AIC Volunteers Serve at National Youth Convention

Phoenix, AZ – April 19, 2018 – Southwestern Assemblies of God University American Indian College (SAGU AIC) students volunteered at the annual National Native Youth Convention (NNYC) this past March.

There were about 12 AIC volunteers that helped out at the event, including AIC’s Ignite School of Ministry students. These students dutifully greeted the youth, organized chairs, and helped with security and parking assistance. Not only that, but they went above and beyond by praying and ministering to the youth as well.

The NNYC is a gathering put on by the Native American Fellowship of the Assemblies of God for native youth from churches in New Mexico, Arizona, and other tribes across the nation to come fellowship with other believers and have an incredible spiritual encounter. It actually started in the early 2000s and was held at AIC for many years. This year, it was held at a church in Arizona called The Fountain.

Throughout the weekend, youth were able to experience incredible worship services, workshop sessions in smaller groups, sports tournaments, and even a talent show competition.

A lot of the youth at the NNYC are familiar with SAGU AIC because of their participation in past youth conventions and campus days at the college. Many of them have pastors or relatives that attend SAGU AIC as well. In addition, teenagers who’ve attended NNYC in the past are now AIC students –  some of which even helped out at the event!

“It’s always an amazing sight to see some of the current SAGU AIC students, who are now students as a result of going to the National Native Youth Convention themselves at one point and seeing other AIC students at the time pour into them, now being the ones that pour into these high school kids,” says Nick Zamorano, the Director of Student Development and Enrollment at the AIC campus.

The convention was a success as native youth flooded the altars and responded to the messages in a positive way. In addition, AIC volunteers represented their campus well, impacting not only the teenagers in attendance, but also the NNYC staff that organized the event.

Zamorano has high expectations for next year’s convention. He, along with the rest of the staff and volunteers are looking forward to “bringing more students from the college to help serve, recruit new students from the convention to become SAGU AIC Warriors, but most importantly, watch God impact these youth’s lives!”

Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) American Indian College (AIC) is the nation’s only private Christian college serving primarily Native American students. Established in 1957, AIC now serves nearly 25 tribes as well as other ethnicities.