Adventist Beauty Village “Youth on Duty” on the island of Saint Lucia

Seventh-day Adventist youth in Saint Lucia recently gathered in the town of Soufrière in the southwestern part of the island to plant dozens of palm trees and flowering plants as part of a community impact initiative led by the Saint Lucia Mission Youth Ministries Department. More than 100 young people, aged between 15 and 35 years, carried out cleaning and digging work as part of the annual youth conference held on the island.

“The goal of this effort was to strengthen their relationship with and appreciation for God through service to God, each other and the community,” said Richard Randolph, Director of Youth Ministries at the Saint Lucia Mission and lead organizer of the event.

The beautification project, called “Youth in Service,” has caught the attention of the city of Soufrière and its civic leaders.

Cletus Didier, deputy mayor of the villages of Soufriere and Fond Saint-Jacques, was present at the cleaning and planting of flowers and palm trees in the new development village of Soufriere. “The turnout and your participation is a testament to how strong, effective and influential you are as a positive unit,” Didier told the youth group. “I can assure you that the Council of the Soufrière-Fond-Saint-Jacques Department will give your project all the attention and care it needs so that your efforts and sweat are not in vain.”

The youth planted 22 palm trees and 133 flowering plants.

The project was part of this year’s Youth Conference, which attracted more than 300 young people. Randolph said the event titled “The Soufriere Impact” aims to empower youth to undertake a series of community and beautification projects in South Soufriere. “Such initiatives align with the conference’s core goals and also emphasize the practical application of their faith through community service and engagement.” Randolph added that the Islandwide Youth Conference has not been held since before the pandemic hit in 2020, so it was special to engage and equip so many young people to be active agents in sharing the gospel and serving others.

Roger Stephen, Head of the Saint Lucia Mission, praised the youth for the passion and commitment they showed in the tree planting and beautification project. “This is simply evidence that the church cares about the community and presents Jesus in our communities through the practical message of the gospel,” Stephen said.

Randolph said this was the Saint Lucia Mission’s first attempt to organize and coordinate beautification efforts on its territory.

Trenton Emanuel, a member of Fond Saint Jacques Seventh-day Adventist Church and site project manager, donated and provided funding for plants, flowers, tools and topsoil needed to complete the project.

“We wanted to participate in reaffirming the vision and commitment of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its stewardship to preserving and loving the environment in Saint Lucia,” said Randolph, who is also director of Chaplaincy and Public Campus Ministries for the St. Lucia Mission. “As Adventists, appreciating the community we live in is very important. A beautiful city is a happy city, because it produces happy, healthy citizens.

More than 15,700 Seventh-day Adventists in Saint Lucia worship in 50 congregations. The church oversees three elementary schools and one high school.

the An original copy This story was published on the Pan-American section News website.