"Choices" was an open-invitation series that was held this past week to lift up the youth of the community no easy task during these perilous times.

Sponsored by the Devonshire Seventh-Day Adventist Church and hosted by Pastor Ryan Simpson and Dr. Steve Case (who is an experienced youth professional), the programme was geared towards 13-18 year olds and finishes up this evening.

It was held at the Berkeley Institute gymnasium which was transformed into a game arcade based on the four "F's"; Fun, Food, Faith and Fellowship included activities, food, team building, fellowship and decision-making.

"Everything we did revolved around choices," explained Pastor Simpson. "There are many roads, but only one choice to be made. So we are not telling them what the choice is, but we are encouraging them to make good choices – choices that are right and good."

An element about this experience that was positive to note was that it was not reactive to the recent events that have plagued our Island, but was planned for the youth for some time.

Pastor Damon Hendrickson of the Midland Heights SDA Church said: "We felt that in light of all the recent events, when you think of all the evidence of anti-social behaviour – lack of activities, lack of good decision-making – these were some of the key areas to focus on. The team building was an important component.

"You want to be able to make positive choices as a group. This kind of event has a real impact against the negative activities going on in society without having strong religious overtones – a week of prayer on steroids so to speak."

Pastor Simpson emphasised: "It was not denominational–- it was faith. The young people are asking for more church stuff. The young people are searching and have a real need for spiritual revival."

Nightly, there has been an average of 70-75 participants and they've willingly taken part in the meal and games which included football, table tennis, basketball, pool and wii activities. This was followed by a short worship service and team-building session. The timing was perfect (5-9 p.m.), so that youth could start early in the evening and get home at a decent time.

"We just let them talk about their issues," said Pastor Simpson. "They have tough decisions to make, but have established relationships with each other as well as with trusted adults."

Pastor Hendrickson noted: "It's an awesome programme – life-changing, impactful. You'll be hard pressed to find a week-long event and find this amount of participants of this age group with no negative incidents. It deserves applause."

"The first night, everyone was hesitant to participate, and now it's to the point that no one wants to leave!" exclaimed Pastor Simpson.

"I would say it was a success in more than one way. In terms of numbers, we've gotten more than we've bargained for. Every night there are new faces. It's a success also in that we are achieving our objective of fun. The young people have a place to hang out and vent in the right way. Also, young people are standing up to make decisions for what's right! They are choosing God – they are not superficial when they pray, they are deep and genuine."

Additional comments have been made on the Facebook page (DCL youth alive) from the participants who are encouraging their friends to come and participate in these kinds of activities.

Today's finale is an all-day event starting at 10 a.m. and will be an all-encompassing day. While any and all are welcome to come and enjoy the programme, registered participants will be treated to great food and an impactful programme to keep them inspired to continue doing good.

The positive outreach continues with a separate series entitled "Word on the Street" that will be sponsored by the Midland Heights church. Scheduled to run from August 21-September 4 from 6.30-8 p.m., there will also be free food and parking as well as a study hall for children in school and child care.

Known as the church behind the bus stop at the top of Crawl Hill in Hamilton Parish, they have the perfect location to hold such a series. Pastor Hendrickson said: "Playing on a popular colloquialism, Jesus Christ is the Word, and most of his preaching was done on the street. It's going to show the Bible is a practical tool that can be used in on a daily basis."

It's a short, simple programme designed to inspire and motivate people to get along with themselves and others.

Pastor Hendrickson said: "There are some people who say, 'what makes this event different from any other?', and I say nothing other than what Christ said in John 12:32 'And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.' As a proclaimer of the gospel, I'm a firm believer that it's in these times, more than ever that we need to be proclaiming the gospel. I've never seen a community go wrong whenever they choose the Word."

This invitation goes out to everyone on the Island who is interested in getting to know God better in order to be at peace with themselves and others.