The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunmedia.net

REACH Out Youth Organisation (ROYO) received a much-needed donation on Wednesday from a US church group that is visiting Grand Bahama this week.

Jeff Shipley, senior pastor of Whitten Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, and several members of his congregation brought over a 20-ft trailer full of supplies to Reach Out Community Centre at Banyon Lane.

The group donated about $16,000 worth of supplies to ROYO which comes just in time as the organisation prepares to launch its annual summer camp on Monday.

Pastor Shipley said that they were very impressed with the work that ROYO is doing in Grand Bahama and wanted to assist Dudley Seide and his wife, Katie, the founders of ROYO.

"We go all over the world and teach pastors, and one of the main things we do is try to find ministries that are working, and actually doing something (in the community), and help them," he said.

"Our church works all year, and my congregation sometimes takes a second job, and we raise money, and then we find ministries which are worthy and ask them what they need, and we get it in the States and get it to them here."

The Whitten Baptist Church group has been coming to Grand Bahama for the past six years. They have worked with the Solid Rock of the Nazarene Church in Freeport and met Mr Seide last year.

Pastor Shipley said: "We were really impressed with Dudley and Katie and the ministry they have; any ministry that gets up at 5am and cooks breakfast for kids, I am a sole believer."

The group has also assisted persons here in Grand Bahama after the most recent hurricane and was amazed at the mindset of Bahamians.

"Instead of asking for money all they asked for were tools, meaning we can do the work, we just need some help, and that kind of mentality is really important to us," Pastor Shipley said.

Pastor Shipley and his members hosted a pastor's conference yesterday for some 30 local pastors.

"We are going to minister to them and teach them, and we are really excited about that," he said on Wednesday.

Mr Seide was grateful to Whitten Baptist Church for the donation and said the supplies would be used for their upcoming summer camp that caters to some 200-300 children.

"It is a heaven sent," he said of the donation. "I met them last year, and they promised to come back and assist our organisation, and they came today and made a donation of over $16,000 worth of items.

"I am very happy they came all the way from Tennesse to bless us. I am overwhelmed because when we first started, our vision was to always get help from abroad, and today is a dream come true that we finally have folks from another country hearing about what we do, and came here to bless us," Seide said.

He noted that ROYO is also pleased with the support and donations they receive from local groups and businesses.

"We do stuff all year, and so it is hard on local supporters to give all year round, so it is good to have people from other parts of the world come and make donations to our kids here," Mr Seide said.