Jamaica Church of God Hosts First National Youth Convention

Photo: Spread the Word team with Jamaican students who are sporting their STW shirts.

By Tami Byrd

At the end of September, the Church of God in Jamaica held their first-ever national youth convention. Members of the Youth Ministry and Youth Network Teams of the Church of God participated in the leadership of the historic event.

The group of seven adults and two students returned from the Spread the Word trip to the island nation of Jamaica, rejoicing over what God had accomplished through them. Approximately 150 people attended, including persons from churches representing all regions of the country. The Spread the Word team taught the 5 Principle Training, led worship, and participated in various other ways. They delivered personal messages and more than one hundred T-shirts that were sent by students from IYC2014 in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Our first national youth convention was amazing,” one student wrote of the experience. “God has moved in a very powerful way, and several lives, including mine, were transformed.” To the leadership team from the Church of God in North America, she wrote, “Thank you for your kind words of encouragement, and I trust that your ministry will continue to grow and do a good work as we together spread the word!”

In addition to providing convention leadership support, the team visited the Church of God–sponsored Ardenne High School and Preparatory School to lead at their student assemblies. The team attended mid-week services at two different churches and stayed in the homes of church members. While in Jamaica, they worked closely with the national youth director, Darren McKoy, and other leaders in the Church of God national office.

At present, there are 111 Church of God congregations in Jamaica. The Church of God in Jamaica is alive and well!

To learn more about Spread the Word and the youth ministries of the Church of God, visit www.chogy.org.