Church of God Caribbean Leadership Symposium
Leaders of the Church of God in the entire Caribbean region converged on the island of Puerto Rico recently for the first Leadership Orientation and Symposium following General Assembly 2014.
Delegates were welcomed by Bishop Lopez and his team of leaders. Administrative bishops and their spouses, education directors, financial administrators, and special guest speakers Ms. Darlene Carty and Dr. Stephen Mohammed were among the attendees.
Held at the beautiful campus of the administrative offices of Puerto Rico, the meeting began with a fellowship dinner, after which Field Director Bishop Ishmael Charles presented the vision he believes will establish the foundation for the future of the region for the next two years. A special greeting was given by World Missions Director Dr. Hill via telephone, where he challenged the leadership.
Ms. Carty spoke on ”The Excellence of 21st Century Leadership;” she is CEO of the British Virgin Islands Health Services Authority. Former Administrative Bishop Dr. Stephen Mohammed spoke on ”The Emerging Church in the 21st Century.”
The Mayor of San Juan and Dorado, where the national offices are located, attended the dinner where awards were presented to the leaders for their outstanding work.
The Caribbean region has moved with new momentum. Over 49 new churches have been established during the last Assembly period, and 30 of those are in the Dominican Republic. The area is poised for greatness; the men and women are ready to advance the vision.
The education directors, under the leadership of Dr. Donald Roberts, confirmed and established Bethel Bible College as Bethel Bible College of the Caribbean.
The Women’s Department, under the direction of Mrs. Patricia Charles, celebrated their triumphant victories for the past year. Over 4,000 women are expected to attend the next National Caribbean Women’s Conference.
The highlight of the Symposium was the newly-established zonal regions. The Caribbean is now divided into four regions:
Northern Region – Coordinator, Bishop Wellesley A. Blair: Jamaica and Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos.
Western Region – Coordinator, Bishop Elvis Medina: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Curacao, and Haiti.
Central Region – Coordinator, Bishop Wendell Davis: St. Vincent, Grenada, Antigua, Virgin Gorda District, the US Virgin Islands, and the British Virgin Islands.
Southern Region – Coordinator, Bishop Joseph Persaud: Guyana, Surinam, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago.
Thanks to Dr. Hill and the World Missions Department for their support during the past two years, and deepest gratitude to the Lord for His great help throughout the entire region.
–Bishop Ishmael Charles, Caribbean Field Director
