A new project is celebrating the contributions of black Anglicans to the ministry, life and growth of the Anglican Church of Bermuda.

The public are being asked to share their stories with the Church to shed light on the accomplishments of those who persevered and made lasting contributions to the Church and the community despite the racial climate within the church and outside it.

“There is a quotation from The New York Times which says, ‘every story has a story’,” the Church stated. “The story of the Anglican Church of Bermuda has many stories.

“Some of those stories are well known; some not so well known and others not known at all. Even some stories which once were well-known are now forgotten.

“It was out of the desire to bring to light the not so well known, the not known at all and the forgotten stories of the Church that ‘Rooted in Faith: the Contributions of Black Anglicans to the Life and Ministry of the Church in Bermuda’ was born.”

According to the statement, the project’s mission is to tell the story and to celebrate these contributions through through the written and spoken word and music.

“‘Rooted in Faith’ is not intended to cast blame on anyone,” it added. “It is an opportunity to air the accomplishments of persons who persevered and made lasting contributions to the Anglican Church and to the community despite the racial climate within the church and outside it. Those men and women deserve nothing less than to have their stories told.”

A short list of some of those Anglicans includes the Reverend William C. Trott, Marie Carmichael, Charles McCarthy, Jane McCarthy, Bristol Bruce, Nellie Swan, William Francis Wilson II, Gilda Carmichael Anderson, Augustus Swan and N.B. Stewart.

“You may have information about these and other Anglicans. Help us tell their stories. Please share with us your letters, diaries, news stories, photographs, paintings, drawings, anecdotes, etc. We will treat your memorabilia with care and see that they are returned to you.”

Committee members include Right Rev Nicholas Dill, Bishop of Bermuda, Grace Rawlins, Ruth Thomas, Sonja Grant, Valerie Dill, Wentworth Christopher and Geoffrey Butler-Durrant.

• For more information, contact Ms Rawlins at 735-5544 or the Diocesan office at 292-6987.