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Roger Alleyne has been sharing the hope of the gospel in Tobago and around the world as a lay evangelist after he was baptized in 1996. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]

From hardship to hope, Roger Alleyne answers the call to serve.

July 11, 2025 | Scarborough, Tobago | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Roger Alleyne fondly remembers growing up with his grandmother in Tobago. He recalls being raised in the Methodist Church, but during his youth, he drifted away from attending.

“I used to be what you call in this country, ‘from the block’,” he said. “I used to go to parties, drink alcohol, and do all those things.”

Alleyne lived without a clear sense of purpose—until he experienced the joy of a transformed life in Christ. That change began with a call from his grandmother, urging him to find a church and keep learning about God. He visited the nearest church to where he was living—a Seventh-day Adventist Church.

“Being there changed my life,” he said.

Roger Alleyne greets a resident during one of his visits as a technician of the electric company in Tobato. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]

A Calling He Couldn’t Ignore

Alleyne was baptized in 1996 and soon became active in his local church, first serving as personal ministries secretary, then as director, and later as an elder.

“I heard so many people say to me, ‘You look like a pastor, you look like a pastor!’ But I had no intention of becoming a pastor—or even an evangelist,” he said.

Little by little, Alleyne began helping with tent evangelism campaigns and gradually sensed that God was calling him to be part of the evangelistic work. “I had been running for a very long time until the Lord finally convinced me through a dream that I should go in that direction,” he said.

Once he truly grasped that the Second Coming of Christ would bring an end to pain, suffering, and death, Alleyne felt a deep commitment to share that hope with everyone around him. He went on to serve as personal ministries director and, once again, as an elder. That’s when he began Living the Mission in his home island.

Lay Evangelist Roger Alleyne makes an altar call during the end of an evangelistic campaign message at the Good News Seventh-day Adventist Church in Scarborough, Tobago, Mar. 15, 2025. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]

Alleyne held his first evangelistic campaign in 1998—preaching in a tent for four weeks. “It was a traumatic but wonderful experience,” he said. Traumatic, because he felt unsure about what to preach and lacked clear guidance. “I just asked the Lord and wrote the best I could. It was an unforgettable experience. Three people were baptized, and I learned so much from that first effort.”

Training for Greater Impact

After the campaign, Alleyne decided to take a short break. “That night, I couldn’t sleep at all,” he recalled. “The next day, I found out that the University of the Southern Caribbean was doing registration at its campus in Tobago. I went, and it turned out to be one of the smoothest processes I’ve ever experienced.”

Driven by a desire to be better prepared as a lay evangelist, Alleyne made the decision to study theology.

Studying at the Adventist university in Trinidad meant Alleyne had to travel every day. “I would work during the day, hop on a plane for evening classes, and fly back home every night—for three years.”

Balancing school and work was not easy, he admitted. “It took a toll, but it was worth it because I received the proper training to do evangelism,” said Alleyne.

Roger Alleyne shares a moment at the beach with one of 12 new believers baptized following an evangelistic campaign held at the Good News Seventh-day Adventist Church, March 9–15, 2025, in Scarborough, Tobago. To date, more than 600 people have been baptized through Alleyne’s lay evangelistic ministry. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry and went on to lead tent evangelism campaigns every year.

Relating to the Hurting and the Hopeful

Whether going from house to house or preaching at large evangelistic campaigns, Alleyne seizes every opportunity to share hope. “When I visit the homes of people for my work, telling them I have to disconnect their service, I find people from all walks of life who are searching for truth. They just need the right place and the right moment so God can guide and direct their lives.”

Tent campaigns, he said, bring out the best in him. “I know the street life, and it’s easy for me to relate to people out there,” said Alleyne.

“When I preach that sickness will come to an end, people hold onto that promise. They may not have a house here, but they’ll have one in glory. When I preach that you will see your loved ones again—it’s only the Second Coming that can make that a reality.”

Roger Alleyne and his wife, Natasha, have ministered together in dozens of evangelistic campaigns across the Caribbean, throughout the Inter-American Division territory, and beyond. [Photo: IAD Communication]

Alleyne plans his evangelistic outreach each year and trusts God to prepare the way. His wife, Natasha—an attorney—often takes time off to support him as a lay evangelist, sometimes traveling with him for public campaigns.

Sharing the Message Worldwide

Earlier this year, Alleyne led an evangelistic campaign at the Good News Adventist Church in Scarborough, Tobago, where 12 people were baptized.

Driven by his love for Christ, Alleyne has conducted dozens of evangelistic campaigns throughout the Caribbean, across the Inter-American Division, and in places such as Africa and England. As a result of his ministry, more than 600 people have given their lives to Jesus.

For Alleyne, Living the Mission means allowing God to work through his life so that others can see His power.

Roger Alleyne’s story was featured in the Inter-American Division’s Quinquennial Report during the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s 62nd General Conference Session in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, on July 10, 2025.

To view the video report, click HERE

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