Friends That Last

After finding a community of lifetime friends at Adventist Christian Fellowship, Chris Cardoza, the current President of ACF Ontario, encourages everyone to join ACF communities on their public campuses to find life-changing friendships and a life-changing God.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into ACF ministry.
Friendships can happen for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Most of us hope against hope for that moment in life when at last we find even just one lifetime friend; that kind of friend whom we can build trust with, be vulnerable with, have honest and authentic conversations with, and simply do life together with. Yet many find that the wait seemingly never ends. When I first encountered the Adventist Christian Fellowship (ACF) community right on my public campus during my sophomore year at the University of Toronto, I was undeservingly gifted with so many lifetime friends that I even lost count. And in fellowship with Christ-like friends, I found Christ. And He was just too good a friend to pass. Once I joined ACF, I simply could not quit.

What is your advice to students on public campuses wanting opportunities to reach their classmates?
The opportunity to open up a conversation with anyone does not need to be given to you, it’s made by you. Conversations with strangers can become much less intimidating when you realize that most people need listeners more than talkers. And once they’ve warmed up to you and are ready to hear your side of the story and spend more time in fellowship with you and potentially others like you, there’s no better time to invite them to the Adventist Christian Fellowship (ACF) community right on your public campus, where lifelong and life-changing friendships are just at arms reach.

For those who might not know about the ACF winter retreat, what can we expect of it?
On behalf of ACF Ontario, we are inviting all public college and university students in Ontario, including grade 12 high school students, to join us for our first ever Winter Empowerment Weekend this family day long weekend (see more on acfontario.ca). These retreats are saturated with practical evangelism, going all out on fellowship to create the biggest hotspot where lifelong and life-changing friendships are made. Every year, the retreats promise to be a beautiful blessing to all who gather together in Christ, and it’s you who makes that happen.

We thank Chris for spending time with us, and as we get closer to the ACF Winter Empowerment Weekend, we look forward to seeing you all there to discover more about one another and more about Christ.