by Isaac Olatunji Jr., Ph.D., adjunct professor, School of Religion 

As a result of God's providence, Demetrius Brown, a freshman theology major at Oakwood University, joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church through baptism, on April 26, at the Stateline Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ardmore, Ala. A Chicago native, 23-year-old Demetrius made the greatest decision of his life on August 28, 2011, by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal savior. Ever since, he has witnessed the providence of God in his life.

In sharing his testimony with Dr. Olatunji, adjunct professor in the School of Religion and pastor of Ardmore's Stateline Church, Demetrius said that from the day he accepted Jesus Christ, "He started to work on me, delivering me from marijuana, drinking, and also pre-marital sex. Although I grew up in a drug-infested area, the Lord delivered me from selling drugs. Even throughout my bad decisions in life the Lord still had a plan for my life.

"After my mother passed away in January of 2013, my agenda was to move to Huntsville and attend Alabama A&M to finish my communication degree. They never replied back to me so I searched the other schools in the area. Once I went on Oakwood's website I knew that it was the school for me, so I applied.

"My living environment was not the best for spiritual growth so I told the Lord if He didn't find me a place to stay, I was moving back to Chicago. A week later He found me a place to stay in an Adventist home. The family taught me their beliefs and I accepted the message.

"When spring semester 2014 came around, I really wanted to go back to school. I told the Lord if He allowed me to get into Oakwood and live on campus, I would put communication aside and study Theology, and He opened the door for me to do just that. Two days before school started, I was cleared to live off campus, but that was not enough. I knew God had the funds to allow me to move on campus. The very next day God provided and now I'm an on-campus student at Oakwood University." 

Filled with a zeal to spread the gospel, Demetrius has dedicated his summer to being a literature evangelist to help spread the love of God. Demetrius sends out a special thanks to the Oakwood family for being supportive through his walk at Oakwood, which has led to this moment.