The unveiling of a new sign, Josiah N. Berkel Road, marks the stretch which beckons the entire St. Eustatius, “Statia”, community to a Seventh-day Adventist institution characterized by excellence.  The Josiah N. Berkel Road leads to the Seventh-day Adventist Lynch Plantation School.   

The school has been owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church since 2001 and provides quality Christ-centered education, which caters to the social, spiritual, moral, physical and intellectual needs of students.  It is built on property donated by members of the Berkel family to the SDA Church. 

The Berkel family of St. Eustatius are former Methodists who embraced Adventism wholeheartedly and have been instrumental in the community and the SDA Church.  This family was involved in the  construction of the former church building that housed members for many years.  The current owners of land along the Josiah N. Berkel Road, who are descendants of Josiah N. Berkel, gave one meter of each property to make room for the road.

Adventism began in “Statia” in the early 1900’s. It is locally reported that Pastor Clifton Garfield Van Putten, who was born on St. Eustatius, travelled to the United States of America (USA) and became a Seventh-day Adventist.  After some studies in Theology, he returned to his native land and made a significant contribution to the birth and growth of the SDA Church on “Statia.”

The St. Eustatius community is served by the St. Eustatius SDA Church and enjoys the ministry of Pastor Virgil Sams.