12 Sep 2025, 08:31Don RobertsLewisham, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
SDA Generation X Gathers in Lewisham for Faith-Filled ‘Great Expectations’ Event
The SDA Generation X event, Great Expectations, brought a sold-out crowd to The Tab London, in Lewisham, on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 September 2025, for a celebration of faith, fellowship, nostalgia, and music. Guest speaker Pastor Melvyn Warfield Jr., singer Michelle Adams, and music group Stephen Manders & Decree, led by Stephen Manders, Minister of Music at Oakwood University Church, headlined a programme designed to revive, reconnect, and renew.
Friday vespers set the tone with Pastor Warfield preaching from Jude 24–25, the doxology, “Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling…” Using the image of a “fall risk,” he said that while all are prone to stumble, God sustains His people, adding, “At the end of every paragraph of your life there should be the words, ‘Praise God.’”
The Sabbath morning service began with praise led by SEC Men’s Ministries Coordinator Devon Boyd and a reflection from Marc Naiken, who contrasted the vibrant Adventism of his youth with the more settled lives of many Gen Xers. “Even though Adam sinned and fell, God still had great expectations for him,” he said, calling his peers to "live and celebrate recovery" today.
Other contributions included a song by Dawn Remey, a poem by Angela Blake, the SDA Generation X Praise Team, and music from Stephen Manders & Decree, which prepared the way for Warfield’s second message.
Preaching from James 1, he explored “the gift in hard places.” James’s counsel to “count it all joy” in trials, he said, is “not automatic” but “calculated joy.” “You choose joy because God is still good in the midst of all of the hardship.” Trials, he continued, bring maturity and shape prayer: “Not all the good times, but it was the hardship that taught you how to pray.” From Job’s story he added, “When God asked, ‘Have you considered my servant Job?’ it wasn’t punishment, it was trust.”
For Sabbath evening's final message of faith and expectation, Warfield used the image of a farmer sowing seed. He urged attendees to trust God to finish what He has begun. “You may feel like your life is still buried in the soil, but if God planted it, He’ll finish it.” Warfield gave three expectations: expect God to finish, expect Him in the struggle, and expect Him to exceed expectations.
An evening concert featured exhilarating performances from local groups Hosanna and His House, alongside guest artists Michelle Adams and Stephen Manders & Decree.”
Midway through their set, Manders shared his testimony of living with type 1 diabetes and kidney failure. He spoke of undergoing dialysis treatments even while in the UK, but affirmed God’s sustaining grace. Introducing his song Keep Holding On, he encouraged, “The road ahead looks dark. You may feel like giving up, but don’t you let go. Just keep holding on.”
The concert - and the event - concluded with a moving prayer for Manders, as pastors, fellow musicians, and standing congregation surrounded him in faith, praying for healing, with the assurance that the God who had sustained him would continue to carry him forward. It was a fitting conclusion to a Spirit-filled gathering, leaving the congregation with renewed faith and great expectations.
The SDA Generation X event, Great Expectations, brought a sold-out crowd to The Tab London, in Lewisham, on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 September 2025, for a celebration of faith, fellowship, nostalgia, and music. Guest speaker Pastor Melvyn Warfield Jr., singer Michelle Adams, and music group Stephen Manders & Decree, led by Stephen Manders, Minister of Music at Oakwood University Church, headlined a programme designed to revive, reconnect, and renew.
Friday vespers set the tone with Pastor Warfield preaching from Jude 24–25, the doxology, “Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling…” Using the image of a “fall risk,” he said that while all are prone to stumble, God sustains His people, adding, “At the end of every paragraph of your life there should be the words, ‘Praise God.’”
The Sabbath morning service began with praise led by SEC Men’s Ministries Coordinator Devon Boyd and a reflection from Marc Naiken, who contrasted the vibrant Adventism of his youth with the more settled lives of many Gen Xers. “Even though Adam sinned and fell, God still had great expectations for him,” he said, calling his peers to "live and celebrate recovery" today.
Other contributions included a song by Dawn Remey, a poem by Angela Blake, the SDA Generation X Praise Team, and music from Stephen Manders & Decree, which prepared the way for Warfield’s second message.
Preaching from James 1, he explored “the gift in hard places.” James’s counsel to “count it all joy” in trials, he said, is “not automatic” but “calculated joy.” “You choose joy because God is still good in the midst of all of the hardship.” Trials, he continued, bring maturity and shape prayer: “Not all the good times, but it was the hardship that taught you how to pray.” From Job’s story he added, “When God asked, ‘Have you considered my servant Job?’ it wasn’t punishment, it was trust.”
For Sabbath evening's final message of faith and expectation, Warfield used the image of a farmer sowing seed. He urged attendees to trust God to finish what He has begun. “You may feel like your life is still buried in the soil, but if God planted it, He’ll finish it.” Warfield gave three expectations: expect God to finish, expect Him in the struggle, and expect Him to exceed expectations.
An evening concert featured exhilarating performances from local groups Hosanna and His House, alongside guest artists Michelle Adams and Stephen Manders & Decree.”
Midway through their set, Manders shared his testimony of living with type 1 diabetes and kidney failure. He spoke of undergoing dialysis treatments even while in the UK, but affirmed God’s sustaining grace. Introducing his song Keep Holding On, he encouraged, “The road ahead looks dark. You may feel like giving up, but don’t you let go. Just keep holding on.”
The concert - and the event - concluded with a moving prayer for Manders, as pastors, fellow musicians, and standing congregation surrounded him in faith, praying for healing, with the assurance that the God who had sustained him would continue to carry him forward. It was a fitting conclusion to a Spirit-filled gathering, leaving the congregation with renewed faith and great expectations.
