The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THE TOTAL Youth church (TYC) at Bahamas Faith Ministries is hosting a seminar in an effort to equip leaders on ways to train and develop youth.

The seminar will be held on February 8 at the Diplomat Center beginning 9am. The speakers for the seminar will be Pastor Dave Burrows, a youth ministry consultant, and Lavard Parks, assistant youth pastor of TYC.

Pastor Parks has been in the position at TYC for four months, but has worked closely with the church for nearly 10 years. He said TYC is hosting the annual seminar to sensitize youth churches, and inspire youth workers or anyone who works with young people.

“We will train them on how to deal with today’s teenagers, how to react to the misuse of media, and bullying on social media. There may be people interested in establishing a youth church or ministry and this seminar can provide them with ideas as to how they can go about doing it,” he said.

Participants can expect to grow and learn more about how to relate to youth and young adults, Pastor Parks said.
They will also gain a lot of the knowledge on how to deal with certain issues in their own youth ministry.

“Some people face issues of being bullied on Facebook, and they will learn how to successfully counsel and train persons to deal with those issues,” she said.

Pastor Parks said TYC recognizes that times have changed and crimes committed by young people have escalated over the years. He said seminars like this one is the church’s effort to help put a dent in the social ills faced in communities all over the Bahamas.

“I think it is very important looking at our crime rate and escalating issues that we face daily. It is very important to be trained on how to compose yourself in situations of crisis. As it pertains to youth and drugs and all of these situation, it is sort of like a crisis and church leaders need to stand up and guide people and bring sort of a poise to them. Something has to be done and this is our way of combating these situations,” he told Tribune Religion.

“We do encourage guidance counsellors, and teachers, within schools to participate in the seminar,” he said. 
In working with young people, Pastor Parks said it is satisfying being able to witness a 360 degree turn in a person’s life.
“I get angry when I go on Facebook and see young people cursing and misusing social media. But when I see someone that has been troubled and they pass through our program, and in six months, a year or two years later they are in leadership roles and helping out to train other kids, that is most gratifying. For me that is countless and I cannot put a price on that,” he said.