GEORGE HENRY, STAR Writer

Felicia Stewart-Barnes is from the Assemblies of God Church in Broughton, Westmoreland. She is currently serving that congregation as the youth president, a minister and Sunday school teacher.

Her walk with Christ started five years and seven months ago and, according to her, the experience with Christ has been life changing.

"It has been a good experience so far. It really started when one of my friends got into an accident and they had a prayer meeting for him that night. I went there not with the intention of getting saved or anything, but just to pray and be a part of that. It started there, and I started going to youth meetings from Sunday morning and to another Sunday morning," said the young female minister.

Stewart-Barnes said she used to attend church before then, but stopped somewhere along the way when she was a teenager. She confessed that she had always been a church person who attended Sunday school as her family members were always regular churchgoers.

"My family was deeply involved in church ministry. My aunt was a deaconess at the church, so it was a must that we attended church. However, as I grew older and we moved away from the community, we attended less," said the Sunday school teacher.

She is convinced that it is important for young people to attend church and give their lives to the Lord. The young female minister believes church helps to mould the lives of people, and it helps to provide an opportunity for persons to learn things which can help them to make the right choices in the future.

"It helps to develop values and morals in one's life. Speaking from my perspective, even though as I grew older and departed from Christianity, it was some of those morals which taught me how to be myself and how to adorn myself, how to speak and all of that. It is very essential for young people to be in church, living for the Lord," noted the female youth president.

The female church leader believes that, contrary to what some persons believe, regarding women holding leadership positions in the church, she thinks nothing is wrong with that.

"Where I am I don't even contend with that. I just learn to be humble and listen to those opinions, and at the same time yield to the calling of God. Men will always come with something like that, but I do not focus on things like that. Somebody has to do the work of the Lord and preach the gospel. If it comes to the point where that is forbidden, I would still go on the street corner, put up a pulpit, and continue to preach. Wherever people are, that's where my pulpit is," said Stewart-Barnes.

The young female minister disclosed that she has always been a practical person. She explained that life for every Christian can be very challenging, and she uses her practical experiences to assist her in dealing with the challenges associated with her Christian walk.

"Most people would tell you they pray and they fast, and they sing worship songs. but, as for me, when my challenges come, I laugh and mimic the devil, and laugh at the stuff that he does and, really project myself beyond that. I have always been able to see myself out of stuff," said Stewart-Barnes.

The female church leader admitted that to remain a Christian in today's world is not easy because the flesh will fail. However, she also admitted that living for the Lord is doable when one totally surrenders his or her life to the Creator. According to her, living for Christ is not easy, but if one is determined to live a Christian life, nothing can stop it from happening if you lean on the Lord.

For those who have just started their walk with Christ, the young Christian leader is encouraging them to be themselves and remember that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. She wants them not to walk after the flesh, but after the spirit.

The energetic minister's favourite Bible verse is Romans 8:1. Her favourite song is My God is awesome by Charles Jenkinson.

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