I grew up without any church or religion. When people would ask me if I was, I would tell them that my only encounter with religion was when my family got kicked out of a church because we were hungry and were being loud with our Subway wrappers. Even though religion hasn’t been a part of my life, I’ve always wanted to educate myself about different religions by experiencing their daily practices and preachings through houses of worship/religion like small churches, mosques, and temples.
Last week, I was invited to two places of worship. The first one was on Sunday, where my roommate, Theresa, invited me to attend a Sunday service at Detroit’s Unitarian-Universal church. Theresa told me that it was an inclusive church that invited all scriptures, holy texts, religions, and orientations. The service was what I expected it to be, except that the demographics were mostly older white people, which didn’t fit the city’s population. The speaker talked about how the older people in the church were the social justice leaders in Detroit and that they are placing their faith in the younger generation to carry on the mission of equality and justice for all racial, economic, and sexual orientations. I loved going to the church and enjoyed the style of their program, so I’m making it my goal to go to the Universal Unitarian church in Ann Arbor once the semester starts again!
My second encounter with religion was with a more traditional Christian bible group. Marjai, another student in our DCBRP program, invited us to her bible study’s barbecue dinner on Saturday. I was expecting to only talk to Marjai and eat some free food, but I got so much more than that! The first people I talked to invited me into their conversation as I walked up to the BBQ. They were all high school or college students, with most of them going to University of Michigan. We talked so much, played ultimate frisbee, and had some great food. I loved talking to the group so much that I went to their Wednesday bible study session! I came with no religious background or knowledge of the bible, but the other students didn’t make me feel alienated or like a stranger. Beyond studying one passage in the bible, I learned more about faith and their religious culture. Even with just one glimpse of one of their many sessions, I got a good idea of how close and intimate they are with each other and their faith.
From both of these religious visits, I learned so much about how people’s religion makes changes in peoples’ lives, culture, personalities, and how they act in times of hardship and success. Both events were humbling and interesting! I’m hoping to go to other places of worship in as many religious and cultural contexts and environments for the rest of my life!
