“The first ten years of my ministry in the Caribbean can be described with one word – Fantastic!”, smiles Vincent F. Graham of Caribbean Evangelism, Inc.  “I ministered to the Penwood Road Church for nine years during which time it grew to be one of the largest and strongest churches of Christ in the English-speaking Caribbean until political violence destroyed most of our work in the area.  Between 1972 and 1981 I held tent crusades all over the island of Jamaica which resulted in thousands being baptized into Christ.”  Twenty years earlier Vincent Graham would never have believed the turn his life was to take.

      Vincent was born May 27, 1934 in St. Ann, Jamaica to Sylvester and Edna Graham, the third of nine boys.  His parents were poor but hard working and at the age of 11 Vincent lost his mother.  It became necessary for Vincent to quit school at age 12.  “For the next 10 years my life was pure misery,” says Vincent.  He had to work hard like an adult and often received little or nothing for his efforts.

      The family was reared as Methodists with their religion meaning no more than respect for the parson and Sunday as a day of worship.  After becoming a teenager Vincent quit attending church.

      At age 20 Vincent became seriously ill, requiring hospitalization for an illness that was to change his life.  It was during this time that he was introduced to New Testament Christianity by a lady visitor who later sent him his first Bible.  When the Bible arrived, a young man with him said, “Graham you must become a preacher”.  Little did Vincent know that those words were to follow him the remainder of his life.  After reading and studying the Bible for two years, Vincent was baptized into the Lord.  Since that time many of his relatives have become Christians and all but one of his brothers.

      The first five years of Vincent Graham’s Christian life were not fantastic.  In fact he describes them as “extremely rough”.  He was living in Kingston, unemployed, endeavoring to complete his high school education.  But the Lord was with him.  Meeting some of the finest young men at the Penwood Church, they all began to grow in the Lord together.

      Vincent tells how his life turned for the better: “It wasn’t long after that the Lord provided me with a good job at the University of the West Indies.  I attended night classes to finish my high school and enrolled in one of our technical schools in the nights for a course in engineering.  My Christian life really came alive when I started to go out into the country and preached in the country churches.  The people were so hungry for the gospel that they wanted me to come more often, but I felt unprepared.  In 1966 I resigned my job at the University and went to Ozark Bible College.  Both in 1968 and 1969 during the summer I went on an extensive evangelistic tour of the Caribbean and South America.  In 1969 I established Caribbean Evangelism, Inc. for the purpose of evangelizing the Caribbean and South America.  I graduated in May 1970 and October of the same year I was back in Jamaica working.”

      Since 1977 Vincent has preached on a weekly radio program which covers all of Jamaica.  The “Churches of Christ Hour” is sponsored by Caribbean Evangelism and has had good results.  Presently Mr. Graham is ministering to the Meadowbrook congregation in Kingston.

      Alice D. Graham was born April 9, 1943 in St. Ann, Jamaica.  She is a graduate of Ardenne High School and worked with the bank of Nova Scotia since her graduation for 33 years, where she served as Bank Manager.  The Graham’s have one daughter, Janice Stacy-Ann, born December 6, 1979.

      The Grahams pray the Lord’s blessing on their American supporters who have helped them year after year.