Founding of Bluewater Bible College (1962)
Dublin Core
Title
Founding of Bluewater Bible College (1962)
Subject
Founding; History; Calvary Baptist Church; Camp Fortuna
Description
In January 1962, a group of pastors and missionaries in the West Indies met to discuss the need for a ministerial training institution in the Caribbean. In September 1962, Bluewater Bible Institute was founded and started its first classes in the Sunday School classrooms of Calvary Baptist Church on the island of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
In 1964, the 5-acre property of Camp Fortuna was leased to the school, and all classes moved to the new facility on the mountainside overlooking the blue waters of the Caribbean Ocean.
In January 1966, the Trustees voted to upgrade the academic level from an institute to a college, renaming it Bluewater Bible College & Institute. Training expanded from a 2-year program to a 4-year program, and an undergraduate degree in Religious Education was added with two minors: Christian Education and Elementary Education.
The school's name derives from "the blue waters of the Caribbean Ocean that are stunningly visible from its mountainside location." As word of the school spread across the Caribbean, students enrolled from throughout the West Indies, establishing BBC's regional identity. The campus has remained on the original Camp Fortuna property since 1964.
In 1964, the 5-acre property of Camp Fortuna was leased to the school, and all classes moved to the new facility on the mountainside overlooking the blue waters of the Caribbean Ocean.
In January 1966, the Trustees voted to upgrade the academic level from an institute to a college, renaming it Bluewater Bible College & Institute. Training expanded from a 2-year program to a 4-year program, and an undergraduate degree in Religious Education was added with two minors: Christian Education and Elementary Education.
The school's name derives from "the blue waters of the Caribbean Ocean that are stunningly visible from its mountainside location." As word of the school spread across the Caribbean, students enrolled from throughout the West Indies, establishing BBC's regional identity. The campus has remained on the original Camp Fortuna property since 1964.
Creator
Bluewater Bible College & Institute
Source
Wayback Machine archive of bluewater.edu (2002-2014 captures)
Date
1962
Type
Text
Coverage
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Collection
Citation
Bluewater Bible College & Institute, “Founding of Bluewater Bible College (1962),” Bluewater Bible College Archives, accessed July 28, 2026, https://archives.bluewaterbible.org/items/show/7.