South Leeward Mission of Seventh-Day Adventists

Friday 8 February, 2019
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Ministerial Retreat 2019 for Antigua, Barbuda and Montserrat
Pastor Winston Joseph and Family at Ministerial Retreat 2019
January 26th, 2019 | Bolans, Antigua | SLM Staff
The Ministerial Association of the South Leeward Mission, headed by President Andrew Gardner, teamed up with the office of the Ministerial Secretary in planning for this year’s retreat.  The executive of the Association met and planned the program.  This annual event was established by Pastor Charles Heskey who served as Ministerial Secretary of the South Leeward Mission from 2011 – 2017.
This year’s theme was “God’s Marvelous Amazing Grace” and was gleaned from the theme of the annual pastor’s week of prayer.  The significant event took place at the Starfish Jolly Beach Hotel in Antigua where the couples came together for a 9:30am start on January 26th, 2019.
Children during Lesson Study.
The families came prepared for a day of reflection and prayer but also for sweet fellowship and honest conversation about the “joys and sorrows” of being part of a pastoral family.  This year th emphasis was on pastoral spouses.  Pastoral spouses often have to bear the brunt of managing children and being affected by the perceptions of members who have a particular view of how the pastoral family should act and look.
 
The day began with some of the pastors’ kids (PK’s) leading the group with song service; thereafter, the program flowed with significant presentations and also, heavenly special items of music which included a pastors’ quartet.
This year, the Association was blessed to have the Ministerial Secretary of the Caribbean Union, Pastor Ammaran Williams, present for the entire day’s activities.  Our regular ministerial families were present, to include all Administrators and also all Directors who were not away on itinerary.
President, Dr. Carson Greene and Mrs. Michelle Greene
Several presentations were made throughout the day to include the sabbath reading from the special edition CUMAR magazine which was presented by Pastor Walker and family.  Other presentations entitled, “Balancing the Pastoral Family Schedule: Do’s and Don’ts” by Dr. Carson Greene and “Keeping the Pastoral Family out of the ER” by Pastor Ammaran Williams were presented.  Very healthy and passionate discussions took place during and after each presentation, and it was the consensus of all that more time was needed to ventilate some of points. T
he entire day was interspersed with prayer sessions, as families prayed together and interceded on behalf of each other presenting  various petitions to God to include prayers of healing for colleagues and spouses who were facing significant medical conditions.
After the morning session was completed, lunch was served, and all agreed that the lunch was sumptuous, enjoyable and adequately filling.
The afternoon session was beautifully handled by Sis Debbie Browne who facilitated a spouses’ interview and talk back session.  Five pastoral spouses sat as a panel to address questions which had been previously prepared.  The highlight question of the afternoon was their response to the invitation by the moderator to finish this letter, “Dear Mr. President ….”  This evoked lots of laughter, and some of the spouses lit up at the opportunity to share some of their major concerns with the President who was present at the session.
The day came to an end with the signing of “Bind us Together Lord,” and 3 prayers, one by a pastor’s spouse, one by a pastor and one by a PK.
SLM Preach Off, Antigua
January 27, 2019 | St. John’s, Antigua | Shelton Benjamin 
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Organizer with Preach Off, Antigua Participants
[L-R] Dr. Wayne Knowles, Danna Shepherd, Darren Henry, Aquaci John, Benjamin Rasool
In an effort to prepare lay preachers for spiritual warfare, the Personal Ministries department of the South Leeward Mission, led by Evangelist Dr. Wayne Knowles, organized a training program dubbed, Preach Off. This program came alive at the Seventh-day Adventist Church, New Maranatha, on Sunday, January 27, 2019. Pastor Knowles noted that evangelism is life changing and a constant spiritual warfare.
Lay preachers of the various districts in Antigua were provided with a sermon preparation document, the Monroe Motivational Sequence. The sequence consists of five key components that should help a presenter to win over his or her audience. These components are attention, need, satisfaction, visualization, and action. Applying the structure laid out in the Monroe Motivation Sequence can help to bring a sermon to life.
The highly anticipated evening started with a rousing song service led by Sis. Nickeitha Walker, after which opening remarks and welcome was done by Pastor Wayne Knowles. The announcer for the evening was Pastor Shelton Benjamin. The audience gathered from various congregations across Antigua, were given an overview of the intentions of this particular service. The program was not designed to be a competition but an avenue where the lay preachers could receive constructive feedback for their development in becoming more efficient evangelists for Jesus. On hand were a number of Antigua pastors to evaluate the proceedings in persons of Frederick Alfred, Laurenge Challenger, Theodore Smith, Chalvar Henry, Winston Joseph and Linden Elliott.
Each preacher was given 7-10 minutes for their delivery. Sister Danna Shepherd of the Seaglans Central congregation, who has a great love for God and is desirous of seeing souls saved in God’s Kingdom, was up first declaring and preaching a powerful message. She could have been seen moving across the platform with much confidence as she applied the Monroe sequence earlier mentioned.
Next to take the podium was Sister Aquaci John of the St. John’s congregation Sister John is a hairdresser by profession and serves the church as a deaconess and Sabbath School secretary. This was her very first time preaching, but she did such an excellent job in delivering and challenging the audience, that her inexperience was imperceptible.
The third preacher was a young and dynamic preacher, Brother Darren Henry from the All Saints congregation. He loves the Lord dearly and is a musician. He admitted that at a point during preparations for this venture, his became nervous and wanted bow out, but as time progressed he was encouraged and decided to give it a go. He delivered with precision and is well on his way to representing God in a mighty way.
Benjamin Rasool from Montserrat, Presenting at Preach Off, Antigua
 
