Israel Ramos serves as the Director of Public Campus Ministries Department for the Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the Director of the Center for Adventist Ministry to Public University Students (CAMPUS). He has more than 15 years in ministry to public university students as a missionary, pastor, religious counselor, and administrator. In 2002 he co-founded and served as the president of GYC–a grassroots movement among Adventist young people around the world. He lives near East Lansing, Michigan and enjoys triathlons, cooking, and organic farming. He and his wife Judy are the proud parents of three young boys: Imanuel, Micah, and Titus.
Leeroy Hernandez serves as the Center for Adventist Ministry to Public University Students (CAMPUS) Missionary Training Program Director. He is also the evangelism director of the Public Campus Ministries Department for the Michigan Conference Of Seventh-day Adventists. He has a BA in Theology and has served as an assistant publishing director and local church pastor in Grand Rapids prior to his current position. He has led and grown small groups and student organizations at Grand Valley State University and other surrounding colleges and has trained Adventist and non-Adventist student leaders on how to effectively minister on public college campuses since 2014. He lives near East Lansing, MI home of Michigan State University, where he met his wife Cori (an MSU graduate). They are the proud parents of their son Desmond and two dogs: Kimchi and Nico.
Brianna Kittleson is the Administrative assistant for public campus ministries. She studied Graphic Design at Andrews University. Prior to coming to the conference, she worked as an Assistant girl’s dean at mount Pisgah academy. She grew up in Maryland, but Michigan has become her new stomping ground. She loves being outdoors and spending time with her family.
Michigan Conference Public Campus Ministries exists to prepare public campuses for the imminent return of Christ. It accomplishes this through a Bible-based revival movement in which every student is a missionary.
The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists estimates that more than 80% of our Adventist young people are attending non-Adventist colleges and universities. By the time these students graduate these institutions of higher learning, only 50% will remain Seventh-day Adventist Christians.
Michigan is the only conference in the North American Division that has a Public Campus Ministry Department. It was launched in 1998 and has grown to be one of the most respected resources of Adventist Public Campus Ministry in the Adventist Church today.
The Public Campus Ministry Department builds and oversees the work of public campus ministry in several ways:
1. Providing a support system for Adventist students studying on non-Adventist universities
- Helping the students address and navigate Sabbath observance and other issues
- Building their faith through credible Bible studies and resources that defend the Adventist faith in Scripture
- Providing pastoral care and mentorship as students experience the academic and social college life
2. Establishing University Churches (or uchurches)
- Churches that see as reaching the public campus as one of their primary ministry responsibilities
- Churches that integrate public campus ministry into the ministry of the local church
3. Partnering with pastors on or near university towns in Michigan
- Providing training and resources to assist them in their ministry on campus and to public university students
- Establishing a Fellowship of Adventist Public Campus Ministers
- Partnering with them in evangelism and soul-winning on public campuses in Michigan