Cindy Trimm is living proof that no matter how humble your beginnings, success is possible with God.

The Bermudian author, motivational speaker and preacher has inspired millions of people through television, radio and social media.

She returned to the island this month for the New Testament Church of God’s 70th Convention Anniversary Gala Banquet.

With hundreds in attendance in the Poinciana Room at Fairmont Southampton, Dr Trimm gave a rousing speech based on a passage in Job 32:7: ‘Age should speak, advanced years should teach wisdom’.

“My question to you is how is the next generation going to speak about you and how are your years going to teach wisdom?” she asked. “One of the things Winston Churchill said was, ‘To each person there comes a time in one’s life, a special moment when they are tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do something very special ... and what a dread if that moment finds them unprepared, unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.’”

She encouraged the audience to rise above their circumstances and the failures of their past and become “history makers”, committed to fulfilling the call of God on their lives.

“I firmly believe that the younger generation are the pioneers [creating] new ways to live together, new ways to work together, new ways to preach and new ways to promote the gospel.

“And it is my generation that has the awesome task of training them and sending them forth so they can be the movers, shakers and history makers without compromising their Christian core values.”

While many leaders focus their efforts on managing what’s happening in the present, the “real champions of this world” are those daring to craft a new and brighter future, she said.

She hailed Nelson Mandela, the late anti-apartheid revolutionary and former political leader of South Africa, as “the greatest modern day example” of someone who didn’t let his past deter or define him. Released after 26 years behind bars, Mr Mandela chose to forgive those who had wronged him and was able to re-engineer a new course for an entire nation.

“Leaders come in all shapes and sizes,” she said. “One of the things I found out is this: most leaders give up their dreams because the pressure is great. Heavy is the head of those that wear the crown and when God crowns you with leadership and puts that mantle on you, you need to have the courage to be yourself and bring the dreams that God has placed in your Spirit to the forefront.”

She continued: “You are here now with the power to shape your day, your future and impact change in the island of Bermuda. You are remarkable, a most unique, wondrous and magnificent specimen of God’s creation.”

Dr Trimm encouraged the audience not to follow someone else’s path, to do what they are led to do “whether people like it or not”.

“I know Bermuda and one of the hardest things to overcome is the Bermuda culture,” she said. “This is one thing we don’t talk about because we live in a cookie-cutter culture where people try to tell you who you are and how far you should go. But the person who has courage shall rise to be the leader that Bermuda is looking for.

“Make your life a page turner, make it newsworthy, make it difficult to ignore, make it epic. Give your life, business, ministry, all you’ve got. Commit to an action that moves you closer to the life of your dreams. Don’t try it, do it.”

At the end of our years, what will matter is not what we have acquired, but how we spent our time and the lives we touched.

“The time will come when the wins and losses, successes and failures that once seemed so important will fade away,” Dr Trimm said. “It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the track you live on. It won’t matter the colour of your skin or size of your body. Your nationality or ethnicity will no longer be an excuse as to why you can wiggle out of your responsibility. We all have a responsibility to make Bermuda great and we can each do it in our own way.”

She encouraged everyone to stick to the core Christian values — compassion, courage, credibility and consistency.

“I am standing here today because of those leaders 100 years ago who dared to believe there could be an entity, an institution that would give Bermuda a moral and ethical leadership. They named it New Testament Church of God. Many of those who led it are in the grave, but we are feeling the effect of the Pentecostal tradition with every pastor here.

“One day we too will be in the grave, but what our generation will do will give rise to the next tough-talking, handclapping, foot-stomping Pentecostal leaders of tomorrow and God will send them into all the world to preach the gospel.”