Grenada’s Speaker of the House Urges Leaders to Serve Faithfully

The Speaker of the Grenada House of Representatives, The Honorable Leo Cato, recently urged Seventh-day Adventist leaders and young people not to be distracted from the church’s mission and to be prepared for service when God calls. More than 140 Adventist leaders were gathered at the St. Georges Seventh-day Adventist Church as part of the organization’s Sixth Quadrennial Session of the Grenada Conference, which began its business meetings on August 23.

“The Seventh-day Adventist Church is never short of talents,” Cato said. “God has a way of endowing His people with skills that we need to use to harness His work.” Cato, who grew up in the Adventist Church, reminded church leaders to allow the Lord to prepare each one for service when using the gifts, skills, and talents bestowed. “By offering our services, we benefit not only others but also ourselves.”

Recognizing the value of serving others and how it can positively impact each life is of great importance, Cato said. “When we refuse to serve, we put ourselves in danger. We deny growth and opportunities when we deny what God has called us to do.”

Cato has been described as an affable and influential church leader. He led several successful ministries of the church and shared that he never refused to serve the church in any capacity.  “All my busy life in public service, I carried on with God’s work,” he emphasized. Currently, he serves as the first elder of the St. John Seventh-day Adventist Church. Cato appreciates the values instilled through Christian education while attending the Mt. Rose Seventh-day Adventist Primary School and the Grenada Seventh-day Adventist Comprehensive School.

Kern Tobias, president of the Caribbean Union Conference of the Adventist Church, highlighted the importance of a Christian education. “I am a product of Christian education, and I am seeing added value as those like Cato live their lives for God,” Tobias said.

Public Life and Church Ministry

A native of Grenada, Cato formerly served in the Information Technology (IT) division of the Ministry of Education and is the author of three books on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). He was an Education and Curriculum Officer in the Ministry of Education and served as a CXC Examiner for Information Technology. He has a Master of Computer Science degree and numerous ICT certifications.  Cato was the Managing Director of Grenada’s ICT Centre for Excellence and Innovation.

After three decades as an educator, he was elected to the Grenada House of Representatives on August 31, 2022, and is among the few Adventists who have held similar positions of service in the country. At the first sitting of the Eleventh Parliament, he was elected to serve as the country’s ninth House Speaker. He has identified his faith as a positive contributor to his leadership role in government.

Serving the church in different capacities is what a session is all about, Tobias said. “[It’s about] getting members who have been appointed as delegates to identify qualities, skills, and expertise in leaders who are willing to work efficiently to fulfill the mission of the church,” he said.

Session delegates elected Enoch Isaac as president, Oliver Scott as secretary, and Anslem Joseph as treasurer of the Grenada Conference, among other department and ministries leaders elected.

During his address to the constituents, Isaac urged vigilance, reminding the congregation to continue moving forward in mission.  He called for an unwavering foundation in the Word of God as he echoed the words of Adventist co-founder Ellen G. White, summoning members to uphold integrity and remain steadfast in a world characterized by compromise.

The Grenada Conference has more than 13,400 Seventh-day Adventists worshiping in 50 churches and congregations. The church oversees two primary schools and one secondary school.

The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-American Division news site.