I (Pastor Gardiner) was born in Nassau, N.P. Bahamas, to parents who were the antithesis of each other. My father was the steel, an unbending disciplinarian who thought children were miniature adults whose behavior had to be shaped accordingly; to him children should be seen and not heard. But my mother was the velvet, a warm caring humane person who thought children were just that children and the shaping of their character was a long steady process of love and patience; to her children should be seen and heard. This extreme, point counterpoint, in parental philosophy provided an environment that nurture my growth both academically and socially.  This union produced seven children, all of them are born again believers and three are pastors.

I (Pastor Gardiner) was a model of virtue, to the parents in the community, with a character that was desirable for their children; however, to the children in the neighborhood, he was involved with almost all the nefarious activities in the neighborhood. I had an older brother who introduced me to gambling at the age of nine, which started out to be very good to me and quickly led me down the paths of unrighteousness, which led to other activities that were illegal and affiliations with unsavory characters. I dropped out of school at the age of thirteen.

The home I was raised in was not religious, we went to church periodically, maybe once every two to three years, but at the age of sixteen my paternal grandmother came to live with us, which was the first time I saw a Christian. I heard a lot of people who claimed to be Christians but the only difference between me and them was, I was not trying to hide my activities. But there was something significantly different in my grandmother’s life, and she took an interest in me, which I believe was the genesis of relationship with the God of Heaven by faith in Jesus Christ His Son.

Life was not good to me at all, I became very disenchanted with life, knowing that there was more than what I was experiencing, at the age of 23 I visited, Baptist Bible Church, a small church in our community, and I heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and God’s Holy Spirit convicted me that I was a sinner, lost and in need of a Savior. I was presented with two eternal destinies: heaven, which is eternal communion with God the Father, or hell, which is eternal separation from the Father. I choose Jesus Christ and he introduced me to His Father, Who then adopted me into His family. I have never been the same since.

God impressed upon my heart for the ministry, I did not know what or why, but I knew that that was the direction God was calling me to. I applied to Bluewater Bible College and was accepted, while in Bluewater I took the GED exams and passed. I then transferred to Tennessee Temple University, where I graduated with a B.A. in Theology and a B.A. in Psychology. I then attended University of the Virgin Islands where I graduated with a M.A. in Educational Administration. I also attended Beeson Divinity School where I graduated with a Masters in Divinity.

I served as an Asst. Pastor in Good News Baptist Church, in St, Maarten, N.A., where I was instrumental in starting a Bible Institute. I was then asked to teach at Bluewater Bible College, where we stayed for six years. I assisted in starting two churches, and started one by myself. I then accepted the pastorate of Sunny Isle Baptist Church in Saint Croix, U.S.V.I. where I started how to study your bible classes, anger management groups, and grief share groups.

I have been married to Roserlyn F. Thomas for the last thirty four (34) years and we have five children.