Less Graying, More Praying
It was a Thursday night, and the sorority house was buzzing with girls laughing, glasses clinking, and music blasting as my sorority sisters headed out for another fun night out on the town. I was in my room, listening to the commotion and wondering what I was doing with my life. The University of Texas at Austin was voted the number 1 party school by Playboy Magazine in 2010. It seemed so ironic that a third generation Adventist like me had ended up here out of all places.
I had longed for Adventist pastures at one point in my life. I applied to Andrews, La Sierra, and PUC and had gotten into all three, but I decided to attend UT Austin for their stellar Government department and better financial incentives.
To be honest, I learned to relish the public university experience. Things were liberal and exciting - co-ed dorms, famous professors that showed up on the news, and cutting-edge research and classes were things that intrigued me and led me to fall in love with Austin and everything it had to offer.
However, one thing has always remained in the back of my mind. There were a couple of Adventist churches near campus and I went (and still go) regularly to one. However, one thing bothered me to my core - the lack of a focus on college/young adult groups and community within the Adventist church. I watched as other churches invested time and poured resources into university-affiliated college organizations that had within their ranks some of the most sincere and devoted Christians I know. I watched as they built each other up through Christ as they struggled through many of the things that I went through alone - doubt, stress, and loneliness in a secular environment.
I bounced from my sorority bible study to a Korean-American church-sponsored small group without ever really feeling at home. I longed for a Korean Adventist group based on the principles of this amazing community that I had witnessed. Efforts by the Adventists in Austin felt small and contrite, and talking to some of my other friends that go to other public universities led me to the conclusion that they felt the same way.
I was absolutely delighted to find the Compass website. It was a magazine that I read growing up and that I used to be excited for because it stimulated discussion about the future of Korean Adventists and because it reminded me that I am not alone. The initiative shown by the creators of the site amazes and humbles me greatly.
However, apart from experiences with things such as the Compass and some Adventist groups that I have encountered in my life, my experiences in college and growing up in Texas has led me to one frightening conclusion:
If we don't do anything now, our church will decline steadily until there is almost nothing left. Recently I read an article about the "Graying of Adventism." The median age of Adventists in the United States has been rising. This statistic was due in part to the number of young people leaving the church. I would be lying if I said that sincere doubts in my mind about Adventism never arose, or that I was never tempted to convert to a church that made life with God easier and more accessible than the outdated and dry Adventist churches that I had been going to.
However, I can complain about the shortcomings of the Adventist church all I want to. In fact, a Google search of the word "Ex-Adventists" will lead you to a couple of sites that have dedicated their existence to complaining about the church's shortcomings. Instead of complaining, however, I want to challenge the thought that one has to move to an Adventist "mecca" i.e. Loma Linda, Berrien Springs, Keene, etc to experience true community.
I sincerely believe that we need to witness and grow our church roots so areas beyond the meccas won't have to wish for the next campmeeting or the next trip out to see share their faith with Korean friends. We need to witness to young people (especially in college), invest in areas beyond the meccas, and pour our resources into the future of our church (the youth) - or else the "graying" of our church will continue. We need more of that electrifying, all-for-God fire, a willingness to witness to anyone, anywhere. I sincerely hope that as we devote ourselves to building our Korean-American Adventist future and challenge ourselves to leave the meccas, that there will be less "graying" and more praying.
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Ashley is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in Government and Korean.