I decide that nurturing my spiritual side is a good idea. The next 24 hours will be spent exploring my prospective Christian life, as I was baptized and confirmed as such. Mirror article will ensue. Crack a couple beers, turn on "The Sopranos," and sit down to learn how to be a Christian. Without a Bible or a Christian around to guide me, I turn to the World Wide Web. According to Tucker's Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, 9 of the over 25 religious groups on campus are Christian fellowships: Alpha Omega, Agap Christian Fellowship, Christian Impact, Faculty/Staff Fellowship, Grace Student Fellowship, Navigators, Orthodox Christian Fellowship, Provision, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Monday, 10:00 p.m.
I gaze at photographs of Christian students, all in clean clothes and beautiful lighting. Seeing them helping others and basking in Jesus' love impresses upon me the moral platform to which my new Christian life may propel me to. There are hungry to be fed and homeless to house.
A slightly deeper look at the fellowships enlightens me to the fact that piousness can also take place while on service or mission trips to Wales, Thailand or L.A., amongst others. One's spiritual side can be rediscovered while apple-picking with the Aquinas House or hitting the climbing gym with Agap. I browse listings and bulletins for events and member names. Try to schedule as many interviews as possible with people who can both educate me about Christianity.
Make a mental note to myself that my new Christian life is going to be awesome. Cannot wait for ice cream socials and eternal redemption.
Tuesday, 10:45 a.m.
Prepare for faith-shopping day. Time constraints and availability narrowed prospective Christian fellowships down to three options: Navigators Christian Fellowship, Christian Impact and Agap Christian Fellowship.
Tuesday, 11:30 a.m.
The Navigators Christian Fellowship has been around since 1933, today boasting 4,000 staff members in 104 countries. The Navigators are the largest fellowship at Dartmouth; there are about 120 of them. They have 12 student leaders and 6 staff members: 5 recent graduates and Craig Parker.
Craig, who has worked for the Navigators for over 25 years, came to Dartmouth in 1990 and today is a veritable cornerstone of the Dartmouth Navs. Craig is also Round 1 of my Christian blind date-a-thon; the first person I have recruited to shed light on Christian fellowships at Dartmouth. Tall and lean, Craig's well-groomed hair and serene demeanor lend him an air of decency and integrity that any man of God should envy.
Sitting down with a minister proves itself mildly nerve-racking as I become aware of my heathen self. My unkempt exterior and general lack of poise virtually cry: "I need to be saved." I sit down to talk with Craig and not-so-secretly hope that deliverance is on its way.
Rather than dogmatizing, Craig explains the culture of humanitarianism in the Navigators. For many, Navigator service trips have acted as a gateway towards long-term work in nations such as Honduras or Morocco. Craig is passionate about global health; his eyes light up as he explains the success of Navigator alumni such as Caitlin Reiner '06, who has raised enough money to put 12 Kenyan children through secondary school. We speak about the relationship between academics and religion and Craig explains that, "His fingerprint is on earth sciences, hard sciences, fine art, the humanities -- all of that." As to Dartmouth's drug and drinking culture, Craig is less interested in "looking over people's shoulders" than he is with addressing the roots of excess and addiction, promoting "wholeness from what is broken" and general well-being among students.
As we talk about my religious future, Craig seems to be perpetually saluting the stream of people flowing by our table. I casually comment on his popularity and Craig coolly remarks that he knows around 900 people on the Dartmouth campus. I become jealous of his fame and wonder if joining the Christian community will make 900 people want to say "hi" to me, too.
Tuesday 12:30 p.m.
My second lunch-date is with Rob Manning '07 and Linsdey Dryden '07 -- both Navigators. Lindsey explained the basics of the Navigators' large weekly meeting, the Thursday Night Fellowship. Lindsey illustrates TNF as "a bunch of students getting together, hanging out and worshipping God." TNF opens with worship and singing, usually accompanied by guitar and/or bongos.
I picture my new Christian self belting out contemporary spiritual jams and feeling "saved," as Lindsey and Rob go on to explain that TNF also includes a speaker who is usually either a student or a community member. In addition to Thursday Night Fellowship, the Navigators run Bible studies and classes, as well as occasional retreats and social events.
