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Stewardship Seminar Message of Hope

Sabbath, September 22, 2007, was a delightful, inspiring and uplifting day as the members of the Message of Hope Seventh-day Adventist church, under the dynamic leadership of Elder Rudolph Strachan, Stewardship Director, and Pastor Leo Rolle, Church Pastor, were led into a “bold initiative”––an all day Stewardship Seminar entitled “12 Baskets of Economic Survival”.  The title of this Seminar was adopted from a book written by Dr. Wendell McMillan, Stewardship Director, West Indies Union, and was used as the key textbook for the Seminar.  Presenters throughout the day included Elder Kenny Deveaux, Stewardship Director, Bahamas Conference, Elder Raymond Antonio from the Bethany Church, and their very own Elder Dwayne Adderley, and Pastor Leo Rolle.

Beginning with Sabbath School in the morning, until the vesper service in the evening, the Message of Hope Church met at the School of Hospitality at the College of The Bahamas in the comfort of an air-conditioned room which accommodated the members in a seminar layout inclusive of tables, writing materials, folders/handouts, healthy fruit snacks and water.

The day began with a short, but powerful sermon by Pastor Leo Rolle on the importance and impact of stewardship in the life of the believer in Christ.  Elder Kenny Deveaux followed with a brief overview of the financial system of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and pointed out the uniqueness of the Seventh-day Adventist church financial system, describing how a member at Message of Hope can assist a church in Africa through the return of a faithful Tithes and Offering.  He continued with a PowerPoint presentation on the “7 Principles of Faithful Stewardship”.  This segment was very interactive, as members were able to ask questions, give their input, and share testimonies on the blessings of the 7 principles outlined.  They shared how, when the principles were applied to their lives, they experienced the blessings that God promised in Malachi 3:7-10.

After a sumptuous meal prepared and served by the ladies of the church, Elder Antonio, a banker by profession, led out in another PowerPoint presentation based on two chapters from the textbook for the seminar.  This presentation was very insightful and informative as Elder Antonio shared a few banking secrets with the members and encouraged them to use the knowledge from the book and apply it to their lives.  He reminded the members that knowledge is only good if they use it for the betterment of their lives and the uplifting of the kingdom of God.

After a short break and the singing of a few songs by the praise team from the church, Elder Adderley gave a unique and mind stimulating presentation that was affectionately labeled, “turning trash into cash”.  Elder Adderley showed by demonstration, the amount of material that we waste and throw away and which can instead be converted into items that could be sold for a lot of money.  He brought and displayed a variety of expensive plants which he sells, and which he grew just from the pieces that people cut from their plants and throw away.   Elder Adderley also demonstrated how we can make our own “vegetarian meats” very inexpensively.   The highlight of Elder Adderley’s presentation was when he demonstrated the things that could be made from the coconut shells that people discard.  Everyone was amazed by the ingenuity of Elder Adderley and his willingness to share ideas and knowledge with the members of the Message of Hope Church.  His final words were “anyone can do this”.

The Seminar culminated with a question and answer period facilitated by Elder Kenny Deveaux, who then led the members into a prayer of commitment to follow the principles which God has given to us in His word so that we can move His church forward.