GOD’S TIMING IS THE BEST TIMING

EVERY TIME WE CAME UP HERE FOR CAMP MEETING, YOU COULD JUST SENSE THE SPIRIT OF GOD!

BY AUTUMN ALEXANDER

Hi. My name is Autumn Alexander and this is my Oakwood story.

I didn’t grow up Seventh-day Adventist. My story comes from when I first heard of Oakwood. [That] would have been when my Dad came home from prison and got married to my now Mom. She was part of the Seventh-day Adventist church and brought us into the church. We would come for [South Central Conference] camp meeting, participate in drill corps competitions and things like that. So that’s how I got to know about Oakwood, and there was just something different.

Every time we came up here for camp meeting, you could just sense the Spirit of God! It had a different “feel” than being anywhere else in the world. You could just sense God’s presence. That’s how I knew Oakwood was somewhere I wanted to be.

I had offers from the Air Force Academy because I was in JROTC, where I was the Cadet Corps Commander my senior year. But I felt a call to the ministry on my life, probably when I was around 15 or 16 years old. There was always this pull when I would come to church. I felt this tug at my heart for ministry. So, I got involved in church ministry. One of my pastors was a chaplain in the Air Force. He introduced chaplaincy to me. I knew I wanted to be in

The Journey Impact Of

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ministry but I didn’t want to pastor a church, because my idea of ministry was not ministering to the same people all the time. I wanted to take the message outside of the four walls of the church. Being around my pastor kind of opened the avenue of chaplaincy for me. Knowing that Oakwood [has] a School of Religion, I wanted to come to Oakwood—which is why I turned down the offers to go to the Air Force Academy. Many people would say I was probably crazy for doing that. But I think that God wanted me at Oakwood for a reason.

Being a full-time mom; being a fulltime wife; being a full-time worker. . . you know it’s kind of hard to try to do traditional schooling. And that’s how I entered the LEAP program to complete my degree.

The journey impact of Oakwood for me—Oakwood has taught me to never give up. And to trust God’s process. God’s timing is the best timing. What we dream for [in] our lives might not always match God’s plans for our lives. [We must] be willing to walk the journey with God. So, Oakwood has taught me that.

I feel that Oakwood has prepared me for ministry.

So, I’ve entered to learn. Now, I’m ready to depart to serve. Oakwood has definitely offered me that. t

Autumn Alexander is a 2023 graduate of Oakwood University, and is prepared for her life’s work in ministry. She traces her knowledge and love of Oakwood to her early days when she would attend camp meeting sessions on the campus with her family.