St. Catherine, Jamaica…[Danhugh Gordon/IAD]
Adventist Youth from across the church in Central Jamaica are actively training to become better Christians, reach the community and make their voices heard by participating in a Youth Congress at Camp Verley from May 19-23.
The event, spearheaded by the youth department of the church in the Central Jamaica Conference, brought together delegates and visitors from the 169 churches within the region, as well as church leaders from the church abroad. The purpose of the event was to train, motivate and promote the involvement of the youth in community outreach activities.
Pathfinders and master guides participated in the opening ceremony with a parade of colors, special music and a special message from Pastor Leon B. Wellington, vice president for the church in Inter-America and former Youth director at the Central Jamaica Conference.
Pastor Wellington implored the gathering to make the congress this decade the best ever for the Adventist Youth Ministry in the region.
“Make it a decade of challenge to those mired in crime and violence,” he said. “Make them know that there is an alternate way. Make them understand that you have found the answer in living a life committed to Jesus Christ and wish to share the experience,” he emphasized.
Pastor Wellington noted that he hoped the congress would inspire and motivate the delegates to become positive agents in an environment of decadence, immorality and corruption.
Guest speakers included pastor Alfredo Garcia-Marenko, associate youth director of the world church, and Pastor Bernardo Rodriguez, youth director for the church in Inter-America.
Pastor Garcia-Marenko referred to the occasion as “great and historic,” and reported that some 600,000 young people around the world were currently involved in evangelistic crusades under the World Church’s Elijah Project. He urged the young people in Jamaica to get involved in the project.
One highlight of the weekend included the “Impact Spanish Town” program. The program consisted of more than 3,000 youth delegates, pathfinders and master guides staging a march and rally in the old capital, Spanish Town on Sabbath afternoon. They waved banners, distributed literature and prayed for people along the way. Spanish Town has been affected recently by an upsurge of violence.
Young people also had the opportunity to participate in seminars dealing with youth issues and outreach projects such as repainting privately-owned schools in the neighboring communities.
