SERVICE AND TRAINING INCLUDED WORK IN EDUCATION
ST ANN’S BAY, St Ann; Dec. 23, 2025
Bishop Baron Washington Simmonds has been recognized and honoured by the St Ann Municipal Corporation (SAMC) for his services to religion. He is one of seven people honoured as local parish heroes by the Civic Committee of the SAMC. Seven people were honoured, at the ceremony in St Ann’s Bay, in October.
(Bishop Simmonds, as the citation was being read)
The retired educator has led the Spicy Grove Apostolic Ministries for more than 30 years. Spicy Grove, near Chester in North West St Ann, is the second Pentecostal Church to be established in Jamaica, and many Pentecostal congregations on the island are believed to have their roots here.
Rev Simmonds’ own journey and career path is an interesting one. He left the community in his teens, and after serving the church in Linstead, St Catherine, and improving his academic qualifications, he returned to lead the church that his father, the late Rev Enos Simmond,s had pastored.
Rev Dr Simmonds gave 28 years of service in education, including 17 at Brown’s Town High School, St Ann, the last eight years as Guidance Counsellor there, after completing his first degree in Guidance and Counselling at NCU. His earlier training had been at CAST (now UTECH) and the Vocational Training Development Institute VTDI, Kingston.
(Representatives of the Mini Miss Heritage Queen competition among the audience at the cultural ceremony where the awards were made)
His earlier career also included being a licensed life underwriter.
Since then, his educational achievements include a Master’s degree in Christian Counselling and an Honorary Doctorate.
He is married to Mary, a retired educator and former Vice Principal of Brown’s Town Community College. Together, they have seven children.
As a marriage officer, he conducts wedding ceremonies, does a great deal of
counselling and is involved in community work, often holding devotion at schools.
He has also served as Vice Chairman at the Brown’s Town Primary School Board of Governors.
Rev Simmonds told the North Coast Times that the Bible verse that inspires him as a pastor is 1 Peter 5 verse 2: “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.”
