The Baptist denomination in the Bahamas  in celebration mode, as  the Pastor of the historic Bethel Baptist Church, the Reverend Doctor Timothy Stewart has been elected  to head the prestigious Progressive National Baptist Convention  of the United States.

Rev. Stewart was elected unopposed  on Wednesday in the annual convention of the organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He previously served as a Vice President of the Convention.

Rev. Stewart joins a long list of distinguished  American Pastors who served  as President, including the organization’s  founding President, the late Rev. Dr. Martin  Luther King Jr.

Rev. Stewart is the first non U S citizen to be so elected.

Lisa Bethel, daughter of George and Patricia Bethel and another Bahamian, has been chosen  as the First Assistant Secretary Elect. 

 Rev Stewart officially takes office on Friday, 10 August when  he  is expected  to reveal his Strategic Plan for the next 4 years. The headquarters of the organization is Washington D.C.

He  has pastored Bethel on Meeting Street   from 1982, succeeding   Rev. Wellington Johnson and the late Reverend Dr. H. W. Brown.