Growing at Afterglow

KEENE, TEX. – I’ve found that some of my most meaningful conversations about faith happen not during the sermon, but afterward. Have you ever noticed this? It’s in those smaller, more personal moments—walking back to my car with friends or sharing lunch with family—that I find myself truly reflecting on the sermon. That same spirit of reflection and connection is exactly what Afterglow at Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU) is designed to nurture. 

Following the Friday night vespers service, students gather for Afterglow—a small, intimate program that opens the Sabbath by giving students the opportunity to discuss the sermon, be in community with each other and continue growing in faith. 

It’s easy to get into a rhythm when it comes to attending church. It’s simple to go to vespers or the main Sabbath service, sit with the same people every time and then retreat back to your room. But is that what church is really about? Are we truly continuing our walk in faith if we aren’t engaging with the community God has placed around us? Afterglow aims to disrupt that routine we so easily get into. It gives students the chance to come together as one community, one student body, reminding us that worship extends beyond the service itself.

“Afterglow feels like a continuation of Vespers worship, but with more space to actually connect,” said SWAU student and Afterglow leader Vanessa Saldivar “The heart of it has always been about community, just a space to stay a little longer, worship a little deeper, and really be with people.” 

Afterglow shows us that faith grows best when it is shared. It takes the message from vespers and gives students space to live it out together—through worship, conversation and even fun activities. In a world where it’s easy to slip into routine or isolation, Afterglow reminds us that community matters and that we are stronger in our faith when we walk alongside one another.

By Billie Colvin