Festive ‘Prelude to Pentecost’ with Carey Sayles at Kencot
Published:Tuesday | December 21, 2021 | 12:08 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
In a COVID era when entertainment, locally, remains on lockdown, the virtual space continues to fill the void, and even a simple church service with powerful singing takes on a whole new meaning. Such was the case last Saturday afternoon at the Kencot Seventh-day Adventist Camp Meeting. The theme wasn’t the Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus – it was actually ‘Prelude to Pentecost’, which celebrates the coming of the Spirit – but it was certainly festive over at Kencot.
Among the performers were the popular Ramdon Brothers from St Mary; powerhouse singer Vennica Nicholson, the second-place winner of the 2013 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Jamaica Gospel Song Competition; and Key Influence and One Creation, along with gospel minister Carey Sayles. Undoubtedly, all performances were edifying, and there was no hint of competition. But had it been a stage show in the real world, then Sayles would certainly have been the headline act.
When Carey Sayles is on stage, he is on fire – filled with pure passion and energy, and some would say the Holy Ghost. All this was let loose inside Kencot last Saturday at the camp meeting, which was both virtual and in-person. His praise-and-worship session, with the four young ladies from the Praise Team who accompanied him, was a blast.
“Hallelujah, salvation and glory ... honour and power to the Lord our God. For the Lord our God, he is wonderful, the Lord, our God, is omnipotent, the Lord our God he is wonderful ... Here I am to worship; here I am to bow down ... I’m standing here only because you made a way ... Waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness ... .”
He was the lead singer, choir director, band director and the hype man who kept the spiritual vibe flowing throughout the church with a medley that had all hands in the air and literally brought the camp meeting preacher from New York, Pastor Chelston Lee, to his knees. Sayles’ soul-converting energy was such that a clearly overwhelmed Lee, who, during the singing, sank to his knees and prayed, told him, “Young man, you are special. I am taking you back to New York with me.”
SHY AND RELUCTANT
It’s probably hard to believe that there was a time when this powerhouse music minister was “shy and reluctant”.
He told The Gleaner, “When I was younger, I told God that for one year, anyone who asked me to sing I would say yes. That year, I sang every single week for free, and I believe God gave me the energy. Prior to that, I was shy and reluctant, but after, I will filled with passion and energy. I saw things differently. So, I think God gave me that gift during the year, but He did it through a process of surrender and saying yes to His will.”
As a music minister, he shared the knowledge that keeps him firmly anchored.
“I have discovered that you have to be more in love with the God of the music than the music itself. It is important to have people around you to ground you. I have a lot of those, especially my wife, plus other friends. I remind myself of the purpose and mission God has ordained me to carry out,” Sayles said.
In October 2019, Sayles and his wife Sharilyn released the 10-track album Abba We Believe, a follow-up to his December 2015 offering, If I Be Lifted Up. Undaunted by the pandemic, in December last year, he dropped Love Praise and Hope, which comprises songs such as Blessed and Highly Favoured, Talking Bout Heaven (with Sharilyn Sayles), Holy to You Lord and I’m Still Here.
He reflected briefly on COVID.
“Truth be told, I wobble in the first year of COVID, but after refocusing on Christ – and Christ actually grab me back to His work – I was able to do tremendous work with online ministry with my wife. Part of the problem was that I was looking at the problems with the online platforms instead of the opportunities. And when God opened my eyes to the possibilities, that is when I started to grow,” Sayles shared.