Erica Jones

INTERVIEWER: Ever wondered what other people of faith believe, what their faith means to them, how they live it? That’s what this audio podcast is about. It’s called “All Faith Counts” because, well, all faith does count. The more each of us knows about other people’s faith the more we understand, accept, and respect them for their belief. Hopefully this is a reminder of all the good faith brings to our world.

ERICA JONES: My name is Erica Jones, and I grew up in Maryland. I went to school—to college—in Tennessee, and got a Bachelor’s degree in English, and then came back to Maryland and was hired at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Worked there for a couple of years before transitioning to the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists and I have been working there ever since.

INTERVIEWER: Erica Jones, is a millennial Seventh-day Adventist who lives in Maryland. As she travels for her job she’s often asked about her beliefs as an Adventist.

ERICA JONES: I think when I’ve travelled before—I’m on an airplane and somehow we get chatting about what I do and they say, “Oh, Seventh-day Adventist, you’re the ones who don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, and they start having this list of do’s and don’ts, and I think, “Oh how sad—that, that’s all they know.” And I say, “Well, you know, some of those things are true. We don’t do this over here. And yeah, we do this, but let me tell you why. Let me tell you the reasons why.”

And actually most of the time, they think, that makes a whole lot of sense. I say it does make a lot of sense and that’s why I love it.

INTERVIEWER: Once the ice is broken in the conversation, Erica likes sharing the unique origins of her Seventh-day Adventist faith.

ERICA JONES: The Adventist movement came out of four young adults—young adults who were thinking differently for their time. You know, they were struggling with some of the things that they had been taught and grown up with, and they felt called by God to do things a little bit differently and that’s really how the Adventist movement started. And I love that because one, it was young adults that started the movement, and, two, they were kind of rebels in their time. (Laughs.)

INTERVIEWER: We asked Erica to explain her fundamental beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist.

ERICA JONES: I believe in salvation through Jesus Christ alone. I believe that the Bible is the sole spoken Word of God, and that it really is his authority. But it’s also his love in a book. We believe in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

INTERVIEWER: As a Seventh-day Adventist Erica believes in taking care of her physical body and the world around her. That’s why, she explains, a part of her spiritual belief is based on living a healthy lifestyle.

ERICA JONES: I believe in taking care of and being good stewards of both the world around us and our own bodies. Specifically, some of the things that we subscribe to are not eating certain types of meats, abstaining from alcohol, abstaining from smoking. I believe that our bodies are actually temples of the Holy Spirit, and as children of God, it is our responsibility, and really our duty to take care of the body that he gave us. We do not eat pork, we don’t eat any kind of shellfish. A lot of us eat fish. But again, those really are—they all come back to health reasons and then also some Old Testament scriptures that we believe in.

INTERVIEWER: One of the tenets that sets the Seventh-day Adventists apart from other Christian denominations is the day they observe their Sabbath. We asked Erica to share her beliefs about the Sabbath day and how they recognize it.

ERICA JONES: I believe in the Seventh-day Sabbath. Sabbath is the seventh day of creation, and so we celebrate that from Friday evening through Sabbath evening. Technically, sundown to sundown is our Sabbath. Friday to Saturday night.

But I would say in general, Sabbath is a gift from God to us to take a day out of the week to rest, to meditate, to do good deeds. And of course, we go to church Sabbath morning and we fellowship together and hear a sermon that hopefully points us back to Jesus and His grace.

I may keep Sabbath very differently from someone else and on my faith journey, I’ve just found that that’s between me and God, and them and God. It’s not for me to judge or say “but this is the right way to keep Sabbath.” It’s a very personal decision.

INTERVIEWER: Erica works as a Digital Media manager for the church. As part of her assignment she reached out to teenage girls of her faith to find out the challenges they face in living their religion. Erica quickly discovered most of these young girls did not feel safe about sharing their struggles. She knew then that something different had to be done to reach these girls. She realized that these very real problems needed to be approached in a new way with authentic conversation—straightforward, practical and hopeful.

ERICA JONES: I was traveling, speaking to teenage girls in person, and I remember one of the first times I went and I finished up and I said, “Does anybody have any questions for me?”

And I got blank stares and I came home, and I feel like God just opened my mind and said,

“Erica, they have tons of questions, but they’re not gonna ask them in front of their friends.” And so I started a blog. The blog is “Gorgeous to God.” I want them to know that no matter what the world tells them, what the mean girl in the hallway tells them, what social media tells them, they are gorgeous to God.

Within that blog, not only do we discuss the really heavy things that they wanna talk about, we have an opportunity for them to write in, they can write in to me. I also have some other mentors that help me answer these questions and it’s completely anonymous.

We can’t see their name or where they’re from. They can write in about anything and they’re answered within a day or two. And it’s a very thoughtful, prayerful, response, but also one that hopefully gives them real, real answers.

INTERVIEWER: We asked Erica what some of the major issues are in the lives of these teenage girls.

ERICA JONES: Girls struggling with anxiety right now is something that we hear about a lot. This is bigger than just everyday ups and downs. They’re really feeling overwhelmed. I’ve had girls say, “I feel like I can’t breathe.” I’ve had girls say, “all I know how to do is cry.”

So this is a free service where no, we’re not trained counselors, but we’re really good listeners and we care and it’s an avenue of hope. We also get a lot of questions about dating, about guys. We get a lot of questions. Girls saying my friend just came out to me, you know, she’s gay. What do I do with that? Am I allowed to still be her friend? Is this okay? So they’re really wrestling with some deep things. I do always let the girls know that I’m praying for them, but I don’t do that until the end.

My messages always start with “I’m so sorry for what you’re going through.” And I honestly am—extending sympathy, understanding, compassion. But this is where I say we really do need to give them relevant practical advice.

Girls that write in and say, “You know, my boyfriend and I, we’ve already had sex and I’m feeling really guilty about it and I don’t know how to tell him ‘No.'” I have some answers for that. I can bolster her courage and say, “I know what you’re going through, but guess what, if you’re feeling guilty about it, you can do this over.”

It’s not too late, because a lot of girls feel like “Well, once I’ve done whatever it is, that’s it for me.” There’s no turning back. Yes, there is. You can always do a U-turn and do it differently. So I can give very practical steps in how to approach that conversation.

INTERVIEWER: Some girls may feel a religious mentor couldn’t have real-life experience with the same problems they’re facing. How does Erica address this concern?

ERICA JONES: My life has been good, but my life has not been perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I would not be able to answer these girls the way that God has enabled me to, unless I had come through trial—unless I had suffered too—heartbreak, loneliness, abandonment, anxiety. So I actually don’t regret the pain that I’ve lived through because it’s made me a more compassionate person, a more understanding person. I’m not here to judge. I can only be an example of what he’s done in my life. And these girls know I’ve been there. I’ve walked through it. I’m on the other side, and I wanna walk through this with you.

INTERVIEWER: And finally, we asked Erica what keeps her going. What gives her the energy to continue to reach out in a world where answers are hard to find?

ERICA JONES: The foundation for me for being a Seventh-day Adventist is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, and his death on the cross. That’s what it’s all about.

If it wasn’t for my faith, what would be the point? What would be the point of today or tomorrow? It’s bigger than us. And knowing that my life doesn’t end here, but is being driven by something bigger than me and has a purpose keeps me going.

INTERVIEWER: Thank you, Erica, for sharing with us your faith, and the good you are bringing good into the lives of others because of it.

And thanks to you, our audience, for listening. We invite you to visit FaithCounts.com to learn and be inspired by different faiths or join the conversation at #MyFaith, because our world is a better place when, “All Faith Counts.”