THE LOGOS Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Weekly Publication Volume 6, Number 32, August 11, 2001

Camp Meeting....A Mountaintop Experience!!The first youth camp meeting of the twenty-first (21st) century, Camp Meeting 2001, was a much anticipated event. Youth and seniors alike looked forward to the music, the preaching, the innovation in worship. Church members and visitors alike looked forward to the presentation of the Gospel in a manner unlike conventional forms and approaches, a manner that is symbolic of youthful vigor and thought. The expectation was not to be dashed.

Camp Meeting 2001 opened with a bang! Song leader Curtis Bryan and his team filled the air with melodious songs of praise and worship, while the Mass Youth Choir, under the direction of the pleasantly unpredictable Tony Russell, was never better. The speaker, newly-elected West Indian Union Youth Director Pastor Balvin Braham, was true to his calling as he presented the Gospel in a manner never seen here before. This was accomplished by more than lively preaching. Pastor Braham ensured that every member of the congregation was actively involved in the sermon.

Camp Meeting 2001 was billed as a revival, a series of meetings designed to galvanize members of the church into action, to undertake the tasks and opportunities that the Lord has afforded to them in this most exciting period in Earth's history, and a revival it was. The Gospel was presented as the avenue of salvation, but also as more than that. The Gospel was offered as an instrument to work through the challenges of everyday life; a tool to alleviate the discontent of neighbors and classmates; a helmet to protect against being influenced by unhealthy practices and viewing materials detrimental to spiritual and social growth; a breastplate to fend off the temptations of sexual immorality. God's mercy and grace were shown to be easily accessible to the one who would ask, His power to sustain shown to be far greater than any reward that could be offered or obtained by the temporal and fleeting pleasures of sin.

Pastor Braham is certainly a master communicator, presenting God's message in a manner that made it alive. He challenged us to know that we are a special, unique people, called by the Grand Architect of the universe to carry a message to a lost, dying world. His messages highlighted that God loves us, actively, and has invested in us His time, His love, His son. As such, if we are called by the name of Christian then we ought to act as such. We ought to dress as the spirit leads, we ought to eat as the Bible teaches, we ought to act as such and we ought to go as God directs. As the meetings continued from night to night, the messages built on one another, pounding home the fact that God needs us to do His work.

On Sabbath, a special blessing was sent from heaven as four persons were baptized, who included Pastor Braham's daughter.

The A.Y. programme was a display of unity as a capacity crowd packed Hillview church to discuss with conference administrators, Pastors and lay persons various concerns that exist in the church. This was a rare occasion when open and frank interchange allowed for the clarification of issues. Many left actively calling for regular sessions that would allow the youth to vent similar concerns.

The preaching was excellent, the music was superb, and the concert was wonderful. Beyond all of this, however, Pastor Braham issued a challenge to us. He challenged all members to learn the doctrines of the movement to which they belong and to have at least two texts to support their position. If we are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we should be able to prove it.

We have been encouraged; we have been challenged.

Reaching the World Through the Internet Each week the Bahamas Conference official website receives between ten and fifteen thousands hits from around the world. Last month almost we received more than 50,000 on the site. To God we praise. A "hit" refers to the movement of visitors to various aspects of a web site. We are happy to know that Bahamians and friends of the Bahamas in the United States, Jamaica, and other Caribbean islands are being blessed by the information presented each week. In addition, hundreds more visitors go the site from Africa, Australia, Europe, Russian, The Middle East, The East Indies, China. The e-mails being received from these visitors let us know that they are being blessed by the information on the site, and that they are also being uplifted spiritually. If you want to know what is happening in our conference or in the Adventist Church around the world, www.bahamasconference.org is the place to visit.

Personal Ministries Pastor Toote would like to convey sincere appreciation and gratitude to all Personal Ministries Teams for providing dynamic preachers and inspirational messages last Sabbath during the annual Pulpit Exchange program. Despite the inclement weather, showers of blessings were received to revive the souls of the saints. Our next Personal Ministries emphasis is the Annual Ingathering Campaign. Accordingly, churches are again reminded to submit photos for the 2001-2002 brochures.

Hurricane Preparedness 2001Hurricane season is at its height and preparation is a matter of urgency. The following have been designated Hurricane Shelters in New Providence.