The South Bahamas Conference Youth Ministries Department hosted its annual speech competition, "Voices Unlocked: Speaking Faith, Courage, and Mission," at the Grant’s Town Seventh-day Adventist Church on August 1. The event brought together Adventurers, Pathfinders, and Adventist Youth contestants from Nassau and the Family Islands, alongside parents, church leaders, and community supporters.

    Youth Ministries Director, Pastor Manasseh Simms emphasized that the competition aimed to provide young people with a meaningful platform to share their faith and discover their calling.

     Simms said, “ This is really about something deeper. This is about giving our young people a platform—it's about helping Adventurers, Pathfinders, and the Adventist Youth understand that their voices matter, their courage matters, their mission matters."

     Addressing the popular phrase that youth represent tomorrow's leadership, Simms noted, "Sometimes in church we say that the youth are the future, but today reminds us that they are not only the future, they are a part of what God is doing right now."

     Chief Judge Curtis Bryan, a distinguished Toastmaster, alongside program chairperson, Toastmaster Scharlee Swain, outlined the competition parameters for participants and audience members. The first round of contestants, the adventurers, ages five to nine presented on the topic, “My Favorite Bible Hero."

     Tia Reckley of the Hillview Stingers Pathfinder club highlighted the story of David and overcoming age-related skepticism.

    Reckley said, "I admire David because just how he was looked down on by Goliath because of his size and youth, I too sometimes face that challenge."

    In the second major section of the competition, Pathfinders (ages 10–15) took the podium to share insights on standing firm in faith despite modern peer pressure, using the biblical story of Daniel as their central theme. Participants highlighted Daniel's integrity in Babylon, emphasizing how young people can draw on his courage to face daily challenges in school and social settings.

      Later in the program, older youth contestants (ages 16–30) addressed the congregation on expanding evangelism beyond traditional church buildings and taking faith into daily community life. The participants challenged attendees to use their unique skills, technology, and social platforms to spread hope and carry out the gospel mission active in the wider world.

    Special thanks is extended to the judges; Chief Judge Curtis Bryan, Tamara Dixon, Toastmaster Cassandra Edwards, Distinguished Toastmaster Ernesto Williams, Distinguished Toastmaster Shavonne Sherman, D’nevia Hudson, Distinguished Toastmaster Christine Sweeting; Timekeepers, Toastmaster Khalyle Edwards and Oryan Dean; Ballot counters, Chiquita Culmer and Phillippa Rolle, along with Scharlee Swain, and the youth department of the South Bahamas Conference for encouraging the youth to use their voices for Christ.

  The competition can be viewed on the South Bahamas Conference YouTube Channel. 

VIEW PHOTOS HERE