Mr. Chairman, representatives from the higher organization, delegates, guests, brothers and sisters in Christ, I thank Almighty God for the privilege of serving over the past five years, and I thank the constituency for choosing me to share in this sacred mission of God’s church. All that has been accomplished during this period is the result of God’s leadership and the collaborative efforts of many departments, pastors, officers, and members.
The Personal Ministries Department is one of the most important departments of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. According to the General Conference Personal Ministries Handbook, “The mission of Personal Ministries is to provide resources and train church members to unite their efforts with the ministry and church officers in the final proclamation of the gospel of salvation in Christ.” The handbook further states, “The department aims to enlist every member in active soul-winning service for God.”
Throughout the period under review, the Personal Ministries Department remained focused on fulfilling this mission and aim.
The department adopted an agricultural model of discipleship as its strategic framework. The five pillars, along with their objectives, are outlined below:
The major programs and activities conducted over the last five years were organized into three key areas of ministry and discipleship:
The Pen of Inspiration states, “Many would be willing to work if they were taught how to begin” (Christian Service, p. 59). We believe that training is very important for people to participate in the Lord’s work.
Several training programs were conducted across all ten fields, both virtually and in person. Some of the major training initiatives included:
Inspired by the counsel found in The Ministry of Healing, p. 512, great emphasis was placed on cultivating a personal relationship with God. Devotional exercises were conducted at the beginning of all meetings, seminars, and programs, and officers at all levels were encouraged to participate in monthly Back to the Altar prayer sessions.
Community Services continued to play a vital role in ministry, guided by Galatians 6:7: “Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” The principles outlined in The Ministry of Healing, emphasize the importance of connecting with people through personal effort. It states, “There is a need to come close to the people by personal effort. If less time were devoted to sermonizing and more to personal ministry, greater results would be seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed, and the inexperienced counseled… this work will not, cannot be without fruit” (pp. 143–145).
With this in mind, Community Services focused on three primary areas:
Efforts were made to recruit more individuals – particularly youth and men – into Community Services leadership and participation. Training included:
Youth Empowered to Serve (YES) functioned as the youth arm of Community Services, engaging young people in meaningful service and outreach within their communities. Several fields reported active and effective YES programs, with youth playing a growing role in community engagement.
We seek to engage, train, equip and deploy youth and younger adults in service ministries of compassion in their communities on behalf of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. According to the church, the mission of YES is to develop an appreciation of active service among our youth and young adults.
Several fields, including the Saint Lucia Mission and the South Caribbean Conference, have active and meaningful YES programmes in their territories. The youth are now playing a pivotal role in their church involvement in their community.
We are encouraging other fields and other youth to make good use of this tremendous opportunity to become disciple-makers for Jesus.
The PAIR model guided community involvement:
We have encouraged every church to be easily accessible to families and individuals in need. Additionally, we promote reaching out to people in their homes through friendly interactions, showing empathy, and addressing the needs of those in their communities.
We believe that building meaningful and trusting relationships is the key to opening doors and hearts. As a result, we have been intentional about cultivating and maintaining good relationships with others. This effort has led to many opportunities, including positive responses to invitations to church, evangelistic events and baptisms.
The Acts of Kindness initiative sought to mobilize members to demonstrate Christlike kindness in their homes, workplaces, and communities. Over 500 individuals registered to participate. The initiative is currently on pause due to trademark issues, and prayerful guidance is being sought for a way forward.
We are continually working to expand our ministry to better meet the needs of our communities. The Honours Initiative aims to train and equip our leaders and members for more effective and broader service. After completing a series of theoretical and practical courses, participants will receive a pin to add to their uniforms.
In the midst of financial challenges almost everywhere, people are still giving generously to our harvest ingathering program. We are happy to report that most of our fields have seen yearly increases. Guyana Conference is one of the notable examples of significant increases every year in total collection and funds available to churches as come-back for their humanitarian programs. We thank God for this divine initiative that allows the church to make contact with the largest number of persons in any one program, and witness to them about the love of God.
Seed Planting Activities/Evangelistic Initiatives
Evangelistic initiatives during the period included:
These and other evangelistic activities were used to prepare the soil and souls for the preaching of the gospel.
The booklet Making Everyday Deposits for Jesus was produced by the Caribbean Union Personal Ministries Director to provide practical witnessing tools. This impactful booklet provides over 140 practical witnessing ideas using the FRAN model:
The resource has been widely used across the Caribbean and internationally, and reprinting is strongly recommended.
