Pastor Kevin South - George Henry

GEORGE HENRY, STAR Writer

Pastor Kevin South is in charge of the flock at the Melrose Gospel Assembly Church in Manchester. It is now five years since he has been leading the children of God for his Maker. He has been walking with the Lord for over 15 years.

"As a youth, I grew up in the church. I grew up in the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Clarendon and I was an ardent Sunday school attendee; passed Sunday school exams, because the Baptist Church would send down exams for the church's Sunday school and I would sit these exams from a child," said pastor South.

South said, as he grew up in the church, he was one who feared God and, if something should happen in his community while he was growing up, persons there would call him to come and preach, because he was considered to be a mini pastor.

"Persons saw me as a kind of a mini pastor. I knew Psalm 23, so I would just use that Psalm and preach away. I would just say that Psalm in a preaching way. I remember growing up in the church and just used that kind of background," said Pastor South.

South said it appeared to him that he was never aware that he wanted to become a pastor. However, according to him, it just happened. He shared that, as he grew up, he realised that certain things just started to happen in his Christian life. He stressed that there was a deep sense of calling on his life wherever he went.

"One question kept on coming to me. 'What if the Lord should come right now, what would happen to you, what would you do?"

Being a student at the Garvey Maceo High School at the time and playing cricket while living on dorm there, I was never interested in things like devotion there, but my Sunday school background had the questions kept coming back to me," said South.

He added that men of God would come to him to tell him about the way of the Lord from time to time, and shared things from the Book of Revelation about the Judgement, and a fear would have been driven into him as they tried to prepare him for the return of the Lord.

Pastor South believes that children attending Sunday school is an important aspect of the development of their church life. He thinks that the decisions that one will make in the future are guided by what takes place in the life of an individual during the formative years.

"The things that you were taught in Sunday school help you to make decisions. Even when you are absent from church, some of the things you do or hear in church keep on coming back while giving a sense of belonging to a place where you ought to be.

South, who confessed that he was once a sound-system selector, said while he was in dances, it did not matter how the dance was swinging or was great, there were occasions when he would say to himself, what if God should come?

"Every dance or party I went to, that was the question that kept coming to my mind. Christianity is the best thing that has ever happened to me," said the former sound-system selector.

South said Christianity is not for 'wimps' or babies. He believes that people who become Christians are real men and women; and when individuals take a step for Christ, it is a big move which comes with responsibility. He stated that the way in which he is currently enjoying his Christian life is because he learnt a number of things when he was a young believer, which he has used as a guide for his walk with Christ.

The young pastor pointed out that his life as a Christian can be very challenging. However, he made it clear that, despite the challenges, he has to make up his mind to hold on to God because he has to make Heaven his home.

"The Bible verse that has been keeping me throughout my Christian life and has completely revolutionised my life is Jeremiah 29:11. His favourite song is 'And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Saviour's love'.

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