On Sabbath 18 September 2021, Wolverhampton Central Seventh-day Adventist church, saw its building full of individuals travelling from near and far to fellowship and worship together for their 'Praise Morning'. Not only was the building filled with worshippers, but the day also proved to equally be filled with the Holy Spirit, where many were moved to tears and heartfelt testimony. Undoubtedly, with the Covid-19 pandemic profusely impacting us all, the need for encouragement and fellowship became very apparent. With this in mind, a few of the youth of the church began planning this event.
The day began at 10:00 am with an interactive Sabbath School service centred around the definition of praise; sparking conversations around how we praise, what our praise looks like and if this is parallel to God's definition. With over 1,000 people tuning in on their YouTube livestream, one individual shared their opinion on the Sabbath School, commenting that it was 'good and reflective'. Many additionally engaged in conversations and interacted with the Sabbath School lesson virtually which enabled an inclusive service for those who did not want to attend in-person. What a privilege and a blessing it is to be able to utilise diverse platforms to further God's work and spread the Word!
Nevertheless, the praise did not end there. With the Sabbath School providing but a taster of the day to come, the Divine Service was unique in that it was stripped back to its simplest form of pure worship and testimony. Of course, worship is an essential part of our relationship with God. It's a time where we are able to express our gratitude, love and awe to the One who never leaves us or forsakes us, despite the fact we are undeserving. The beauty about the Lord is that His grace is freely given, there's nothing we have to do to earn it as we are already chosen. He just calls us to "declare the praises of Him who calls us out of darkness into His wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9, NIV). The youth of Wolverhampton Central were hoping to capture this message throughout the Divine Service.
After using their voices and instruments to uplift the name of God during praise and worship, Wolverhampton Central welcomed members of the congregation to participate in an open testimony spot where many were able to testify about the goodness of God. This time in the service saw numerous individuals, youth and senior, share experiences, current battles, moments of gratitude and prayer requests. It was truly a blessing to see brothers and sisters of Christ coming together to listen, empathise and lean on each other. A viewer commented "each and every testimony has enriched me", showing us how important it is for us to testify as we can all learn and be encouraged by the experiences of one another.
The Praise Morning ended with a word by Jabari Douglas, one of Wolverhampton Central's young people. As well as sharing his personal experiences and giving an insight into his personal walk with God, Jabari touched the hearts of the congregation and was able to give a powerful sermon grounded in scripture. "Powerful and encouraging sermon and testimony Jabari. If you could see heaven rejoicing right now" – a viewer remarked.
Wolverhampton Central would like to say thank you to all of those who took part; the day was truly a blessing. If you missed the service, don't worry! You can watch the Praise Morning via YouTube on Wolverhampton Central's channel. Keep an eye out for another event, planned by Wolverhampton Central's young people, coming soon in December. In the meantime, please keep Wolverhampton Central in your prayers, especially the young people; pray that they continue to grow in Christ and that they remain being mouthpieces for God.