Gaining Confidence to Speak Out for Christ

When Ruth Martinez arrived at FPU, she says she was shy about her faith. “Even though I grew up in a Christian home, I didn’t have a strong relationship with Christ,” she says. Her experiences here, however, would transform her from uncertain to outspoken.

As a freshman transfer, Ruth began a three-hour- a-week job in FPU’s Office of Spiritual Formation and Diversity (OSFD). As a communication major she had always loved media and creating graphics, and soon she was creating media graphics for OSFD’s weekly events and running slides at College Hour. Those were jobs she felt comfortable doing. But that small role stretched her to become a student chaplain in OSFD.

As a chaplain Ruth soon found herself talking about faith with people regularly. “It was certainly because I felt the obligation to do so,” she admits. Several months of experience at OSFD strengthened her faith. “Working in a ministry field allowed me to bloom. As time passed, I started speaking up about my faith because I enjoyed it and felt a sense of peace doing so,” she says.

Her various roles at OSFD gave Ruth the opportunity to serve on the Fresno-Clovis Prayer Breakfast Committee as media relations assistant. Seeing how her experience in media combined with her newly strengthened faith could be used in a greater capacity, Ruth decided to double major and add contemporary Christian ministry. “I was able to combine love for media and ministry. I love the church. It was a huge connection that I saw in my life,” she says.

Now Ruth describes herself as an “outspoken Christian.” She says this includes “sharing my thoughts on Scripture, sharing God’s word with others, talking about our relationship with God and praying in group settings.”

A strengthened faith combined with ministry experiences at FPU helped Ruth see how God could use her passion for media within his kingdom. For the future, she hopes to find a church or non-profit Christian organization where she can continue the ministries she started at FPU.