After a two-year pause because of COVID-19, it was an absolute delight to attend the 35th annual camp meeting at the Bermuda Institute auditorium and the Hamilton and Southampton churches from June 24 to July 2. Under the theme “Living with Hope,” services were also broadcast live on ATV (Adventist Television) and streamed live on the conference’s YouTube channel. This camp meeting was phenomenal! The speakers were holy-ghost-anointed, and the music, particularly the theme song, “Believe for It,” was a beautiful declaration of God’s power.
Early morning manna, which was virtual, except for the last Sabbath, featured James Yansen, Jr., pastor of the Hyde Park church in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. He focused on the life and journey of the prophet Elisha to demonstrate that “faith is the primary currency in the kingdom of God,” and faith provides opportunities to experience the power of God.
Lola Moore Johnston, senior pastor of the Restoration Praise Center in Bowie, Maryland, and Debleaire Snell, Breath of Life speaker/director and pastor of the Oakwood University church in Huntsville, Alabama, were the keynote speakers for the adults. They reminded attendees that the most significant thing that faith affords is the unmerited faith of Jesus Christ. To build, reestablish, and revive our faith, we must go back to the cross, God’s unchanging evidence of His love for His children.
Youth and young adult speakers included the Atlantic Union Conference Youth Ministries director, David McKenzie, and the Southern New England Conference Youth Ministries associate director, Teddy Williamson. Evelyn Fordham Goodman from Columbus, Ohio, was the featured soloist.
Each evening, a young person received a gift copy of Living Through Crisis, Youth/Young Adult Devotional and Prayer Journal written by the Atlantic Union Conference Youth Ministries Department leaders and pastors during the height of the pandemic.
“Splash,” the theme at the children’s camp, took them on a wet and wild trip through the Bible while pointing to Jesus as the Living Water. Spotlighted were characters such as Jonah, Noah, and others whose experience with water reflected God’s power over the water.
The Pathfinders sold dinners to raise funds to attend the International Pathfinder Camporee to be held in Gillette, Wyoming, in August 2024. To encourage them in their efforts, McKenzie offered two free tickets to the International Pathfinder Camporee per night to the Pathfinder who brought the most youth or young adults to the meetings. He also gifted scarves and T-shirts, the design which represented conferences within the Atlantic Union. On the lighter side, McKenzie promised $1,000 from his department to the Bermuda Conference Youth Ministries sports initiative if department director David Steede II, associate director Damon Hendrickson, or Pathfinder director Dwayne Hill made at least 50 runs in the July cricket match between the churches.
Government officials in attendance on the last Sabbath, July 2, included Her Excellency Rena Lalgie, the Governor of Bermuda; the Honourable E. David Burt, Premier of Bermuda; the Honourable Dennis Lister, the Speaker of the House; the Honourable Wayne Furbert, Minister for the Cabinet Office; and the Honourable Dennis Lister III, member of Parliament.
The 35th annual camp meeting ended with a conference-wide picnic on July 3, organized by the Youth Ministries and Sabbath School departments.
