The endeared and beloved Pastor Davis Lloyd was laid to rest after a brief illness on Sunday 29th October, 2023.
Pastor Lloyd was the Senior Pastor of the Hilltop Baptist Church in Island Harbour, and in honour of his service to the nation, he was accorded a national funeral service which was held at the Church of God (Holiness). Moderator for the service was Brother Timothy Hodge of the Hilltop Baptist congregation.
People from all walks of life packed the church to catch their last glimpse of this noble man; to hear of the accolades accorded to his ninety-two-year lifespan; and to pay their last respects.
Pastor Lloyd was not just a pastor; he was a stalwart revolutionary hero who had supported and sustained the pioneers and foot soldiers of the 1967 Anguilla Revolution.
A prelude to the main funeral program consisted of a few testimonial songs rendered by the Hilltop Baptist Church’s Worship Team.
In tribute, Pastor Dwayne Adams of the Central Baptist Church expressed his gratitude to Pastor Lloyd, recognising him as the one by whom he was able to acknowledge Christ as his savior. He testified that Pastor Lloyd nurtured him in the Christian faith.
“It was Pastor Lloyd who had baptized me and gave me my first opportunity to teach the Word of God. He also gave me a chance to lead in ministry,” Pastor Adams recounted.
Also sharing in tribute was the Pastor of the host church, Pastor Phillip Gumbs, speaking in his capacity as President of the Anguilla Evangelical Association. Pastor Gumbs gave a stellar description of Pastor Lloyd’s legacy:
“I heard about Pastor Davis Lloyd long before I met him,” he reflected. “As a child, I heard my father, Pastor Dudley Gumbs, speaking highly of this Pastor Lloyd who was converted in Island Harbour under the ministry of Evangelist Freeman Goodge.
“My father related how – after Pastor Lloyd’s conversion that night – he went home and smashed all the kegs and bottles of liquor that were for sale in his shop. So obedient was he to the call of Christ that the newly converted shopkeeper wanted to be completely sold out to the Lord.”
Pastor Gumbs said that it was through ministers like Pastor Lloyd – who were pioneers for the sake of the gospel – that the church in Anguilla exists today. “He blazed the trail when there was no trail to blaze,” Pastor Gumbs claimed. “He dared to stand for truth.”
He noted that Pastor Lloyd could not be confined just to the Island Harbour village. “Because he was a man who had the nation at heart, he is honoured with a national service today,” he observed.
In her official tribute, the Honourable Leader of the Opposition, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge described Pastor Lloyd as “a loving husband, and a caring father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. His life has left an indelible impact on his family friends and loved ones. His Hilltop Baptist Church congregation, the people of Island Harbour, and indeed all of Anguilla experienced his endearing influence.”
The Honorable Premier, Dr. Ellis L. Webster, also paid tribute to the fallen hero: “It is a sad occasion that we are to bury another revolutionary hero,” he said. “As a mark of respect, flags on public buildings have been flown at half mask from Friday 27th October until immediately after the funeral service.
“A police Guard of Honor is present at the church and a contingent of uniformed Officers will bear the body out of the church and at the graveside in the Sandy Hill Cemetery…It is our hope that these symbols of national respect and recognition would demonstrate our collective gratitude for Pastor Lloyd’s immeasurable contribution to our island,” he said.
Apart from his official ceremonial tribute, Premier Webster remembered Pastor Lloyd’s benevolence to him as a child. He recollected the love and care shown to him and others in the Island Harbour village by the charitable Pastor Lloyd. “Pastor D was always there for us to give us something from the shop for our sustenance on our way home from school. He was always willing to give us kind words of encouragement and comfort.”
To begin the official funeral session, Fellow Baptist preacher, Pastor Cecil Richardson offered a prayer. He thanked God for the contributions that Pastor Lloyd had made to the country; his contribution to the gospel ministry; and the impacts that he made in touching so many lives on the island.
The National Choir, directed by Lois Hazell, led the congregation in the singing of ‘How Great thou Art’. Sister Laureen Bryan read the first scripture from 2 Timothy 4, after which the Choir led the congregation in the singing of ‘Til the storm Passes Over’. This was followed by the second scripture reading from Psalm 23 delivered by Sister Patricia Adams.
Next was the presentation of the Eulogy by Brother Elliot Harrigan. It related how Pastor Lloyd invested his money wisely as a young entrepreneur; how he married his sweetheart Matile, and how he dutifully raised his happy family. It mentioned his skills for schooner building, his art for constructing racing boats as well as his love for the national sport. He was also eulogized as a hero of the revolution, being described as a General in the fray of the revolt. But most importantly he was depicted as a Christian leader and a caring Pastor of his flock at the Hilltop Baptist Church whom he faithfully led and fed for 45 years.
After the National Choir’s rendering of ‘Soon and Very Soon’, the current Pastor of the Hilltop Church, Pastor Gareth Hodge, preached the sermon. In it, he expounded the circumstances surrounding Pastor Lloyd and Sister Matile’s conversion, and his subsequent labour in the preaching of the gospel throughout Anguilla.
“We are here to honour a great man. He was a man of integrity,” Pastor Hodge declared. “Whatever he did, he did it with honesty and to the best of his ability. Was he perfect? No! Did he have the theological education and knowledge that some of us younger ministers have? No! But with his experience and his scope of knowledge and education, he did the best that he could. That was all he could do in spite of the odds.
“So today, that is why we can say of Him: ‘he has finished his course; he has fought a good fight; and he has kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for him a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge shall give him on that day, and not to him only, but to all of those who love His appearing.”’
Following the service, interment took place at the cemetery in Sandy Hill. There, a gun salute was carried out by a contingent from the Royal Anguilla Police Force in Pastor Lloyd’s honour. The flag which had draped the casket was removed by the Officers, ceremoniously folded in military fashion and meticulously presented to Pastor Lloyd’s eldest daughter, Sister Joan Hodge.
May his soul repose in perpetual peace.
