Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9 NKJV)

 Welcome, 2024! God has spared our lives to see a New Year, another year of second chances and opportunities. As we embark on this New Year, some will undoubtedly be apprehensive because of past failures and challenges. However, despite the past, we are encouraged by the Lord to "Move Forward." The Lord is with us! Of that, we can be confident!

With God on our side, 2024 will be a great year! Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

At the South Bahamas Conference, we praise God for His leadership, direction, and protection in 2023. The countless stories and testimonies of deliverance, restoration, and victory from our membership last year were all inspiring! Thanks to all our Departmental Directors, Pastors, Educators, and church members for your labors of love in the cause of Christ during 2023. As the Lord commanded Moses in Exodus 13:14, I, too, wish to admonish the membership to move forward now and see the great things that the Lord has in store for us in 2024.

We began 2024 on our knees, thanking God for His past blessings. We anticipate newer and richer blessings in this New Year as we continue our journey. Brothers and sisters, prayer is the key and will be our watchword for 2024. However, as we earnestly pray, we must work with much determination.

This year, we welcome the newest addition to our ministerial team, Pastors Arthur Angila and Moise Arboite, and their families. We pray that God will use them mightily to help advance the Mission in the South Bahamas Conference to the honor and glory of God.

The South Bahamas Conference will engage in "10 Days of Prayer" from January 10 – 20. Concurrent with this initiative, on the weekend of January 12 – 14, we welcome the Family Ministries Directors of the General Conference, Dr. Willie and Sis. Elaine Oliver, who will be our guest presenters for the Family Ministries weekend. The emphasis for the weekend is "Families in Mission," which is the overarching theme for 2024. The venue for this weekend is the Centreville SDA Church.

We will commence at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 12, with the topic "Back to the Altar". I invite ALL family members to join us for this exciting and informative weekend.

 Following the Family Ministries Weekend, guest presenter Dr. Peter Roennfeldt from Australia will conduct a week of evangelism and discipleship training for all pastors and members from January 15 to 18. This unique training is in preparation for our two (2) Mega Campaigns during the first quarter of 2024. Further details on the venue and Zoom information will be available later.

Winter Convention 2024 will be held 19 - 21 January at the William Thompson Auditorium, Jean Street, with Pastor/Evangelist Steven Gates. We anticipate that the presence of the Holy Spirit will resonate very well throughout that weekend.

 As we move forward in 2024, we foresee tremendous and exciting things happening to the Honor and Glory of God. I encourage each of you to allow the Holy Spirit to transform your lives and intentionally fulfill your purpose in Mission during 2024. The harvest is great, but the laborers are few. I invite you to join the army of God by supporting the initiatives of the South Bahamas Conference as we move forward to accomplish more incredible things for God. Despite the challenges that may arise, remember "Emmanuel – God Is With Us"!

-Pastor Kenny Deveaux, South Bahamas Conference President