La Comunidad Makes Space for Worship at Southern Adventist University
29 April 2025 |
The service was devoid of all the regular features of a worship program. There was no sermon, nor offering. The service merely consisted of music and worship.
Southern Accent, Southern Adventist University’s student newspaper, recently covered the “Night of Worship” hosted by Chattanooga Hispanic Community Seventh-day Adventist Church. Affectionately known as La Comunidad, the church draws many Latin and Hispanic students and is known for its positive involvement in the community.
The idea for Night of Worship originated from Larissa and André Menezes. Both SAU students, the Menezes siblings began the event in November 2023. They wanted a worship service that wasn’t tied to traditional programming but made space for authentic worship and community.
“It’s not a service,” Larissa Menezes said. “It’s worship. That’s it. That’s the focus. We even have an open space at the front so people can kneel or dance, just worship as they feel led.”
And according to Menezes, people do.
“I’ve seen people I never expected to stand up for a final call,” Menezes said. “You can tell when the Holy Spirit is moving. You can feel it.”
Though the night is not a programmed service, this doesn’t mean a lack of planning. The team practices for two months, with the singers and musicians meeting individually, then collectively. The songs set the theme, each one chosen to reveal an aspect of God’s character. Each song is introduced with a reflection tying in scripture to maintain the atmosphere of worship.
Night of Worship has become a multicultural center for students, hearing hymns and worship songs sung in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Many are experiencing an immersive and expressive form of worship that had been discouraged in their home churches, and others feel a comforting familiarity with praising God through song.
Larissa and André Menezes will be graduating soon; however, with the impact the worship experience has had on the church and the campus, most are confident that the event will live on. Night of Worship has become an amazing refuge for Southern Adventist University students.
