Montego Bay

Welcome to the Best Dressed 50 Fest at Dump Up Beach! This FREE event will take place May 2-3, 2008, in Montego Bay and will feature the same great components as the festival in Kingston, with the following variances:

Guest Artists: Check back later for the artist lineup.

Guest Speaker: Miles McPherson

Whether sharing the stage with a former U.S. president or producing an Emmy award-winning documentary, Miles McPherson stands at the forefront of transformation evangelism and ministry mobilization.

McPherson is the President of Miles Ahead, and Senior Pastor of the Rock Church in San Diego. A nationally known speaker, McPherson’s bold, down-to-earth and humorous style has become his trademark. His relevant message challenges both the young and young-minded and often compels them to recalibrate their lives in light of the Gospel.

Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1960, McPherson was raised on Long Island in a strong family. His father, Rudolph McPherson, was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, and moved to Brooklyn during his teens. Miles’ grandparents were also born and raised in Kingston. His grandfather, Milton McPherson, and his band, Milton McPherson and the Jazzing Jamaicans, performed frequently at a nightclub in Kingston, The Carib Theater.

Miles McPherson attended the University of New Haven, where he majored in engineering. He was the university’s first player to achieve All-American honors in football and be drafted into the NFL. He went on to play as a defensive back for the San Diego Chargers.

But off the field his life began to spiral out of control. Two years into his pro career, McPherson was battling a drug problem and living an immoral lifestyle. That’s when teammate Sherman Smith, now an NFL coach, asked McPherson a simple question. “If you were to die right now, would you go to heaven?”

It took over six months for McPherson to answer. In April 1984, having been up all night doing cocaine and realizing that his life was empty, McPherson gave his life to Jesus Christ.

The change was dramatic and instant. Soon McPherson began attending Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego and reaching out to teenagers. He also began motivational speaking with the Chargers’ organization. In September 1986, within a week after retiring from football, McPherson went to work as a Youth Pastor for Horizon, and enrolled in Azusa Pacific University’s School of Theology. He received his Master of Divinity degree in 1991.

In 1992, he founded Miles Ahead, a non-profit organization that reaches out to America’s youth with the Gospel. Miles Ahead Ministries has expanded to include evangelistic events in other cities, states, and international locations. Since 1996 over 290,000 people have attended 19 evangelistic events, and over 42,000 people have responded to his message.

The Rock Church held its first services in February 2000, with 3,364 people in attendance. Currently more than 11,000 people attend one of the Rock’s five weekend services. The church recently moved to a newly refurbished 244,000-square-foot complex (when completely remodeled, it will be 279,000 square feet) in the Point Loma area of San Diego, with a state-of-the-art sanctuary that seats 3,500, with a 3,600-square-foot high-definition video screen.

McPherson is the author of several books and articles, and in 2007 earned an Emmy Award for a documentary on methamphetamine. He and his wife, Debbie, have three children and live in San Diego, California.

Festival Schedule of Events: Check back here for a daily schedule of events.

Parking and Directions: Check back here for driving directions and parking information.

Event Map: Download the pdf here

Special Permit Parking For Your Church Van or Bus: There is special reserved parking for pre-registered church vans and buses.

April 26 - May 4, 2008
Kingston, Montego Bay, and Mandeville

One Great Event,
Three Great Locations

This website contains information about the May 3-4, 2008, event in Kingston. Click below for more information about related events in Mandeville and Montego Bay.

Manchester High School — Mandeville
April 26-27, 2008
Featuring Andrew Palau

Dump Up Beach — Montego Bay
May 2-3, 2008
Featuring Miles McPherson

King's House — Kingston
May 3-4, 2008
Featuring Luis Palau