On behalf of the South Bahamas Conference, we the administrative team, give praise to God for His continued guidance throughout the 6th Quadrennial Conference session held November 13 – 14, 2022. 

Although the meetings were at times intense, we remain true to the mission of the church and pray that through His Holy Spirit, hearts and minds would be healed and that the love of Christ will prevail.              

As children of God our crucibles are inevitable. Jesus reminds us in John 15:18- 27, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’             

Jesus further reminds us in John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another.” As we culminate the end of this Session with the Installation Service for Conference Executive Committee members, I implore you to let us continue to focus on the Mission of God to us. This mission, found in Matthew 28:18-20 states “then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This mission gives each of us the authority and power of Jesus to go into the highways and byways of this Bahamaland, calling men and women to look to Jesus, the author, sustainer, and Saviour of us all. The Pastors cannot finish this work alone and neither can the laity. However, with the combined effort of Pastors and Laity, under the anointing of Jesus Christ, the Mission can be completed, and we can help to hasten the soon return of Jesus.

We invite each Pastor and each member to endeavor to spend time in prayer. As we submit our wills in total surrender to Him and spend time reading and meditating on His Word, we will find peace, comfort, and strength to face the days ahead. As we continue to lean on Jesus, the miraculous anointing and healing power of Jesus through the Holy Spirit will transform our lives resulting in a forgiving and loving character.

As we ponder on the words of the song “Saviour Like a shepherd Lead us”, I pray that we will all combine our efforts and resources to accomplish the Mission of the church and determine in our hearts to follow the loving example of Jesus as we move forward in unity and in faith!   

Pastor Kenny Deveaux
President, South Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.