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After 10 years of silence, United Methodist campus ministry is coming back.
Campus ministry has been on campus for a while, but the last 10 years has stopped, and they are reopening with a new pastor, Domingos Francisco Fernando. He is from Angola which is a southwest part of Africa. He was born and raised in the United Methodist Church.
“My experiences have helped me understand that I am a people person and I like working with young people,” Domingos said. “I think today on one of my passions as a pastor is working with people. This is my first experience as a pastor on a campus. But I’m excited because of that passion to work with young people.”
Upcoming plans are worship services and Communion on Monday nights. On top of this, they will host Bible studies and dinner on Tuesdays. The building will be available for all students to come in. Domingos wants it to be a place for prayer as well as a spot to hang out with friends.
“The main goal is to create a space for spiritual and social growth,” Domingos said. He also wants this space to be open to all individuals, no matter their background or differences.
Domingos strives for campuswide outreach and hopes to contact coaches and be able to offer a prayer for the athletes before training or practice.
“This is a place where we also continue working on our faith and our spirituality, but also create connections,” Domingos said. “To make those connections with one another and as student and minister.”
When he finished high school, he started working at the bank back home. After a few years, he decided to go to Africa University. Africa University is a united related institution from the United Methodist Church. He went there and got a scholarship. He did his undergrad for five years in psychology. During that time, he lived in Zimbabwe.
After his last year in Zimbabwe, he applied for a program called Global Mission Fellow. It is a two-year missionary program from the United Methodist Church. Domingos was sent to Brazil, where he served as asocial educator in a project called Shed in Freshwater of the Methodist Church in Brazil. He worked with kids and adolescents.
“So, I was engaging with kids and adolescents and dear friends’ life setting,” Domingos said. “My experience with being at Africa University had me engaged in so many activities. I was Angolan Community president, and I was part of the African University choir that came to the United States twice, with the choir singing in a different conference. Being in Brazil, it was kind of my destination to discern my call into pastoral ministry.”
In his last year in Brazil, he applied to Drew Theological school in New Jersey. There, he completed a master’s in theology and divinity to become a pastor. He graduated in 2023 and was then appointed as a full-time pastor in eastern Pennsylvania annual conference. After living in Pennsylvania for two years, he was appointed to Pittsburg.
“These two years in ministry helped me also to understand the support system in ministry,” Domingos said. “It is very important to be close to people that you know better. Like friends and so on.”
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