Last weekend God’s Anointed New Generation (GANG) hosted its second conference for young (adult) men at the Bon Air High School, Arouca.

Last year’s first conference was very successful and many participants requested a repeat. This year’s theme was Be Strong! Sons of God Arise!

The objectives of this conference were
1) to increase awareness of how masculine spirituality and sound, moral, value-based living can become change-mechanisms for the workplace and wider society and
2) to develop an understanding among participants of how guided career choices and use of skills, gifts and talents can be effective means of serving the needs of others.

The conference featured several speakers and hosted interactive group workshops. There was also a dynamic music ministry led by Bevan Gittens of People of Praise. The musical support for the weekend was a collaboration between GANG and People of Praise.

The event, scheduled to start at 8.30 a.m. got off to a late start Saturday morning. The first speaker for the day was Kyle Dardaine, a co-founder and leader of GANG.

His topic was “All of Creation is Waiting for the Revealing of the Sons of God”, adapted from Romans 8:19. In his usual dynamic approach he asked the questions – “Who is the creation waiting for the revelation?” and “Who are the Sons of God?”

There was positive discussion and at the end a short film by Adanna James, highlighting social ills and issues in society, was used to drive the message home.

Mikkel Trestrail, another co-founder and leader of the group built upon Kyle’s talk with the topic “Recognising That We are Sons of God”. His sharing was followed by discussions about “How can I be a Son of God in my situation (life)?” The questions, “How can I make a difference?” and “How am I called to be a Son of God?” were also discussed.

After lunch, Fr Dwight Merrick led participants into the second half of the day. Fr Merrick described the conference as a sign of hope. He said holiness was the single most important characteristic for the type of men needed in the world, equating being holy with being “men of God”.

He noted however, that most of the prominent men of the nation are not known for their godliness. Addressing the young men, he said, “It is up to you to change that.”

He continued saying he would prefer young men “not be normal” because of what passes as “normal” in the world. “Be more than normal - be normative.”

The feature talk after lunch titled “Being a Watchman of the New Millennium: Spiritual Living in a Secular World” was delivered by entrepreneur and management consultant Richard Dick.

He told the young men gathered that God had given humankind dominion over all, but this responsibility has been abused. He said in this new millennium, the big question has always been who was going to lead.

He noted however, that in many cases there are not many to whom we can look to for leadship by example. “There are not many we can say we respect as leaders… How many can we look up to and say they are principle-based?”

He said that today, many young men want success but some are not prepared to work for it. “You don’t reap what you don’t sow… If you sow corn, don’t go looking for peas.”

He urged the young men that real men set an example for others, especially their children, and are willing to stand up for something. “This country needs men who can stand up – regardless of their age.”

He added that there is an urgent need for the male presence in the family. In homes where there is only a mother, the women are doing their best trying to raise men, but it takes the presence of a man to raise another man, he remarked.

He challenged the young men to decide from early what they wanted out of life because, “You can’t be living a life like driftwood.” Dick urged them to seek God first. “This millennium requires men who will stand for something – but you have to choose.”

He said as “watchmen”, you can’t fall asleep to what is going on in society. You need to follow the principles of honesty, dedication, commitment and hard work.

Raymond Edwards followed with his talk, “Wrap Your Gifts, Surrender Your Treasures”. He used excerpts from Matthew 25 and his own life experience to guide his presentation.

He stressed that you need to identify and develop your talents in order to fully understand how they can be used. Your talents need to be valued by you before others can realise their worth.

Sometimes others may recognise your talents before you do, and you need to be open to that as well. He also pressed the point that when talents are used to glorify God, blessings flow as a result.

The interactive group workshops were facilitated by Catholic men in various fields. The workshops were as follows:
Medicine – Dr Richard Clarke
Legal Affairs – Attorney-at-Law Andre Des Vignes
Defence Force – Officer Brian Patterson
Protective Services – Constable Steve Souhan
Finance – Roger Mike
Energy  – Edwin Sealy
Skilled Labour – Michael Milne
Entertainment – Arthur Lewis

On Sunday the main speaker was Winston Garcia of People of Praise Community. He focussed on “The Kingdom of God versus the Kingdom of Evil”.

He based his talk on music and its subtle and powerful influence. He insisted that we need to be aware of the types of music we listen to because the attitude and mood of the artist are reflected through the music. Often this influences our own moods and attitudes.

We also need to use music as a positive form of ministry. He drew an example of the positive use of this characteristic of music from the biblical story of King Saul and David.

Whenever King Saul was depressed he would send for David to play the harp for him because David’s music lifted his mood. David’s sincere love for God reflected in his music and never failed to cheer Saul.

The workshops, which followed this talk focussed on talent and were led by members of GANG. These workshops included dance, drama, drumming, and rap music.

At 2 p.m. Mass was celebrated with Archbishop Edward Gilbert presiding. In his homily he told the young men that whatever careers and life paths they chose, full achievement would not be realised unless God was at the centre of it. Whatever you choose to do should not be done solely for self-satisfaction, but also for the service of others.

The conference ended with a showcase of talent in an impromptu talent show featuring the participants themselves. Special guest Guitar Dan drew a standing ovation for his performance.

When the talent show ended at around 5.30 p.m. many young adult men went home uplifted and inspired.