Former NFL Player Miles McPherson Concludes Successful Jamaica Visitby Staff
May 17, 2008
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, (christiansunite.com) -- Miles McPherson, a former U.S. professional football player turned minister of the gospel, told a crowd of 45,000 at a Montego Bay festival Saturday night that sexual relations outside of God's plan for marriage only lead to heartache and disease such as HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, which according to the World Health Organization has the second highest prevalence rate in the world, after sub- Saharan Africa.
The San Diego, California- based McPherson, an African American Christian with Jamaican roots, was speaking on the second evening of a two-day Miles Ahead crusade on Dump Up Beach organized in celebration of Jamaica Broilers Group's 50th anniversary - one of three major family-oriented festivals under the Best Dressed 50 Fest banner presented in Mandeville, Montego Bay and Kingston.
"What the media tells you is sex, God designed as oneness," said McPherson, who is pastor of the 10,000-strong Rock Church in San Diego. He said satan has perverted God's plan who created a man and woman to become one within the commitment of marriage. Marriage is supposed to be a picture of the church, with the man loving the woman as Christ loved the church, and the woman honoring the man like the church honors Christ. "If your man loves you like Christ loves the church and lays his life down for you, you will have no problem honoring him," he told the women.
The former defensive back for the San Diego Chargers acknowledged that sometimes sin is fun "for a season." But it doesn't last, and it destroys.
McPherson and his San Diego- based Miles Ahead organization wrapped up nine days of evangelistic and humanitarian outreach in the Montego Bay area with the two, seven-hour-long music and evangelistic events Friday and Saturday nights. With more than 75,000 people in attendance, local church and Miles Ahead volunteers were overwhelmed by the number of "decisions and rededicated lives to Christ" that came forward.
3,515 decision cards (individually completed to signal one's faith in Jesus Christ) were registered, and 6,000 copies of 21 Jump-Start devotional books, authored by Miles McPherson, were quickly exhausted. Several thousand more people were encouraged to visit
www.milesahead.tv where more materials were accessible online.
The festivals - put together by Jamaica Broilers in partnership with more than 100 churches across Jamaica, the Luis Palau Association and Miles Ahead, featured gospel musicians and artistes such as Papa San, Carlene Davis, Prodigal Son, Omari, New Generation, DJ Nicholas, TobyMac, and Israel Houghton & New Breed.
McPherson, after speaking in Montego Bay, partnered with internationally known evangelist Luis Palau on Sunday at the Kingston event which drew an estimated 150,000 people on Saturday and Sunday. 37,000 people attended the Mandeville festival the previous weekend which featured evangelist Andrew Palau.
Prior to the stage performances, attendees enjoyed hours of family fun, including face-painting, toy giveaways, and an extreme sports demonstration of motocross, BMX bikes and skateboarding.
Nearly 300 Miles Ahead volunteers spent the week before the crusade traveling throughout Montego Bay working on humanitarian projects, such as painting and refurbishing two schools, holding a deaf education workshop, and sending teams into multiple schools to inspire and motivate.
In addition, 80 medical professionals hosted free medical clinics, bringing some US $5 million in free medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and health care to an estimated 6,000 Montego Bay residents. A team of athletes led by ex-NBA basketball player and former NCAA Division 1 men's coach Zack Jones as well ex- NFL player Darren Carrington conducted free sports clinics for young people alongside top Jamaica soccer stars Paul "Tegat" Davis and Warren Barrett.
"It was truly an honor and a blessing to work with the Jamaica Broilers, the Luis Palau Association, the local churches and the Government and people of Jamaica," said Miles Ahead Crusade Director Tim Innes. He revealed that delivering evangelistic, social and economic contributions to the country deeply touched and blessed his volunteers in the process.
Miles Ahead has plans for additional outreach activities throughout the Caribbean region.
Video highlights of the outreach and the crusades are available at the recently launched, interactive rich media site
www.mileshead.tv.
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