“Overflow”

Doreen Priscilla Brown, ph.d.

“Overflow” was the theme for the annual 2025 Southeastern Conference Camp Meeting, kicked off on June 16, 2025, in Hawthorne, Florida, after months of prayer and preparation. Highlighting the first day’s activities was the dedication and grand opening of the brand new gymnasium, a vibrant space where children and youth can enjoy basketball, volleyball, and a variety of other activities in a safe, fun-filled environment.

Nestled amid lush trees under a beautiful Florida sky, the fresh landscape and upgraded pavilion and cabins were ready to receive more than 3,000 campers (not including children) who would enjoy five full days of prayer, praise, worship, and fellowship.

You would be hard-pressed to find preaching by so many powerful speakers, all in the same place, at the same event! As some 44,458 viewers from North America, Jamaica, the United Kingdom, Trinidad & Tobago, The Bahamas, South Africa, and Kenya joined the livestream, headline speakers did not disappoint; it was evident from the start that the Holy Spirit was present at every session. The speakers were Michael Owusu, D.Min., Southeastern president; Bron Jacobs; Arbentz Pierre-Antoine, Ph.D.; Eddly Benoit, D.Min.; John Nixon II, D.Min., vice president for pastoral ministries at Potomac Conference; Donald Burden; Lebi S. Helena; Patrick Graham; Bossuet Pierre; Michael Simpson; Yvens Melidor; Crystal E. Ward; Alixia Alexis-Madrid; and the keynote speaker, Chanda Nunes- Henry, whose topic was “Know, Now Go” (Mark 5:14-20). Praise the Lord!

God is making up His jewels, and in that mix is a special group of young people from every sphere of life who are eager to say “Yes, Lord!” So, if your heart had been palpitating about the future of the Church, you can’t afford to miss the poignant reminder that the Church of tomorrow is in good hands. For even as the young adults lit up the camp experience with soul-stirring, heavenly music, 14 precious souls, including 10 young people, were weighing their eternal future as they prepared to seal their commitment to Jesus Christ in baptism.

Before a packed house on the final evening, Ordination and Commissioning speaker Allan Machado, D.Min., Florida Conference president, in his charge to the newly-minted “pastor-shepherds,” assured them that there is no higher purpose in this world than to be set apart by God. Those ordained and commissioned were Alixia Alexis- Madrid, Bossuet Pierre, Lebi Helena Santos, and Yvens Darius Melidor.

Michael Owusu, D.Min., Southeastern Conference president, could scarcely contain his enthusiasm as he summed up Camp Meeting 2025.

“My Brothers and Sisters, as we come to the close of Camp Meeting 2025, my heart overflows with gratitude. What a powerful time we’ve shared together in worship, in prayer, and in the overflowing presence of the Holy Spirit. This year’s theme, ‘Overflow,’ has truly become more than a word — it has been our experience. We came expecting and we are leaving overflowing!

“We have been reminded that when we are filled, we are not meant to contain — but to pour out God’s love, grace, and truth into the world around us.

“But, as you know, the journey with God never ends — it only deepens, always onward and upward. So, it is with great joy that I announce the theme that will guide us through 2026: ‘Higher.’

“The theme is an invitation and a challenge. It is a call to go beyond spiritual comfort and climb to new heights in our walk with God. ‘Higher’ calls us to deepen our relationship with God, to rise above the noise and fears of the world, and to reach upward — to seek God more earnestly, to trust Him more completely, and to follow Him more faithfully.

“In a world that pulls us down with distractions, discouragement, and doubt, God is calling us to lift our eyes and our hearts heavenward. Like mountain climbers pressing toward the summit, we must lay aside every weight that holds us back and stretch forward into the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

is an author, educator, and sought-after speaker.
Southeastern | October 2025