Lay-led evangelistic campaigns were conducted throughout the Union territory, engaging both experienced and first-time lay preachers in soul-winning efforts. The lay preachers also participated in pastoral district and national campaigns. Some of the initiatives over the 5 years that saw large numbers of Lay preachers include:
We thank God for the many dedicated and consistent Lay preachers and Bible workers within our Union. One of our most outstanding Lay preachers during the period was Evangelist Roger Alleyne of the Tobago Conference who has conducted 16 campaigns, resulting in 354 baptisms. He was also recognized by the Inter-American Division as one of the most productive lay preachers in the Division. We appreciate the significant contributions our Lay preachers have made to enlarge the kingdom of heaven. During the term under review, a total of 884 campaigns were held, and 7,011 baptisms were realized from lay efforts.
The period from 2021 to 2025 has been notably active and successful for the Laity of this Union. Below are some recommendations:
Recognizing the importance of retaining new believers, challenges were identified in preparation, indoctrination, and post-baptism nurturing. Greater intentional effort is needed before, during, and after evangelistic campaigns. Conservation must be embraced as the shared responsibility of pastors, elders, officers, and members.
Jesus reminds us in John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
We are losing too many of our members due to several key issues:
In most cases, the attendees at our evangelistic programs are at the contact stage.
When someone reaches the prospect stage, they are ready to make a decision for baptism. We need to ensure that we assist individuals who enter at the contact stage as much as possible. The more baptized members we have coming in at the prospect stage, the higher the percentage of those who will remain.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to all our dedicated, visionary, and exceptional directors, federation leaders, and Personal Ministries officers, lay preachers, community services leaders, Bible workers, small group officers, and members at the local level for their significant contributions over the past five years.
We give thanks to God for the souls brought into His kingdom through their unwavering service. Heaven has indeed taken note of your remarkable sacrifices and consistent efforts in promoting the message. Let us unite our efforts to more vigorously and proactively preach God’s Word to the world. When Jesus returns, may we hear from His lips the words, “Well done.” Let us continue to give our best for the Master.
Additionally, we extend our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to our three administrators: Dr. Kern Tobias, President; Pr. Johnson Frederick, Executive Secretary; and Pr. Bertie Henry, Treasurer, for their consistent support, guidance, and leadership over the past five years.
Special thanks to Dr. Tobias for his valuable mentorship, timely affirmations, meaningful presence, and guidance throughout the years. His contributions have significantly impacted our success.
I also express my deep gratitude and sincere appreciation to Sister Pauline Frederick, my Administrative Assistant in the Personal Ministries Department, for her outstanding service. Her organizational skills, attention to detail, and professionalism are truly commendable and have greatly contributed to our achievements.
Finally, my sincerest appreciation goes to my loving wife, Donalese, my partner in ministry, for her unwavering support, encouragement, and sacrifice over these past five years. I also want to thank my three wonderful children, Ashealene, Atiya, and Deshawn for their understanding and affirmation along the way.
Most importantly, I want to thank the Almighty God for His wisdom, guidance, strength, and enduring power. All that has been accomplished and all the achievements made are a result of God’s power.
The future of the laity within the Caribbean Union Conference is promising. The gospel commission remains our mandate, and the time calls for renewed urgency and commitment. May we move forward in the power of the Holy Spirit to finish the work and hasten the return of our Lord.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul provides timely counsel, stating in Romans 13:11, “And that, knowing the time, now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now, our salvation is nearer than when we believed.” Indeed, the hour is late, and the return of Jesus is imminent.
This is a crucial moment for every pastor, elder, Personal Ministries and Federation officer, and all members to focus wholeheartedly on the Great Commission as outlined in Matthew 28:18-20. Let us dedicate more time, develop more effective strategies, and enlist additional workers. We must equip and empower more soldiers in the field, utilize every available resource, and engage every member in soul-winning endeavors. Our mission is to “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave, weep over the erring one, lift up the fallen, and tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.”
God calls every soldier to be armed, ready, and engaged in this spiritual battle. Let us go forth in the power of the Holy Spirit to spread the good news to everyone, everywhere.
To echo the words of our late Union President, Pr. Gordon Martinborough:
“From country to country until the last country,
From town to town until the last town;
From village to village until the last village,
From house to house until the last house,
From person to person until the last person,
Then the work will be finished, and Jesus will come, fulfilling Matthew 24:14.
May we all be present to hear the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter into the joys of the Lord.” God grant us this experience as we seek to do our part in expanding your kingdom.
Maranatha!
