This is an isolated group of islands in the North Atlantic, under British rule. It lies eight hundred miles off the coast of North Carolina, almost equidistant from New York and the West Indies. Today it is the playground of rich Americans, and the hub of a wide air-network. Eighty years ago it was a lonely and almost neglected British dependency, quite away from the normal traffic lines of the world.
The formation of the Bermuda ecclesia was the result of one of the earliest deliberately-conducted missionary efforts outside America. Britain and the dominions.
Some time before 1877, a brother Isaac Jones, first of Florida and then of Worcester, Massachusetts, visited the little colony. He preached, as he puts it, under difficulties, but distributed literature in large quantities. He returned to the United States in 1877, but revisited Bermuda in 1878. By then his solitary efforts had been blessed and, including himself, there was now an ecclesia of eight members. Amongst the first converts was brother Vossmer, who seems to have assumed the care of the little flock. In 1880 is reported the baptism of Edward Henry Whitecross, “after searching for truth.” Because of its isolation the company had little contact with other brethren and sisters, and so their joy was all the greater when opportunities did arise. Particularly helpful were the occasional visits of brother Stone-house from Halifax, Nova Scotia, who was the captain of a cable-laying vessel. He lectured publicly in Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, on several occasions, and gave much strength to the brethren there.
In 1888, ten years after the formation of the Ecclesia, a brother from Massachusetts reported that the meeting — now numbering seven — was in good health, but unable to make much progress owing to the lack of able speaking brethren.
A little later, brother Vossmer left Bermuda for the United States, and his wife, son and other relatives accepted the faith in Boston. The ecclesia suffered a sad loss when brother Whitecross died in deep poverty, leaving a widow and six children. His eldest son, Hiram, remained in contact with “The Christadelphian” for some time afterwards.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One