Lake Region—Calvin Ockletree, a Capitol City Church member, had a golden opportunity to participate in the Mayor's Youth Town Hall Meeting. He is a student at the Charles A. Tinley Accelerated School, a charter school in the Indianapolis area. The school's principal asked Calvin to represent his school as a candidate for the Mayor's Youth Council. He would join a group of young people, ages 14–18, who serve as advisors to the mayor's administration, participate in community projects, make plans for the mayor's "Back to School Teen Summit," and the Mayor's Town Hall Meeting. Calvin's response was positive, and an interview time was set a few weeks later with a staff member from the mayor's office.

At the end of his interview, Calvin asked the staff member if any of the meetings with the mayor would take place on Sat. The interviewer's response was that "all the meetings take place on every Saturday." Calvin courageously responded to this new information by stating in front of his peers that he was "a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, and would not be available to serve on Saturday." The interviewer sought clarification of his statement by asking if he would be "unavailable on every Saturday." Calvin responded the second time by courteously saying he would not be able to serve any Sat. When Calvin was leaving his interview, an interviewer quipped, "Well, if you ever want to change your religion, give me a call!"

We are very proud of Calvin's uncompromising position, for he believes being "a Seventh-day Adventist is something you have to stand up for." Like Daniel in Babylon who witnessed for his God, Calvin is a wonderful example of a young man not afraid to act on his convictions.

Jerry D. Lee III, Capital City Church communication leader, as told to Bruce Babienco, Lake Union Herald volunteer correspondent