Bishop John Ephraim Mc Laurin Knight was a man of quiet disposition, but one who was very deep and possessed wisdom beyond his age. He had an abundance of energy, expertise in financial management and a devotion to God which was unmatched in his day. It was a devotion which sustained him through long and arduous periods of work, illness and hardship.

Who was John Knight and where was he from? John Knight was born on November 24, 1911 to Antiguan parents in Plymouth Montserrat. His father, Sydney Knight was Superintendent of the Prison, and his mother Diana Knight was Matron of the Mental Hospital. His parents were the first blacks and the first West Indians to hold such positions in the Leeward Islands.

Bishop John Knight was baptized a Methodist since there were no Moravian Churches in Montserrat. His Moravian father might have unconsciously influenced his call to ministry. In his early years he traveled around as his father’s profession took him from one Leeward Island to another. His father’s devotion to God was beyond doubt for while in St. Kitts, he became a lay preacher for both the Moravian and Methodist denomination.

Bishop John Knight was many things. He was a teacher, a preacher and a musician. He was a natural born leader who had demonstrated a sound undertaking of fiscal management. In addition, he was a sportsman par excellence. He entered Codrington College in 1930 at the age of 19 to begin his formation for the Christian Ministry. Codrington College was then attached to Durham University in England, and while there he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A), a remarkable achievement in those days. In 1935 he left Codgrington College to begin his Ministry in the Moravian Church and first served at Zion in St. Kitts.

Bishop John Knight was ordained a Minister of the Gospel in March 1936 and was willing to go wherever he was sent even for short periods of 4 and 6 months. He was so committed to the call of God on his life that he put aside everything else for the prize of the high calling in Jesus Christ. He served in all Conferences of the Moravian Church in the Eastern West Indies Province with the exception of Trinidad. In 1952 he married Edna Iris Hughes of the Greenbay congregation who was a graduate of the Spring Gardens Female Teachers College and together they had one (1) child, Joan.

Bishop John Knight was elected bishop at the 1975 Synod in Tobago and consecrated that same year. He served for fifty years as a Moravian Pastor and was a committed man of God. He never wavered in his faith in spite of all the challenges he encountered. Like Buckley he was given the name John, meaning the grace of God. Like Buckley he was a pioneer, and like Buckley he gave precedence to the serving of his God over making money. The Bishop thrived on work. He became the first black Antiguan Bishop in the Moravian Church. He fought a good fight. To God be the glory.