A young Anguillian Minister has been ordained, by the North Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. He is Pastor Leriano R. J. Webster son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Webster of Island Harbour – and nephew of Premier Dr. Ellis Lorenzo Webster.
His ordination took place on Saturday, August 21, 2021. Pastor Webster, who is well-known in Anguilla, was a former brilliant student at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School. His academic prowess was of such that he was highly qualified to pursue a lucrative profession in life but he chose to become a Gospel preacher instead.
In 2006 he graduated with eight CSEC subjects and a Certificate in Business Studies. In 2008 he completed Sixth Form with nine CAPE Units and an Associate Degree in Business Studies, becoming one of the best-qualified students upon graduation at the time.
In 2012 he was the winner of the Portrait of Excellence Gala Scholarship Award from the University of the Southern Caribbean, a Seventh-day Adventist institution. He graduated with a Bachelor of Theology Degree with emphasis on Pastoral Ministry – and joined the fraternity of the North Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. He commenced his internship at the Mount Fortune Seventh-day Adventist Church in Anguilla where, as a youth, he preached his first sermon on Pathfinders’ Day.
He was later transferred to Tortola, British Virgin Islands, where he has been serving over the years in various parts of the territory and positions of pastoral leadership.
In June 2020, Pastor Webster obtained a Master of Arts Degree, with Honours, in Pastoral Theology, with an emphasis on Leadership, from the Inter-American Theological Seminary. He is known as an energetic and influential preacher and occasionally serves as an Evangelistic Crusade Reader.
He is married to Jerice Fleming-Webster, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Fleming of Old Ta, Anguilla. Mrs. Webster is a teacher in Tortola and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours in Management from the University of the Southern Caribbean. She is an active worker in Children’s Ministry in Tortola. The couple are the proud parents of a young daughter.
In delivering the sermon, at the ordination ceremony, Dr. Kern Tobias, President of the Caribbean Union of Seventh-day Adventists, based in Trinidad and Tobago, said in part: “I recognise Anguilla for providing two wonderful Christians for the work of God. This is a good work that Christ did while He was on earth and, despite what despondency might come their way, may Pastor Webster and his wife keep their eyes on Jesus because their position is a good work.”
Responding, the Anguillian Pastor expressed gratitude for his ordination, saying it was a joyous and solemn occasion. He said when he became a Seventh-day Adventist, seventeen years ago, he did not have the slightest idea that one day he would become a Pastor. He pledged his dedication to the Ministry and God’s Work.