The final preacher for the evening came in the person of Brother Benjamin Rasool who is a visiting lay preacher from the Emerald Isle of Montserrat. He has been a police officer for 20 years and a member of the Adventist church for only three and a half years. He attends the New Ebenezer congregation and has conducted one crusade so far, rescuing 10 souls from the kingdom of darkness. He presented very powerfully on the process of us being transformed and illustrated the transformation that takes place when we take off the old man and put on the new. When Jesus comes into one’s life, no matter how dirty we are and what we have done he can clean us up completely.
The night came to an end too quickly with a few feedback from each group of evaluator as they shared pertinent information and tips with the preachers for their growth and development in mastering preaching crusade sermons. All of the preachers were highly commended and encouraged to ‘go loose the word’ so to speak. The final section of the proceedings came as a treat from our very own president and accomplished evangelist, Dr. Carson Greene. He presented briefly on the topic of appeals, and shared some valuable tips on making appeals work. He stressed that one can preach a powerful and meaningful sermon, but at the end of the message if the appeal is not done in a way to convince the hearers to respond and make that all important decision, then it would have just been another presentation. He also informed us that proper planning must be put into the appeal to the point where it is even written down.

The planning and execution of the program/training was well received by all in attendance and we look toward having such a service in the near future. We do encourage and challenge everyone who missed this event to plan for the next one.

 
 
Another Preach Off was held in Montserrat on January 30, 2019. Aquaci John from Preach Off, Antigua, joined Kevin Barnes, Brenda Buffonge, and Benjamin Rasool, who was the Montserrat guest at Preach Off, Antigua. From all accounts, Preach Off in both islands was a huge success.
 
All the preachers left confident and more equipped to go into battle against the kingdom of darkness as they all prepare for their various crusades this year. Success is wished to all the participants, and kudos to Dr. Wayne Knowles and his team for a job well-done in organizing this important event. .
Preach Off, Montserrat Participants
[L-R] Aquaci John, Kevin Barnes, Brenda Buffonge, Benjamin Rasool
Educators’ Visit to the UK: Part II
January 23, 2019 | London, England | Stafford Pemberton
As promised in part I of this series on the Educators’ Visit to the UK, here are the details of
British Education Training and Technology (BETT) Show in London. The commencement of the BETT show on 23rd January, 2019 was a transformational, inspiring and very informative forum for all who were present. On display at this educational show were educational software for a wide variety of disciplines at both primary and secondary levels; robots of all sizes and executing all manner of unfathomable tasks; and 3-D printing machines that are designed to equip our Caribbean students with the relevant knowledge and skill-sets that will undoubtedly give them a global competitive advantage for the 21st century.
The principals from SLM who were in attendance were also sensitized and exposed to a very comprehensive management software system that allows administrators and teachers to track the progress of students and the number of times students and teachers are present and late. This software has the capacity to analyze each student’s performance for individual subjects and document areas of strengths and weaknesses after every digital assessment.
What is also phenomenal about this software is that the data is generated for every student as soon as the student completes his/her final click of the electronic assessment. This speaks not only to efficiency in record keeping but also a programme that reduces the teachers’ work load and time input as it relates to grading assignments. Teachers are therefore able to invest quality time in the preparation of remedial and supplementary materials for those students who are in need of such, based on the statistical data generated.
While at the BETT, the South Leeward Mission delegates also observed that the developed countries are rapidly introducing and investing in the concept of robottery in their educational system. No longer can our Caribbean students be given the mere traditional form of education where they are taught English, Mathematics, sciences, business subjects just to name a few. It is imperative that our students be exposed and trained also to assemble and programme robots if they are going to survive and compete in the global market. To our amazement, the show tickled our academic sensibilities when we realized that there are robot kits available and are age appropriate for our preschoolers, kindergartners, primary school and beyond. With this fascinating discovery, we were more than convinced that once our students are exposed to and develop a healthy appreciation for the field of robotics at a tender age, they can and will make a difference in revolutionizing the trading and business landscape in our third world countries where we can be technological producers and not mere consumers.
In summation, the excursion to London to participate in the BETT show was a worthwhile and enlightening experience that opened up endless possibilities on our professional horizon. As Seventh-day Adventist educators, we envision our boys and girls taking their rightful places in the world of work as they would be fully equipped to function effectively and efficiently, once they are given the relevant training and relevant tools now to prepare them for the future.
Mrs. Zelphia Daley and Dr. Eulalie Semper.
 | South Leeward Mission | 1.268.562.8109 | communications@slmadentist.org | www.slmadventist.org
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