It was a cold and cloudy day when teens congregated at Preston Seventh Day Adventist Church for North England Conference Teens event on the 9th of November. Down south the South England Conference also had their own teen event.
The sermon for the day titled ‘Choices’ was based on Judges 16. Pastor Isaac Liburd delivered the message in such a captivating way. He narrated the story of Samson with the aid of church members acting out the different parts of the story. Different people from the congregation acted as Samson, Delilah and Philistines.
Pastor Liburd brought the point home on how Samson made the wrong choices by doing what was not pleasing to the Lord. He chose to have relationships with the Philistine women. Philistines were enemies to the Jews. He also made the wrong choice by eating honey from an unclean animal, telling his first woman the answer to the riddle, and also telling Delilah the secret to where his strength was found - his hair. As a Nazarite he wasn't supposed to cut his hair. Pastor Liburd stressed how lust prevented Samson from seeing beyond the present. Samson was not "in love but he was in lust." He couldn't get out of the relationship with Delilah even thought she tried to kill him twice. Samson was blind, long before his eyes were gouged out. Pastor Liburd concluded the sermon by stating that Samson's strength didn't lie is his hair, but in his relationship with the Lord.
To start the afternoon programme the congregation was divided into six groups. Six issues that affect the teens were named. These issues namely dating, drug addiction, gossiping, low self esteem, mental health, and partying were then given to each group to discuss and act out. The teens acted out the scenarios surrounding the the six topics and were asked to back it up with a bible verse that would help a student going through mental health problems.. Group six won the best act and all the members of that group won discounts to camps like Aberdaron for a year.
After that Pastor Liburd quizzed the teens on the sermon in the morning. He was also gave out prizes to those who answered the questions correctly.. These prizes included chocolate, mugs, headphones to name a few. The day wrapped up with a social. A lot of teens were glad they came for the day.
