March 25, 2008, St. Michael, Barbados…[IAD Staff]
Youth was a key contributor to the success of the Pentecost and More initiative in Barbados. Young people from nine to 23 years of age preached throughout the week leading up to the baptismal climax of the initiative on Saturday, March 15. As a result of their efforts, 65 people joined the church in Barbados.
The youth efforts in Barbados were added to the evangelistic efforts across the church in the Caribbean region which collectively resulted in 1,048 new believers.
Dayle Haynes, pastor of the northern district of Adventist Churches, in collaboration with the youth leaders of that district, built a team of sixteen youth preachers who spoke up for Jesus. Using the youth to evangelize proved to have a unique impact in his pastoral district.
“A wave of enthusiasm swept over the district as members began moving from church to church to listen to the young preachers,” he said.
“The focus was on reaching the youth and the program was essentially executed by the youth,” said Pastor James Daniel, communication director for the church in the Caribbean.
More than 6,000 church members and guests from Barbados and the surrounding islands packed inside Sir Garfield Sobers Auditorium in St. Michael to witness the baptismal celebration. They were also treated to satellite broadcasts from the other major regions in the Inter-American Division which participated in the territory-wide program.
Valerie Thomas-Prescod, one of the baptismal candidates who was baptized on site, said the experience was wonderful.
“I took a stock of my life and arrived at the realization that my life was not what God wants it to be,” she said. “God is my God and Savior and I needed to make a decision to give my life to Him and do His will.”
The church in the Caribbean Union has more than 204,000 members worshiping in 580 churches and congregations. The union is comprised of Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Trinidad, and Tobago.
to view additional photos of the Barbados Pentecost and More event, go to http://photos.interamerica.org
