It has been 52 years since Rev. Leon Hurbert took up the mantle of ministry by helping to build the congregation of the First Church of God at Sound View Road in Somerset, but Rev. Hurbert still holds a fire inside that passionately drives him to do the work of his God.

When Rev. Hurbert turned 16, he left school to pursue training as a carpenter. He never expected to become a pastor, nor was he even interested in the things of the Lord.

“All I can say is that it was the Lord’s doing,” Rev. Hurbert said.

At the urging of his mother, who attended the Angle Street Church, the young Leon agreed to go to hear a missionary from Pennsylvania speak.

He was so intrigued that he returned the next night, and then on the following night, he brought along several friends.

“After hearing the Word of God,” Rev. Hurbert reminisced, “they called for a decision. “Well, I was touched in that meeting. In 1949, in the month of November on a Friday night, I gave my heart to the Lord.

“That was the greatest decision I’ve ever made.”

Even today, the thought of that special day in his life brings great joy and excitement to Rev. Hurbert’s face.

Strong Christian men quickly took the young Leon under their wings, including his employer, Clarence Godwin, who attended the House of Prayer, and his pastor, Elder Chaisey, whom he greatly credits for encouraging him into entering into full-time ministry.

In 1953, a missionary couple, Mr. and Mrs. Clemmeth Mayes, took over the leadership of the Angle Street church. The couple worked vigorously island-wide ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of those around them and, before long, it was clear that there was a need for a church in Somerset.

“They used to take young people from Angle Street to minister and they must have seen something in me,” Rev. Hurbert said, still with a touch of surprise in his voice. He had been asked to give the message one Sunday morning, after which the congregation in Somerset asked for him to become their regular preacher.

The church outgrew Odd Fellows Hall, which they had been using, and then purchased and built up a property on Sound View Road. Then, as the need came in, young Mr. Hurbert was then sent on to help build the church in St. George’s, eventually moving from services at Town Hall to their own property.

By 1969, both congregations called on the First Church of God’s denominational board in Indiana to ordain Mr. Hurbert as minister of the Somerset church.

While helping to build the faith of the people of Bermuda, Rev. Hurbert has also dedicated his life to building his own family.

Even before he and his wife Rosalind married in 1960, Rev. Hurbert purchased a property and built a home in which to raise his family. Together, they have three children, Terrilyn, Karen and Terrence, who is also an ordained minister serving at Sound View Road.

Rev. Hurbert and his wife have diligently worked together in the ministry, including missions work in Haiti, preaching around the globe, and representing the denomination in Bermuda at Nairobi, Kenya. Mrs. Hurbert serves as president of the church’s women’s missions society.

This Sunday, Rev. Hurbert will officially turn the work of the church over to Bishop Vernon Lambe, who is the National Overseer of the First Church of God.

While he’s not entirely sure on how he plans on spending his retirement, he says, “There’s always something to be done,” whether that be hospital visitations or prison ministry.