Williams, priest-in-charge at St Mary’s, who will lead that service, said: “400 years is a remarkable milestone in the life of any community of faith.

“As we celebrate this anniversary, we give thanks for those who have gone before us, acknowledge all aspects of our shared history and renew our commitment to serving God and our community for generations to come.”