THE Church of God in Christ Worldwide, through its Missionary arm, “Youth on a Mission”, on Friday completed a two-week missionary outreach in Guyana, where they met with and ministered to thousands of people. The 42-member team, headed by Pastor Harry L. Beard and his wife, Mrs. Etiwanda Beard, included medical doctors – one of whom was Dr. Devona Beard-Andersen (their daughter, accompanied by her husband, Ben);  nurses, teachers, construction workers  and children as well.
Their mission, Pastor Beard said, was to minister to the local churches and primarily, but not exclusively, the Church of God in Christ. Mindful of Jesus’ command to his disciples saying: “Go ye out into the world and teach all nations…,” he stressed that wherever the team goes, they minister to the spiritual and health needs of the people. To this end, the team comprising five ministries or units ministered to the following needs:
Health: Offering free medical care in the areas of  Blood pressure testing; blood-sugar screening; oral/dental health; eye checks and distribution of  spectacles and reading classes; distribution of over the counter medication such as vitamins and minerals; medication for arthritic pains, the common cold among other things.
Women’s Ministry: Offering prayer and counselling, as well as giving participants the opportunity to share experiences with the team.
Men’s Ministries: Similar to the women’s ministry, but having as well coaching sessions in ‘door to door evangelism’; getting to know the Lord and how to get more men in Church. There were also sessions which instructed the men on how to be good husbands and how to take care of the family. Said Pastor Beard:  “ We found that a lot of the time [in general terms]  a lot of husbands really don’t know how to treat their wives; do not love their wives, and  so we try to teach them how to treat and be there for their wives and children.”
Hospitality Ministry: The team brought several  suitcases of shoes and clothing;  toiletries and  other personal effects, canned foods, games which they distributed to  those to whom they ministered, at every location visited.
Children’s Ministry/Soup kitchen: Teaching the hundreds of children the Word of God; playing games, singing and interacting with others, and distributing hampers and snacks for those attending.
The group expressed satisfaction with the response from the Guyanese people.
“We were delighted at the response from the people here… the friendly interaction, at the churches, in the streets. In fact we were able to build relationships. Having won the confidence of the people, they really opened up and shared experiences with us.”  It was phenomenal Pastor and Mrs. Beard said, adding, “We find this unique and so encouraging,  because usually,  not everybody shares.”
Areas in which the team worked during their two weeks here include Lamaha Park – God’s Cathedral of Praise Church, headed by host pastor, Timothy Norton, National Superintendent, Church of God in Christ, Guyana;  Nabaclis and Vryheid Lust on the East Coast Demerara;  Yarrowkabra on the Soesdyke Linden Highway;  Stewartville and La Grange Church of God in Christ on the West Bank Demerara. There were two days of outreach at Lamaha Park Church – and two at Vryheid’s Lust as well.
The team commented on having had a successful outreach in Guyana, but noted that the only challenge was one of logistics, and being able to reach their destinations to start their programme in a timely fashion.
For the group, time is of the essence, especially, since they would have had to set up their facilities, which included doctors’ and nurses tables, pharmacy corners and the works, and get settled before starting the day’s activities. Said Pastor Beard, “We are 42 on the team, and getting set up in a timely manner can be a big challenge, but we don’t let anything stop us.  We’ve come for a purpose, and that is to minister to people and we did what we’ve come to do. We’re a pretty focused group,” he asserted.  Other than that, everything else went smoothly,” he concluded
The Church of God in Christ, with  Mission Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and ministering in 62 countries, travels to various nations of the world during the month of July each year.  Having started with one team five years ago, they now have three teams and are moving from continent to continent. Presiding Bishop is Edward Blake with Global Director being Carlos Moody. Last year, another team, headed by Elder Mark Success, visited Guyana on a similar mission and was also hosted by Pastor Timothy Norton.