24 Jan Jamaica’s Youth Leadership Training

Jamaica Conference held its first Youth Leadership Training Seminar January 6-8 at the York Town church. It was attended by 45 young people from 18 churches. The event was hosted by the conference Church Services Board.

The seminar presenters were:

• Bill Blue, youth pastor of Fowlerville UB Church (Fowlerville, Mich.). and a member of Youth Leadership Team of the USA National Conference.
• Matt McKeown, youth pastor of Daytona UB Church (Holly Hill, Fla.), and also a member of the Youth Leadership Team.
• Nathan Gernert, youth pastor of New Horizons UB church (Rockford, Ohio).

The objectives of the training seminars were:

1. To communicate the qualities of a healthy, biblical youth ministry.
2. To develop effective programming.
3. To train youth leaders in how to teach young people how to share their faith.
4. Build a bridge with our brothers in the USA National Conference for future cooperation with our Youth Workers.

Here are some comments from persons who attended the event, in response t the question, “What are you taking back to your local church from this Youth Leadership Training?

• “The need to deliberately create an atmosphere of love” (York Town Church).
• “New strategies, greater motivation, and more knowledge” (Rhymesbury).
• “The fundamentals of Jesus’ leadership style that He use in His ministry and how to improve harmony and balance in our ministries” (Content).
• “A new approach to witnessing. Though from another culture, Bill Blue was excellent. He captured my attention and the seminar was purpose-focused” (Washington Gardens).
• “Every activity in youth ministry must have a purpose, and that purpose must be eternal” (Content).
• “The urgency in reaching unsaved young people as well as the strategies that can be followed to make evangelism and outreach more effective. This was a wonderful training session. It was presented creatively and was very interesting and simple to understand. I was expecting to be bored and that we would be passive as participants, but the sessions were the total opposite (Greater Portmore).

A “Part 2” is planned for later in 2005 or early 2006.