Biography - The Reverend Ezra Parris Bishop Elect of the Moravian Church
The Reverend Ezra Lauriston Parris describes himself as a “Blue Collar Pastor.” His roots are firmly embedded in the rural parish of St. Thomas where he spent his formative years and where he has served as Pastor of the Sharon and Dunscombe Moravian Congregations since 2002. Born into a family for which Christianity was a way of life, he believes that his upbringing and the influence of his family prepared him for his life in Ministry.
The last of four children born to Julian, a joiner and Clarine a seamstress who later pursued a career in nursing, he received his primary education at Sharon Mixed School and Buxton Boys’, both Moravian schools and his secondary education at Harrison College, where his Christian values were further affirmed as a member of the Inter School Christian Fellowship.
Reverend Parris has fond memories of growing up in the close-knit community in the Shop Hill Moravian Church (now Centenary) and taking part in all the usual church activities. In fact, he credits the Youth Fellowship which he attended in his teen years, for much of his development including his leadership skills. He was confirmed in the faith at Sharon.
Sharon has played an important role in the life of Reverend Parris for it was in the year 1985, during a Provincial Youth Camp on the compound at Sharon that his decision to answer the call to Ministry was chrystallised. The camp holds a special place in his heart because it was there that he connected with several other young Moravians who would also go into full-time Ministry and these included his late wife- the Reverend Julie Joefield.
Reverend Parris entered the United Theological College of the West indies (UTCWI) in 1987 to begin his journey as a full-time servant of God.
After graduating and being ordained at Sharon Moravian, he proceeded on his first assignment at Cedar Hall in Antigua.
His memories of his time in Antigua are fond ones. He remembers being warmly welcomed there and he speaks with gratitude about the bonds he formed with church and community members who were very supportive as he and his wife combined caring for a young family with full-time Ministry.
Reverend Parris also served for several years on the Board of the Provincial Elders Conference, East West Indies Province.
In 2002, Reverend Parris answered the call to return to his homeland and his home parish to serve as the pastor of the Sharon and Dunscombe congregations and he has continued to serve there to date. He is also currently the Superintendent of the Barbados Conference. He considers it a privilege to have been able to contribute to the spiritual development of persons who live in the area in which he was nurtured.
Reverend Parris, a father of two, is not only loved by his congregants as a caring spiritual leader but respected for his humility and down-to-earth approach as a pastor. He is known to be very hands - on and so is he is deeply involved in all aspects of the life of his church whether it be routine maintenance such as cutting the lawns or trouble shooting issues with the audio -visual system.
Reverend Parris was elected Bishop on July 14, 2025 at the 34th Synod of the East West Indies Province of the Moravian Church, held in Trinidad. As he prepares to be consecrated as only the second Barbadian Bishop of the Moravian Church, he affirms the principle that has guided his journey as a pastor and as a leader. It is that God calls us to be faithful. While he is thankful that his 33 years of Ministry have allowed him to touch many lives, he responded to a question about his success in this way.
“God does not call us to be successful. He calls us to be faithful. The question before me is: Have you been Faithful?”
Why Church
Rev. Algernon Lewis
Chairman of PEC
Pentecost is the birthday of the institutional church. The church was born in power, fire, and the impartation of the Holy Spirit. Reading the recount in Acts 2 calls readers to imagine the chaos, the bewilderment, and the pure joy of being where God is manifestly present. No one knew what was happening or what to expect. The descent of the Holy Spirit turned everything around. Rather than just a group of people following a man who was killed and came back to life and then disappeared, they were now an organization or an organism. They now had a mission and a mandate to follow and a passion for both.
Fast forward to 2023, is the church still a necessary part of society? Do we really need the church in its current iteration? Someone may be thinking it is sacrilege to ask such questions. However, with increasing declining attendance at worship and declining membership, it seems that more people are thinking and acting in ways that suggest that they do not need the church. Whatever regular church members think about that perspective, it is the reality. Therefore, we need to ask questions about the relevance or usefulness of the church in the current context.
This article aims to answer the question of why the church is needed today. As you read this article, think about your answer to the question. What does the church do that no one else does well in society? Most of the responses I have heard mention things that are done well by other sections of society. The church needs to know why it exists so that we can ensure that we make the main thing the main thing. In my view, the church is needed because Jesus said so; because it is intended to be the space for orthodox spiritual formation; and because it is God's chosen agent for the building of beloved community.
What is the Missional Church?
The word “missional” has become part of the church’s vocabulary in recent years. Often, it is assumed that this is a new way to speak of the mission that has been part of the church’s discourse from the very beginning. Whereas there is some truth that there is a relationship between mission and missional, their approach to the work of the church is vastly different.
The missional conversation is more than a church growth strategy or the latest fad to describe ministries. Being missional is a clarion call to the church back to its roots, to its original purpose of being the representative of God in the world. Being missional represents a “recalibration of the form and function of the church of Jesus” (The Missional Network Blog, n.d.). This article will share three characteristics of the missional church.
The missional conversation begins with the understanding that God is a missionary God or a sending God. Mission is the result of God’s initiative (Roxburgh, 2015). The missional conversation is rooted in God’s purpose to restore and heal the created order. The central biblical theme is about God’s action of redemption through God’s participation in the world. “God’s mission in the world is related to the reign, or kingdom, of God” (Roxburgh, 2015, p. 43).
