Many people enter the New Year with much anticipation. They may hope to do better in school or at work or to invest more time in their relationships – with family members, their significant other or with God. Some vow to spend less time on facebook, trim their friends list, lose some weight or read the Bible more. Many express these expectations in the form of resolutions and even devise measures to achieve them. In essence many people view the New Year as a fresh start.

It is definitely a good thing to look to a new year as a fresh start. It is a time when we can put aside destructive behaviours or habits and adopt more beneficial ones, or we can renew our resolve to continue on the path to success. Right now the month of January is almost over. How have you used this fresh start so far? Have you been able to maintain or implement the steps towards realising your expectation? Or have you already given up and gone back to the ’same ole, same ole’. Your fresh start for the New Year may just seem like a hopeless cause that you have no chance of regaining.

Well that is far from the truth. No,you can’t start the new year over, but you do have over 300 fresh starts ahead. Yes everyday is a fresh start! Each day is God’s gift to you to use as you choose. Lamentations 3:21-23 speak to the fact of God’s faithfulness and love. God’s mercies are extended to us daily and enable us to persevere come what may. You don’t have to wait for a new year to change, to persevere, or to make things better. You just need to get a hold of each day, commit it to God and step out in God’s strength. Have a fresh start today.

JBU ASSEMBLY 2012-You Can Help!

The Jamaica Baptist Union invites Baptist students/youth/young adults (individuals 12 years and over) to volunteer to serve as Stewards at our Annual General Assembly. It provides a wonderful opportunity for persons to:

• offer voluntary service to the work of their Union;
• fellowship and share with other Baptists in various ways;and
• be exposed to the inner workings of the Union.

For more details on the work of a Steward/Volunteer please see the attached information.

Assembly 2012 – Stewards/Volunteers Programme Brochure

Assembly 2012 – Stewards/Volunteers Registration Form

If you or someone you know are interested in applying please complete the registration form attached and email to arlene.henry@jbu.org.jm or

fax to 924-6296 Attention Arlene Henry

Coming In July!

9th Caribbean Baptist Youth Festival

It will soon be here! The 9th Caribbean Baptist Youth Festival under the theme “Sold Out- Fully His” Come and experience the worship, the fellowship and the cultural exchange as young people from all across the Caribbean join together to declare “Sold Out – Fully His”.

See  further details on the cost and registration below

9th Caribbean Baptist Youth Festival Registration Form (Local)

 CBYF Memo to Pastors & Churches 

The Jamaica Baptist Union invites Baptist students/youth/young adults (individuals 12 years and over) to volunteer to serve as Stewards at our Annual General Assembly. It provides a wonderful opportunity for persons to:

• offer voluntary service to the work of their Union;
• fellowship and share with other Baptists in various ways;and
• be exposed to the inner workings of the Union.

For more details on the work of a Steward/Volunteer please see the attached information.

Assembly 2012 – Stewards/Volunteers Programme Brochure

Assembly 2012 – Stewards/Volunteers Registration Form

If you or someone you know are interested in applying please complete the registration form attached and email to arlene.henry@jbu.org.jm or

fax to 924-6296 Attention Arlene Henry

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Coming In July!

9th Caribbean Baptist Youth Festival

National Young Adult’s Retreat

Register Now! We want to see you there. Download the registration form here:YAFC Retreat 2011 – Registration Form
Tell everyone at your church about it. YAFC Retreat 2011- Letter to churches

National Youth Conference and Rally 2011 was a success!

The Business Meeting of National Youth Conference & Rally was a very interactive session where executive members, delegates and observers discussed the matters of the JBUYD in a very mature and respectful manner. The future of the department was discussed. At the end of the Conference, Miss. Derri-Ann Palmer assumed the position-Chairman, JBUYD. For more details on the rest of the executive body that will be working along with her see below.

JBUYD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2011-2013

Rally 2011

National Youth Rally which was held November 26, 2011 was a day of worship, fellowship and fun. Young people from all across Jamaica came and were blessed. All rally entries ministered in one way or the other to those who were in attendance. At the end of the day’s activities the winners for the various categories were:

• Bible Quiz- Zone 2 which was represented by Barbican Baptist
• Negro Spiritual- Zone 4 which was represented by Unity Baptist
• Dub Poetry- Zone 2 which was represented by Kitson Town Baptist
• Dance- Zone 5 which was represented by Bethel Town Baptist

The Youth Department of the Jamaica Baptist Union, through the Young Adult’s Fellowship Committee will be hosting a National Young Adults Retreat/Conference from December 9-11, 2011 at the Breezes Resort & Spa, Trelawny.

