Written by: Amanda Blake and Charlene Arnold
Editor’s Note: This article is part one of a two-part series.
In the Sept. 28 issue, the Accent published an article on the dangers of church-hopping and importance of engaging with a single church family based on the opinions of Pastor David Ferguson, senior pastor of the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists. In an effort to keep Southern Adventist University students informed on this topic, the Accent contacted multiple local Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) churches and asked about their missions, services and opportunities for students. These are the details provided by those who responded:
Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists
4829 College Dr. E., Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315
According to Ferguson, Collegedale Church purposefully offers various services to accommodate the different interests and worship languages of students. He listed and described each Saturday service:
The 9 a.m. Adoration service is the “most classical” service. For example, participants sing hymns to a “majestic” pipe organ.
The 9 a.m. Connect service was originally student-centric but has shifted in attendance to more young families and post-collegiates. It is a “dress-down” service, and church goers will meet at the Goliath Wall through the end of October.
The 11:45 a.m. Renewal service is student-led and includes acoustic praise. The various instruments used change periodically. One week, the service might use an electric guitar and bass, another week a djembe or cajon and another week a full trap set.
The 11:45 a.m. Merge service is led by Pastor Reginald Horton but still heavily student-driven. It draws a highly mixed ethnic crowd with a worship style inspired by Black gospel music and cultural heritage combined with a “universal appeal.”
Ferguson said the church board is unanimously in favor of pouring more energy into Merge, and he has recently entered into an agreement to secure more space for the service.
Merge Student Worship Coordinator Lizbeth Rodriguez-Diep, junior public relations major, said there are multiple things that make Merge stand out, including its gospel choir being open to all, and intercessory prayer during which students stand in corners of the room and offer one-on-one prayer for their fellow students.
Collegedale Spanish-American SDA Church (SuCasa)
4855 Colcord Dr., Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315
In an email to the Accent, Senior Pastor Gamaliel Feliciano wrote that SuCasa is considered vibrant and friendly. It intentionally seeks to be relevant to community members and students by offering ministry opportunities in various areas, including music, audio-visual and small groups. The church also provides social opportunities, such as group sports every last Sabbath of the month and going to Six Flags.
The congregation holds two Spanish services on Saturday mornings. The first begins at 9:15, and the second, which offers an English translation, begins at 11:30. Youth Sabbath School begins at 10:20. Each Saturday, there is free lunch with Latino flavor, “just like it’s done by Abuela,” according to Feliciano. Also offered is a weekly Saturday youth program at 6:30 p.m. with food afterward.
SuCasa has what Feliciano referred to as a “student adoption program,” which enables church families to “adopt” students and become emotional and spiritual supports for them.
“Our families treat our students as their children,” Feliciano wrote. “And [we] feed them very well.
“It doesn’t matter if you are a liberal or conservative,” wrote Feliciano. “ … If you believe in God or have your doubts, if you are black, white or brown, if you speak English or just hablas español, SuCasa is your home.”
South Bay SDA Church
4605 Redlands Dr., Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37416
Pastor Jeremy Arnall shared in an email that what sets South Bay apart is its relentless focus on outreach and evangelism. The church provides many outreach opportunities, including door-to-door ministry and Bible studies. Arnall also mentioned the church’s “Dinner with the Doctor” program, a monthly meal accompanied by a presentation on a variety of health and diet-related issues; upcoming hosting of Messiah’s Mansion, a traveling full-scale model of the Mosaic sanctuary; and partnership with SALT, an evangelism training program on Southern’s campus that worked with South Bay a couple years ago for an evangelistsic series. According to Arnall, South Bay is teaming up with SALT again to reach the Chattanooga area.
Arnall said each Saturday service offers reverent, in-depth worship and study with participants of all ages.
“The South Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church is your family away from home, and there’s always something exciting going on,” Arnall wrote. “If you want to give [through] the strength of your youth in outreach and evangelism, South Bay is your church.”
Collegedale Community Church
9305 Four Corners Place, Collegedale, Tennessee, 37363
According to Youth and Young Adult Pastor Nate Dubs, Collegedale Community Church has a growing young adult community, which meets every Saturday at 10 a.m. and conducts other social and service events. The church offers a streamlined contemporary worship service with a strong emphasis on Biblical preaching every Saturday morning at 9 and 11:30 a.m.
In an interview with the Accent, Dubs said he believes the church has a grace-oriented congregation that helps people of all ages grow deeper in their relationships with God.
The church’s website states, “Our Young Adults ministry welcomes ages 18-32 to join them as they grow deeper with one another and with God as they serve those around them.”
“We’re cheering you on. Students have (and are already expressing) such incredible passions and talents,” said Dubs. “Thanks for being the church and bringing your perspectives and wisdom to the global church community. We’d love you to be regularly involved with a local church community and would be happy if Collegedale Community was that community for you.”
Collegedale Korean SDA Church (CKSDA)
4717 Ooltewah Ringgold Road, Ooltewah, Tennessee, 37363
According to Associate Pastor Tony Dennis, a senior theology major at Southern, CKSDA offers both Korean and English Saturday programs, including a Korean Sabbath School at 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., an English Sabbath School at 10 to 11:15 a.m., a Korean worship service at 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. and an English worship service at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Dennis said the church offers students a variety of opportunities to get involved with church ministries. Most of the Sabbath School teachers are college students, for example. Students also lead out in song service and provide special music.
“For college students, there is a welcome back party, a banquet and [an] off-campus retreat each semester,” Dennis said, “plus game and gym nights throughout the year.”
He emphasized that one of the church’s main goals is to train collegiate members to be future leaders.
“Although the sign outside may say ‘Korean Church,’ everyone who wants to experience Christ and have a safe place to grow as a person is always welcome at our church,” he said. “We want to provide a spiritual, fun and loving environment that will help make your time at Southern one of the best times of your life.”
See part two of this story here.
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