Many students at Andrews come from diverse and fascinating cultural backgrounds. For this reason, Andrews has a wide variety of cultural clubs to support its students. Andrews University is also a Seventh-day Adventist institution, where spirituality is always at its center. Here, I present three of Andrew's most popular cultural clubs and how they incorporate worship into their mission.
The Black Student Christian Forum
“Andrews University highlights black culture through events, vespers, and church services,” says Aaliyah Ngyou (senior, business administration). She is the president of the Black Student Christian Forum (BSCF), a student-led club for African American students. It's one of the most active clubs on campus. The BSCF is open to all students, regardless of their faith or heritage. You can also join the African Student Association or the Caribbean club.
The BSCF is also responsible for organizing Impact, a weekly vespers service. Services at Impact consist of music, testimonies and engaging sermons. Ngyou says these activities “create a space of joy and deep emotion” within students who attend. You can also participate in New Life, a worship service held every Saturday. Services at New Life highlight Black culture with gospel music, pastoral services and spiritual dances.
Celebrating Filipino Culture
If you’re looking to experience Filipino culture, the Andrews Filipino International Association (AFIA) may be the place for you. Tyler Le Roux (junior, theology and music) is the religious vice president. He says AFIA “puts God into every activity.” Every activity they participate in begins and ends with prayer. AFIA participates in the night market, the Filipino cultural night, and the food fair each year.
AFIA organizes an AFIA sabbath, an event where they plan a worship service at the Filipino American Seventh-day Adventist Church. After last year’s service, cabinet members helped with serving the potluck and cleaned the fellowship hall following the meal.
AFIA regularly lends its time to the community in this way. They see it as a part of their ministry. Last year, AFIA and the Filipino church cleaned firetrucks and repainted fire hydrants for the local fire department.
If you aren’t Filipino, don’t feel discouraged from joining. Le Roux, who is South African, says that AFIA is one of the nicest and most accepting clubs on campus. “Filipinos relate to many cultures and yet are completely unique,” Tyler said. They see and empathize with everyone and welcome with open arms all who want to join.”
Korean Representation
The Korean American Student Association (KASA) holds annual cultural celebrations, including Chuseok and Lunar New Year. Anna Pak (senior, psychology and pre-optometry) is the club president and ensures that God is incorporated into each event. “KASA integrates spiritual reflection into its celebrations, reminding participants that gratitude and community are expressions of worship,” Pak said.
Like AFIA, KASA emphasizes serving others as an essential part of ministry. The club supports on-campus fundraisers, does volunteer work, and collaborates with other faith-based groups “to demonstrate God’s love in action.” This year, Pak hopes to organize more fundraisers and support more Asian American Pacific Islander initiatives.
KASA is a part of the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) committee, along with AFIA, the Myanmar Student Association (AUMSA), the Indian Club, and the Southern Asian Student Association (SASA). They all work together to host events that celebrate diversity and inclusivity. Last year, the committee hosted its first joint worship service. The program featured music, testimonies, and prayers that represented various AAPI backgrounds.
KASA is open to participants of all backgrounds; however, Pak admits that you might struggle to feel engaged if you are not a Korean student. Because of this, KASA members always make an effort to explain cultural events and practices to others. Pak insists that including others is an essential part of the worship experience. “When we embrace diversity in worship, we acknowledge that God’s kingdom is made up of every nation, language, and culture. We are all united in praise and purpose,” Pak said.
It means that if you’d like to join a cultural club, you shouldn’t hesitate. BSCF, KASA, and AFIA are only three of the many cultural clubs at Andrews University. Regardless of your background, every club is eager to welcome you and support your spiritual growth. So if you are an Andrews student who has not joined a club yet, I ask you this: What’s stopping you?
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.