Hundreds of men from throughout New Providence attended the National Men’s Empowerment Event & Awards 2012 held at Bahamas Faith Ministries Diplomat Center on Carmichael Road. The weekend of events which were held from Thursday October 4th to Sunday October 7th under the theme “Real Men in Action: Present & Accounted For”, brought men together from diverse religious, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Hosted by Real Men Ministries International Bahamas, this year’s event successfully addressed some of the issues men face in an atmosphere and environment that many men found comfortable and yet equally informative.
The weekend of events started on Thursday October 4th and then again on Friday October 5th with special sessions designed for junior and senior high school boys as well as boys that are considered at risk youth. The young men representing several of our local schools were addressed by several key individuals including Assistant Commissioner of Police Hulan Hanna, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Works & Urban Development and Member of Parliament for Bamboo Town Renward Wells, Youth Specialist Dr. Dave Burrows and Teen Challenge Executive Director Eric Fox.
On Friday October 5th at 7:30pm a special MENS ONLY session was held with International author and speaker Dr. Martin Williams from Omaha Nebraska who spoke on the topic “Present & Accounted for-The Truth About Your Legacy”. This session was well received as hundreds of men with fertile hearts submitted their full attention to the message, which challenged everyone in attendance to embrace the importance of establishing a personal legacy. A Leadership Breakfast Symposium was held the next day on Saturday October 6th at 7:30am where men were encouraged with a life changing message “Fit to Lead” by Pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries Fellowship Dr. Richard Pinder and Senior Pastor at Family of Faith Worship Center Rick Dean.
The weekend culminated with the hosting of the First Annual National Men’s Empowerment Awards on Sunday October 7th at 10am at the Diplomat Center where several men from within the wider Bahamian community were honored for their invaluable contribution towards the growth, development and advancement of men in the Bahamas. This occasion served as an introductory platform for next year’s event where Real Men Ministries International Bahamas plan to recognize and celebrate even more men during the nations’ 40th Anniversary Celebrations.
A special “White Paper” was also presented during the Sunday morning service to the Government of the Bahamas. The Minister of State in the office of the Attorney General, the Honorable Damien Gomez accepted the document on behalf of Prime Minister, the Rt. Honorable Perry G.Christie. The presentation of the “White Paper” was the fulfillment of a promise made during the hosting of the Real Men March & Rally in 2011 and it addresses solutions to men’s issues on a national level and offers valuable solutions to many of these issues facing men throughout the Bahamas.
Real Men Ministries International Bahamas is now hard at work on plans for their National Men’s Empowerment Event & Awards 2013 which they anticipate will be even more successful than this year’s event.
For additional information interested persons can contact Real Men Ministries International Bahamas at 341-6444 or via email at realmenint at gmail.com. They can also log onto the official website at www.realmenbahamas.org.
Kevin Harris
Harris Media Group
