August 25th 2018 marked the End It Now Day across the Caribbean and the world. To commence the activities the VGSDA Church was the host of the Darkness to Light Training program which seeks to end child sexual abuse around the globe, in all its forms and methods. The training was facilitated by Mrs. Kya Huggins-McKenzie and was well attended by SDA Church members and non SDA community members. Attendees were given work books and watched an interactive movie session accompanied by the help of Huggins-McKenzie. At the end of training the participants were presented with certificates and made a personal promise to be responsible for at least one child and to see that they are not abused in anyway, or to help if the situation has advanced.
The Church then took it into overdrive on Sabbath morning with Women’s Ministries Director Lucy Thompson delivering a dynamic sermon/presentation that followed the theme of the weekend.
Later that afternoon the church came out in its numbers, and prepared to take the community by storm through a march. Equipped with banners, posters with powerful messages, the Pathfinder Marching Band (VGMB) and a flatbed truck which was the media center, the church hit the road and began their way around the Valley area of Virgin Gorda. While on the way we introduced ourselves and read short sentences: Breaking the Silence! Are You Abusing Someone? There is Help for you followed with a quote of 1 John 1:9, Breaking the Silence! Has Your Child Been Abused? You are not alone there is Help for you, followed by a quote of Luke 18:16. In an attempt to broaden our reach these were also translated to Spanish.
After completing the march the church joined together in the Sanctuary where we watched a presentation facilitated by Dr. Thomas Alexander, which shed light on abuse within the Adventist Church and how it can be dealt with and moved towards prevention ending altogether, specifically child to child abuse. The Virgin Gorda SDA Church hopes to take this message into the North Sound community of Virgin Gorda before the end of 2018 continuing with the theme END IT NOW Adventist against Violence.