Starting a fire: Truevon Alford organizes campus ministry

At 33, Truevon Alford has gone back to school. He recently organized a campus ministry through his church, Greater Dimension Ministries, where he serves as youth pastor. With the help of others at the church, they formed SoulFire Student Ministries at Southeast Missouri State University. Alford's hope is to foster an environment where college students can expand their knowledge of Christ and extend their talents through outreach programs.

What drew you to serve in a leadership role? I simply wanted to share my passion for Jesus Christ with others and lead them into a passionate relationship with him also.

Why did you decide to create SoulFire Ministries on Southeast's campus? SoulFire was created because my senior pastor, associate pastor and myself all had a strong desire to impact the SEMO community with God's love. My pastor, William Bird Sr., felt that it was time that we strive to make a difference in the lives of our college students.

What is SoulFire Ministries purpose? To expose the college community to the love of Christ. To encourage the study and practice of biblical teaching. To create an environment where students can experience fellowship and togetherness as they express their love for God by extending service to others with their various talents and abilities.

What are the age ranges of the youth that you serve on Southeast campus and at Greater Dimensions Church? On SEMO's campus its from 18 to 34 years old. At Greater Dimension Ministries, we have a wide age range, going from 2 to 17. I mostly teach the 9-to-12-year-olds and 12-to-17-year-olds.

How do you keep the youth engaged in ministry activities on a college campus? We have been using an interactive DVD-driven Bible study to present biblical teaching in more generationally relevant presentation.

What do you consider the greatest challenge you have faced with getting established and active on campus? I would have to say finding students who were willing to come check out a strange new ministry they had never heard of. Growth has been slow, but many times healthy growth is.

As a youth pastor you serve in a supportive role to the head pastor at Greater Dimension Church. Who helps support you with your on campus organization? My wife LaKendra is very supportive, she keeps me organized. Also several SEMO students who attend our church are big help to LaKendra and I on campus.

What would you say is SoulFire's greatest achievement/shining moment? Well, we are still a very young ministry at SEMO, but one moment that sticks out in my mind is one Thursday night toward the end of Bible study as I was talking about the intensity of God's love for humanity, many of the students began to cry, some lifted their hands as they all began to worship God openly before their peers. The presence of God was felt so strong in that Bible study that students continued worshipping even as they were on the way to their cars in the parking lot. We were all blown away by the power of God's love on that night.

Does any of the youth serve in a leadership role within your organization? Yes. The positions are organizational president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. Also some our SoulFire students assist us in youth ministry at Greater Dimension Ministries on Sundays and at special youth events for our younger kids.

How have students at Southeast responded to your organization? The majority of students who know about us have responded with excitement and support of SoulFire's mission.

Were you involved with Southeast before deciding to create a student ministry organization? I used to sing in the Black Student Fellowship choir at SEMO from 1998 to 2002.

What do you think makes this organization special? We are a group of young people who want to share practical and solid biblical truth with a more contemporary and urban flavor.

What's your favorite verse and why? Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Translation) "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He has planned for us long ago." I love that Scripture because it lets me know that I am no accident. I was designed and destined by God to awesome things for him. Humanity is God's greatest work of art that he created to show forth the colors of his great love, compassion, grace and truth.

What events or occasions does your organization have coming up? Well, next semester we are planning to do some community outreach projects such as Victory, a program that helps victims of abuse, also we are planning on teaming up with other campus ministries to impact our campus, community and city for Christ.