Grenada

   French control of Grenada, established in the 18th century, was replaced by British control in the next century. Grenada attained independence in 1974.

   Roman Catholicism was established in Grenada under French rule and remains the religion of more than half the population. in 1784, following the British takeover, the Church of England established its first parish. The Anglicans in 1878 established the Diocese of the Windward Islands, now part of the Church of the Province of the West Indies. Some 15 percent of the population are Anglicans.

   The remaining 25 percent of the population who are Christians are spread among a spectrum of groups, most of which originated in the united States. British Methodists arrived in 1789 and the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1903; the latter now has the largest following after the Anglicans. Of the several Pentecostal churches, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies, whose roots can be traced to the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, is the largest.

   A number of the churches participate in the Grenada Council of Churches. While the council is not directly related to the World Council of Churches, most of its member churches are.

   See also Caribbean.

   Further reading:

   ■ David Barrett, The Encyclopedia of World Christianity, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001)

   ■ Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk, Operation World, 21st Century Edition (Carlisle, Cumbria, U.K.: Paternoster, 2001).