Arturo Montoya holds a dual appointment as an associate professor in the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA). He is also an elder at the San Antonio Scenic Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Reflecting on his time at Columbia University in New York City, he recalled finding himself in transition. Away from his family and in a big city, he felt young, alone and susceptible to all kinds of influences.
Thankfully, Montoya found Adventist Christian Fellowship (ACF), a gathering of college and university students hosted by New York Manhattan Church of the Advent Hope Seventh-day Adventist Church. “Without that group,” he shared, “I don’t know where I would be right now.” For Montoya, the group was an oasis where he found belonging, connection and purpose.
When Montoya moved to San Antonio, one of the first things he did was search online to find a local Seventh-day Adventist Church.
“It was a little awkward at first,” he recalled. “No one really said hi or talked with me. I sat in the back and made my rounds. But I knew that I wanted to get used to this place, connect, belong and serve eventually.”
After persevering for a few months, he connected with a few young adults and eventually became an elder for the church. Montoya is now collaborating with Texas Conference Young Adults Ministries to relaunch the ACF chapter at UTSA.
Approximately 80% of high school graduates are currently on public university campuses, looking to belong, connect and serve with fellow young adults. We need to be intentional about creating and providing safe spaces for students to learn and grow.
Currently, 16 public campuses have an ACF presence in the Texas Conference. Also, a Texas Conference ACF Retreat is scheduled for February 10-12, 2023, in the San Antonio area.
Adventist Christian Fellowship is an official organization endorsed by the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists that encourages campus ministries programs on non-Adventist college and university campuses. To learn more about ACF, visit youngtexasadventist.org/acf or email acf@txsda.org.
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Justin Yang is the director for Young Adult Ministries for the Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Alvarado, Tex.
A version of this article appeared in the January/February 2023 issue of the Southwestern Union Record. You can find the online issues here.
