Seasoned Seventh-day Adventist preachers have time and again explained the significance of the messages contained in the Biblical books of Daniel and Revelation which some say are difficult to decipher. But from January 12 to February 1 it was a 23 year old young man, Elder Nathan Richards, who stepped onto the community-facing portico of the Guava Gap SDA Church in St. Andrew to preach in the ‘Revelation of Hope’ crusade. Through the work of the Holy Spirit 11 new believers were added to the church by baptism.
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The evangelist and youth leader says Revelation is one of his favourite books and he saw it as a fitting focus.
“I was reading chapter 3:20 which says ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock…’, and I decided that there are powerful words in Revelation that people need to hear,” he explains, adding that the book is not hard to understand if one has the right study resources.
The idea for a youth led crusade had been discussed several months prior but there were setbacks.
When Pastor Kiwayne Ferron joined the district in November 2024, the idea was broached again. Ferron had wanted to have a series also but prioritised the crusade.
“It's wonderful to see young people passionate about mission! As a man of mission with a passion for evangelism, I was more than willing to adjust my plans and stand alongside Nathan as co-evangelist,” Ferron says.
Richards says the youth were enthusiastic about the idea.
“Our church has a lot of young people…they were excited especially because they had so much say in the decision making. For example, they decided to take the crusade outside to be closer to the community.”
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Although he had never preached for longer than a week before, Richards courageously accepted the mission. He says with God prompting him and the prayers of family and friends he felt ready for three weeks.
“I asked God to help me finish my degree before the crusade and He did so that felt like a confirmation also. He provided the time for me to focus on it.”
The messages covered foundational Adventist truths under topics such as ‘Babylon has Fallen’, ‘The Lord’s Day’, ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Mi Get Mi Green Card’.
Sis. Natasha Smith, a church member, had the pleasure of seeing two persons who attended the crusade with her get baptised. She had invited her co-worker, Clive Staffe, to the meetings. Staffe said the messages spoke so directly to what he was experiencing in his life that he could not ignore them.
“The word excited is too small for me,” he says about his decision to follow Christ, “I feel comforted, much better than I was feeling about my life before.”
Smith’s nine year old daughter, Natalia, who has been attending church with her from birth, was also baptised.
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Personal ministries director and Bible worker, Elder Lloyd Lawrence, says there was good community support. For example, Oshane Brown, a community businessman who rents tents, provided a rental for the entire campaign at half the daily rate in support of what he deemed a
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But community members also showed spiritual interest. Lawrence, working alongside another Bible worker, Sis. Monica Boxe from sister church, Padmore SDA, and other elders, gave Bible studies to interested persons.
Lawrence believes there will be more conversions resulting from the seeds planted during this crusade. He praised the church membership for providing strong support.
The crusade also attracted a virtual community. Assistant youth leader, Sis. Ashanté Gray prepared weekly video promos for the crusade to attract an online audience.
“It took a lot of effort but it paid off because I think the sharing of the promos helped the word to spread so more people could tune in,” she says.
The services, live streamed on Youtube, attracted local viewers from across the island but also repeat viewers and commenters from other countries such as Martinique, St.Vincent, the USA and the United Kingdom.
Several nights saw concurrent views reach over 700. The message ‘Babylon has Fallen’ far surpassed expectations gaining over 1000 views on the night of January 21. The crusade team was able to connect with the online audience and pray publicly for their requests during altar calls.
The East Jamaica Conference was represented with president, Dr. Meric Walker, his wife, Sis. Monica Walker and youth ministries director, Pastor Joel Jumpp attending in-person on separate nights. Both officials prayed for the success of the mission at the altar call and gave their commendations and encouragement.
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Evangelist Richards, who has been a visible church leader for many years, is issuing a call for more young men to become Bible students and share the Word of God.
“I have seen a tendency, not only in church but in society where young men are comfortable stepping back. The Bible specifically says ‘Young men, I call on you because you are strong…’. It’s time for us to stand in the roles God has called us to and get rid of the excuses,” he says.
He points to his own family, where he is the eldest of three sons, as an example. His brother Rohane was programme manager for the crusade and the youngest, Jackeem, sang with the praise team and was an integral member of the communication team. Richards praises his parents, Elder Derrick and Sister Jacqueline Richards, for raising them to serve God and for supporting the meetings, not missing a single service.
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