The CARIFES consultation held January 12-14, 2017, in Tobago, was wonderful! Dr. Alice Brown-Collins (Dr. ABC), Felicia Anderson, and I represented GFM and BSAP. Wendy Quay Honeycutt also attended, leading seminars on Passion Talks at the conference.
We thank God for being able to be a part of the beginning stages of developing graduate ministry in the Caribbean. There were approximately 17 countries represented, including Dutch and French-speaking islands.
The main highlights of the consultation were the prayer retreat that kicked off the consultation on the first day, morning devotionals, Passion Talks, strategic planning, networking, and just good ‘ole fellowship with one another, to name a few.
Dr. ABC, Felicia Anderson, and I were given the assignment of being the prayer team throughout the consultation and doing the prayer retreat. The opportunity to serve in consulting with various staff on graduate (alumni) ministry and graduate student development was made available. Dr. ABC and Felicia served Barbados staff and I served Jamaica. Work on Black Scholars and Professionals (BSAP) in the US was presented. Testimonies were shared of the work being done in our respective areas and what these different models of campus ministry looked like.
There was such wonderful hospitality throughout the consultation, and in the midst of hard work, we relaxed, laughed a lot and enjoyed one another while together in Tobago!
One thing that stood out to Dr. ABC, Felicia, and me was the intentional emphasis on intergenerational partnership in ministry/work among staff. This is something we see that GFM and InterVarsity as an organization could learn from as we move forward. This is also biblical as we see the models of intergenerational and multi-ethnic mentoring relationships throughout scripture – Moses and Joshua, Naomi and Ruth, Esther and Mordecai, Barnabas and Mark, Paul and Timothy, to name a few. What we see in scripture is that God does not discriminate with a person’s age, nor do we see ethnocentricity. What you see is a welcoming and willingness of the mentors and mentees. Throughout scripture, teaching and learning wasn’t one-directional, but in fact two-directional. We saw this beautifully modeled at the consultation with no hesitance. And, until Jesus returns, we praise God that there is always room for growth in the Body of Christ!
Therefore, we in GFM and InterVarsity can learn much from this beautiful model of intergenerational and multi-ethnic ministry, as it helps us all grow more in the character and likeness of Jesus because it is what God values. In doing so, we are then able to see and value even more how we are linked to one another as members of one body, and that in order for us to function and flourish the way Jesus would have us in every aspect of the ministry, we then see our desperate need for each other, as the song by Hezekiah Walker says “…you are important to me, I need you to survive.”
Testimonies
Dr. ABC
“I was really touched by the care for the USA team and the emphasis on intergenerational work -- work that included peoples of all ages in the ministry. Felicia and I were assigned to work with the island of Barbados. In addition, I met Prof. Ken Gnanakan, from India, who has written The Whole Gospel of God and teaches at CUME in Boston. He has asked that we meet and talk when he comes back to Boston. His work on having education that is wholestic, from primary school to college, is a concept I am quite interested in. I, of course, was excited that he gave me a copy of his book.
“We actually prayed out loud in the middle of the airport in Trinidad. One of the participants gave a word about the need for individuals my age to continue mentoring and doing the ministry.”
Felicia
“I appreciated the emphasis on intergenerational ministry and the sense of need to prepare students from school to work to be witnesses in the real world.”
Chermaine
“I met a young doctor named Khara who is from Barbados, but lives in St Vincent and serves as staff there. She was excited to share with me about her experiences of living in Kenya (where Njoroge, my husband, is from) as part of her medical studies, and how she desires to return to Kenya someday to do medical missions there. In St Vincent, she is practicing as a family medicine doctor, and hopes to be able to start her own mobile medical clinic one day so that she can reach those in the rural areas of St Vincent who otherwise do not have transportation to get health services. Talk about marketplace ministry and being a person of justice in serving the poor and needy, integrating her faith with work! Dr. ABC, Felicia and I got a chance to spend good time in praying with and for her, encouraging her. In a recent email she sent me, Khara shared about how one of her strategies in moving forward with ministry is prayer!”
All three of us are grateful for having the opportunity to represent GFM and BSAP at the consultation and are excited about what lies ahead in the development of graduates ministry in the Caribbean and continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in the ministry across the Caribbean.
