Now, to the point: I strongly encourage all Adventist students who study at a secular campus to seek out and join an AFES (Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) group! The name of the group will vary from campus to campus; names I am aware of are: Christian Union (CU), Evangelical Union (EU), FOCUS, Campus Bible Study (CBS). AFES has affiliated groups on all major campuses around Australia. There are groups in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Townsville, Wollongong, etc. AFES is growing, and the groups will be becoming more prominent as time goes by. What is an evangelical? The word comes from the Greek for "of the Gospel". Evangelical Christians are Christians who hold certain orthodox beliefs: the inspiration of the Scriptures, justification by faith alone, the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus Christ, the resurrection, etc. Central to evangelical belief is the gospel,the cross of Christ, and the authority of the Bible. AFES groups usually hold a main meeting once a week. Small-group Bible studies are conducted also on a weekly basis. In addition, evangelistic events happen right through the semester, and some groups on larger campuses may have ministry training one night a week. There are plenty of camps, and once a year there is a national conference where all AFES groups come together for 5 days of conference followed by 5 days of mission. This year 450 students from all over Australia came together at Stanwell Tops in Sydney, where we heard talks on Isaiah and 2 Peter, and recieved training in various aspects of evangelism and ministry. I have found that involvement with Christians on campus has been extremely encouraging and made my life on campus much more fulfulling. It is great to hang out with people who have similar beliefs and outlook to life as yourself! So get involved... now! Make 1999 the year where you commit yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ on your campus.
Entered Jereth Kok jereth@alphalink.com.au March 31, 1999