Tuesday, 1:20 p.m.
Becky Groves '06's older brother was a Navigator at Dartmouth and is now a staff member for the Navs. Thus, she explains, the decision to join came relatively easily freshmen year. While Becky admits that juggling social and religious life at Dartmouth can be challenging, she appreciates the Navs for their openness, support and non-judgmental atmosphere. Becky and I talk about Bible Study and she invites me to the study that she co-leads with Ryan McAnnally-Linz '06 for later today.
Tuesday, 3:30 p.m.
I try out being a good Christian while at work. Find being unselfish and generally pleasant is harder than one might think. Also, try to swap out the usual "gesundheit" for a "God bless you" as often as possible.
Tuesday, 5:00 p.m.
First trip to church in years. I'm not Catholic, but my curiosity about Aquinas House, Dartmouth's Catholic Student Center, leads me to Mass, where around a dozen people have gathered when I arrive. Stained glass tiles in the ceiling filter the afternoon light from outside, rendering it yet gentler. Mass moves through its familiar rhythms, the congregation standing, kneeling, chanting and reflecting together. The pact that forms between people who share silent space is a powerful one: the unspoken agreement to leave air still can form a strange but unique sense of intimacy. At 5 o'clock, Aquinas has this sense of ethereal familiarity.
Tuesday, 8:00 p.m.
The Navigators run around 10 Bible study sessions per week. Tonight I attend Becky and Ryan's "Faith and Film" study, which watches a film each week and discusses it from a theological standpoint. Tonight, the group discusses "City of God." Conversation is interesting and intelligent, and it would be easy to forget that this is a Bible Study group were it not for the Bible -- large, small, one even with it's own nylon carrying case -- poised on each person's lap, awaiting occasional reference and veneration.
Tuesday, 9:10 p.m.
While walking up West Wheelock Street from Bible Study, I realize that adopting a strong Christian faith may place me in the cohorts with conservative well-to-do businessmen. Call Mom and Dad to celebrate improving my chances for fiscal success. I friend Student Body President and Navigator Noah Riner over Facebook.com with hopes of jump-starting my ascension up the aforementioned ladder.
Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.
Meet with Miriam Glaser '06, a member of both Christian Impact and Christian a capella group Xado. Christian Impact has a formal mission to "tell [their] fellow students about [their] encounters with Jesus Christ" and is part of the organization Campus Crusade for Christ, which is active on over 700 campuses and 150 countries around the world. Dartmouth's Christian Impact has 5 staff members and around 30 students. Miriam explains that CI's weekly Fellowship Forum features "time for worship, time for prayer, one to three speakers, a little more worship and a little more prayer."
Miriam is sociable but speaks with intention. Her religious devotion has rendered her both kind and careful, as she is aware that her beliefs are considered "counter-cultural" to most at Dartmouth. Miriam does not hesitate to speak directly about her faith. As we talk, she explains that, like other Christian fellowships on campus, Christian Impact serves a secondary function as a social organization to its members. However, although most of Miriam's friends are members of Christian Impact, Miriam is careful to also have friends outside the group: "if we isolate ourselves," she explains, "we tend to separate ourselves from what I think is the most important thing in the world: Jesus Christ."
Tuesday, 10:00 p.m.
The Agap Christian Fellowship's Tuesday night Prayer Group commences. Formerly the Asian Christian Fellowship, Agap is a completely student-run organization with approximately 40 members. Like other fellowships, Agap hosts "large group" meetings, as well as "small group" ones every week. Members of the prayer group begin by taking turns talking about whatever's on their minds. They talk about class, family and each other with genuine interest and reverence. Rollins is silent and almost skeletal seeming as they populate the space with thoughts, a brief reading and reflection. A calm befalls the group as it begins to pray.
Tuesday, 11:15 p.m.
My 24-hour Christianity spree comes to a close. On a personal note, I have not repented any blasphemy, have not been born-again and I am no more of a believer than I was 24 hours ago. As I return to being the brutish, unprincipled Dartmouth girl I am, I calculate that I attended only three of the approximately 35 Christian events that take place at Dartmouth every week, excluding church services. My dive into the Christian side of Dartmouth culture was, when measured against the size of the sea, rendered shallow.
