GEORGE HENRY, STAR Writer

Sophia Haynes-McCalla hails from Spanish Town in St Catherine. She is regarded as a diligent church worker, who serves as a minister of the gospel in the New Life Church of God.

Haynes-McCalla is a member of the adult choir, but apart from that she is an ordained evangelist who worked previously as an ordained minister. Unlike some church leaders who are fearful of offering themselves to the Lord for service, that has never been the case with this young and vibrant servant of God.

"I had no knowledge that the positions would have come about. I just offered myself for service to the Lord; did as He commanded me to; and I guess because of the natural gifts that are in me, He used them for His glory," said the minister.

She said she never dreamt she would come to occupy her positions of leadership in the church. Haynes-McCalla said although her siblings have always thought that she could become a good minister of the gospel, she never saw that coming.

"When you are listened to by persons and you come off a firm foundation; and I guess that I being a teacher and the studies that I did and by putting that into practice, backed up by what I learnt biblically, probably that made me more effective," said the female minister, who also pointed out that she did not attend a theological school.

Haynes-McCalla said being in the ministry and receiving training at a theological institution can be a plus for persons like her. However, she believes that the most effective minister is one who is being led by the Holy Spirit. Hence, when he or she goes to minister to God's people there is not much self involved in what is being said, because God is leading.

"It is not necessarily you as a preacher doing what you are doing based on your knowledge, but it is God who is speaking through you. Nothing beats a fully committed minister who will allow himself to be used by the Holy Spirit, listens to the voice of God; nothing beats that," said Haynes-McCalla.

She said that the Lord has been using her as a minister, especially as she works in the youth ministry. She added that every opportunity she gets she ministers to her friends, especially due to the fact that she loves them and would not like them to be lost.

put Jesus in everything

"I minister to just about everybody and I try to put Jesus in everything. Everything in this life I use to minister to them. I minister in song, I minister through the spoken word and I try to minister in my actions; because we cannot just talk the talk and not walk the walk. I like to walk the walk than just talking the talk, because anybody can talk, but at the end of the day it is your walk that will be used to judge your character" said Haynes-McCalla.

Haynes-McCalla, who has been walking the Christian journey since 2002, said she loves the work she does currently for the Lord, but also said there are times when she questions the Lord as to why He chose her. She added that with God one can see how insignificant they are.

The mother of Jervain, Paul and Dejanae said her love for God and His work is not out of the ordination she experienced, but that it is out of just being able to show somebody the way to the Lord through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

"My biggest joy in being a child of God is after ministering to someone that persons accepts not my word but what the Lord has said through me," said the minister.

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