According to Jedidiah Chukwusom, the president of the Adventist Christian Fellowship, for Iowa State community members who want to connect with Christ and bond with others who share their beliefs, ACF is a student organization that provides members this opportunity.

According to the Adventist Christian Fellowship Constitution, this organization was created for Christian students and friends to have a place where they feel comfortable, accepted and valued without discrimination.

President Jedidiah Chukwusom, a senior in chemical engineering, runs and organizes meetings and events, maintains communication between members and the adviser, represents the organization on campus and makes sure the standards of Iowa State and the Student Activities Center are met. Other officers alongside him are treasurer Hyun Seon Kim and adviser Mona Berkley.

Typically, officers and advisers are elected by majority agreement of members and serve for one year, but this year was different. Chukwusom stepped up to support and help build the organization when it was needed.

“I really didn’t decide I wanted the position, it was more of a necessity for the organization,” Chukwusom said. “Before becoming the president, ACF was not a recognized student organization at Iowa State. In order to grow the organization I was approached by the faculty advisor to be an interim president; I chose to do this to aid in the growth of ACF and have since stayed as the president to continue to foster that growth.”

Meetings are held on the first Friday of every month at the Ames Seventh-day Adventist Church from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. To start the meeting, a meal is prepared by the members of the church. Following this, a member leads an activity, such as icebreaker questions or games, and then important announcements are made. To conclude, a member chooses a topic and leads the discussion.

“This week I led the discussion and chose to conduct a discussion on mental health and how the Bible encourages professional and spiritual help for those suffering with mental health illnesses, and further that there is no need to be ashamed about mental health problems,” Chukwusom said.

Along with meetings, ACF is involved in volunteer work, group activities and Bible study. Recently, they went hiking at Ledges State Park and are planning to host a church service. Members are also able to suggest and plan some of these activities.

This is a new organization with 12 members, nine of them Iowa State students, but ACF continues to grow. Members are expected to regularly attend meetings and support the goals of the organization. Anyone can join by visiting the Iowa State Student Organization page or by emailing Chukwusom at [email protected].