The theme for the weekend is ‘HOPE- Moving against the Culture of Hopelessness’.

We encourage all young adults to make every effort to attend and participate.
Contact the JBU office to make your reservations now!

Please read the attached documents for more details.

YAFC Retreat 2011 – Registration Form

YAFC Retreat 2011- Letter to churches

God Loves you

Jesus Gives Place for Second Chances

Focus: John 8: 3 -11

Are you feeling like a failure? Have you felt that you have disappointed your friends, your family and even your God?  Well, let us allow the woman caught in the act of adultery as seen in John 8: 3 -11 to speak to us.

The woman in the passage sinned.  It was not a case of second hand information being spoken about her; she was caught ‘red-handed’ in the very act of adultery.  Her accusers brought her to Jesus for Him to pronounce on her the well needed and deserved judgment, which was to be stoned to death (Leviticus 20:10).  Jesus’ answer to her accusers was that the one who was without sin should throw the first stone, not surprisingly all the accusers left…

We notice firstly that accusers, just as in the woman’s situation, are very much present.  They are all around us and they are eager to condemn us. The chief and most deceptive accuser is the enemy of our souls.  Sadly though, sometimes we are our own accusers, we beat down, condemn and rip ourselves apart so much that we are left feeling dejected and of no value.  Quite possible the woman in our text felt the same way.  She was however quite guilty of what she was accused of.  If you have erred and yes, even sinned, if you have disappointed someone you love or disappointed God, then we need to see how Jesus dealt with the woman in that situation, and  apply that lesson to our own lives.

We see secondly that Jesus absolves all sin.  The woman who had done this wrong did not deny or justify her actions, in fact she remained quite silent, possibly because she knew she was guilty.  Jesus from his response to this ‘sinner’ realized her penitence and instructed her accusers to stone her if they themselves were sinless and they couldn’t.  In responding to the failure of the crowd to meet out her ‘punishment’, Jesus said “I do not condemn you either” (verse 11).  We too, if we are penitent and humble before our God will find Jesus’ gracious response to us in our situation, “daughter/son, I do not condemn you either’.  However we also need to make one final observation and that is…

A change in lifestyle must follow.  Jesus instructed the woman to go and sin no more, so too, if we have truly repented then a change in our actions and lifestyle is inevitable.

Let us therefore go forth in the confidence of 2 Corinthians 5:17, ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new’.

Contributed by: Alicestasia Tabanor

Go to:

Devotionals
Baptist World Alliance Youth Day of Prayer 2011

Prayer Wednesdays

As we pause for meditation and prayer, let us consider the words of the Psalmist,

My heart, O God, is steadfast;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
- Psalm 108:1-5 (NIV)

As we are in our final week of prayer, reflection and meditation, we are being called to consider the peoples of the world and how we all may experience deeper justice through Jesus together.

Remember to pray for:

-       For those who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ that they may one day become aware of the saving knowledge of His grace

-       For people in war torn regions that they may experience peace

-       Pray for the restoration of hope among the survivors of Japan’s earthquake/tsunami. More than 500 people who are placed in different evacuation centers have committed suicide.

-       Political Stability in Africa

-       Pray for the strength of the people of God to endure and persevere in prayer, fasting, living the Christian life and spreading the Word of God

-       Peace between the different cultures and religions in Europe

-       Dialogue and good relationships between Christian denominations

Meditation: God of the Poor

Prayer

God, we thank you for being the omnipresent God that you are; for there is no where that we can run or hide from your presence. You are the God of this entire universe. Today Lord, we remember your people everywhere; people in Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and Australia – on every continent. Irrespective of age, ethnicity and caste, you have called us to be a part of your body – to be one. Teach us Lord, to love each other as you love us and help us to be true beacons of hope wherever you have placed us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Go to:

Devotionals
Baptist World Alliance Youth Day of Prayer 2011