While growing up, not many young persons envision a life dedicated to serving God and others, but Alieka Keane-Walker did.

Keane-Walker, who has worked at the Best Dressed Fun In The Son concert as a peer counsellor over the years, wants to make an impact on the lives of others. So much so, that she always finds innovative and fun ways to minister, every chance she gets.

"Right now I am looking at doing a 'Cook Off'. "That's a new and fun ministry where we will be teaching teens both at church and those we come in contact with [at Jamaica Child Evangelism Fellowship] how to do new things in the kitchen. But it's also a way to teach them how to work together as a team and to teach them professionalism," says Keane-Walker.

children's ministry

Her interest in children's ministry started years ago when she volunteered as a counsellor at the Jamaica Child Evangelism Fellowship, (JCEF). The organisation's mission is to lead children to Jesus Christ as Saviour, teach them the Word of God, train them in Christian conduct and channel them to Bible-believing churches. In addition to the group's various interests, this marks their fifth year with the Best Dressed Fun In The Son concert. There, they are based in the Children's Village and stage a number of fun Bible-based games to teach the children. The same will be done at this year's staging on Saturday, March 19 at the University of the West indies Mona Bowl.

Keane-Walker spoke in reference to her proudest moment while ministering at the Children's Village over the years, saying, "It was after seeing some of the children not only make the decision to know the Lord but also deciding to be baptised."

It's no easy task keeping up with the children and teens after they leave the event, but she says they have found ways to make it happen. "The ones who we know personally, we set up correspondence courses to work along with them, and for those who we don't know personally we help them to find churches who will continue to assist them as new converts."

Fun In The Son

Additionally, since a cardinal role of the JCEF at the Best Dressed Fun In The Son is to provide spiritual counselling to children, it goes without saying that there may be cases where the counsellors encounter children with serious emotional problems. Keane-Walker said if those cases come up, they try to have persons who are professionally trained handle the situation, since the group does spiritual counselling not emotional.

"A few years ago that happened and we were able to help the child. I noticed something and passed it on to the director at JCEF, Millicent Campbell, who has been following up with the child since then," she said.

Still, her previous involvement with the JCEF is not all Keane-Walker has to offer. This energetic young woman wears many caps at her church, Calvary Gospel Hall in Harkers Hall, St Catherine. There she is the youth director, treasurer of the youth department, the Sunday school superintendent and she also manages to teach the teenage class.

It's unbelievable, but that's still not all. Keane-Walker also spearheads a ministry at a Girls' Home. "Every third Sunday teens from my church and those involved in peer counselling from the JCEF end, go to a Girls Home in Stony Hill for ministry. We do grooming, manicures, pedicures, wash their hair and that sort of thing. At first the teens were a little sceptical but now they can't get enough. They love going and ministering, talking and hanging out with the girls from the home."