Some 35 adolescents were inducted into mentorship clubs at the Tent City Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Portmore, St Catherine. The clubs, known as the Girls of Eloquence, Morals and Standards (GEMS) and Brothers of Eloquence Morals and Standards (BEAMS) seek to inspire young girls and boys to attain a higher level of spiritual, emotional and moral standard and to be the best they can be in their Christian walk.
Howard Grant, pastor of the Tent City SDA Church commended the women’s and men’s ministries departments of the church for spearheading the initiative and underscored the timeliness of the launch of the programme.
“In an age where so many young people are being initiated in various activities such as gangs and secret societies, it is fundamental that the Seventh-day Adventist Church come up with this programme so that we can keep the young people in the Church and at the same time prepare them for leadership in the Church,” he said.
Dr Lorraine Vernal, family, women, children and adolescent ministries director of the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, urged the youths to be a beacon of light in their communities. Dr Vernal was the main speaker at the launch.
