Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

The Wesley Center

Katie D.

October 8, 2009 - 4:34 PM

Issues of spirituality are sometimes a tricky subject on a college campus. The guidelines for polite conversations in the "adult" world say to avoid politics and religion. On campus, it seems that politics are an essential piece of every single day. But religion is a different sort of beast to tackle, and it has been a tricky part of my college career.

If you look at the general lineup of active Christians on a college campus (or at least this college campus), what you find is generally the "loud and proud" fundamentalists, and the more closeted progressive groups, generally trying not to attract too much attention. Why? Because the Christians visible on campus are sometimes so loud, so blaring in their opposition to human rights causes (from protecting the environment to supporting free choice of everyone in relationships and sexuality, to a woman's right to choice about her own body, to even Biblical issues of caring for the widow, the orphan and the child) that to "come out" as a Christian is to automatically associate yourself with these so-called "Christian" principles. For most of us, or for me anyway, it is much easier to worship in hiding and to express ourselves openly as the proud social reformers we are.

Forgive me if I am stepping on toes. But to me, the issues of social action and personal beliefs are so deeply embedded in each other that I cannot even begin to pull them apart. My life as an active Christian began when I came into social and political understanding. They went hand in hand. I do not see any place in the Bible that allows me to abandon those members of our world who suffer oppression. I also do not see any reason to raise the Bible to anything other than a historical and beautiful interpretation of the beginnings of a movement.

When confronted with "God shouters" on campus, I feel so emotionally overwhelmed that I don't even know how to act. I am morally and personally offended by what they claim as moral truth. But I am also ashamed: ashamed that I cannot look at them as brothers and sisters in anything, which is what Jesus would have me do.

But the vast majority of us need some kind of spirituality to make sense of our world around us. I see so much hope and so much connection, and I look to that as Hope and Faith. I am comforted by Christian worship, although I also find a great deal of beauty and inspiration in the reading I have done about Buddhism and the Jewish and Muslim faiths.

My sophomore year of college, I stumbled upon a place where I feel comfortable, a place that has become my faith home for my time at the University of Oregon.

The Wesley Center is a Methodist campus ministry organization. We have a pastor and a building, and we meet there to give the organization its shape. Where we begin: as a reconciling community open to everyone regardless of background, religion, sexuality, or perspective. And then we bring each of these perspectives to our time together.

We meet every week for dinner and some kind of gathering. Dinners are almost always made with local and organic food, and bring us together as a community or family around a single table. Then the gatherings take place as a celebration of the group's interests and talents. We spend the first week of each academic term dreaming up topics for the next ten weeks. Sometimes this means Bible study or faith-based lessons, led by our pastor, Warren. But more often the group is interested in exploring some other topic, like the environment, human rights, volunteerism, and our own involvement in campus and community activities. Students lead groups in their areas of interest and experience. We discuss. We support each other in our challenges and celebrate together when life is flowing along in a manageable way.

I was suspicious of the group at first. I was concerned about people's motives, and was worried about entering into a top-down space where my interests would be dictated by a pastor with strong ideas of what my actions and opinions should involve. The Wesley Center turns this on its head. We dream up topics, we lead discussions. Warren acts as our advisor, and as a center of support. As time has gone on, he has become less of a focal point of our conversations, and more and more an indispensable support for our individual dreams and pains. Rather than dictator, he is a respected guide. And for his support and sensitivity, I am continuously grateful.

This term, the group has decided to have a sort of theme for the majority of the weeks. We will be discussing issues faced by members of the LGBTQ community, Methodist and other denominational perspectives on these issues, and how we can act as allies for this group. Obviously, issues of sexuality are hot-button questions in Christian communities at the moment. Across the country, denominations and individual churches are tearing themselves apart over questions of homosexuality in the faith. There's no division in the Wesley Center: we are allies and believers that sexuality is not any kind of factor in human rights or in God's perspective.

Other topics for this term are a little lighter. We have a fabulous photographer among us, so we'll be viewing his pictures and having a photography lesson of our own. Three of our members have service dogs, and we will be discussing issues of accessibility on campus, and hopefully having a demonstration of those dogs' skills. We'll be volunteering at Food for Lane County and viewing at least one movie.

In addition to all of this, there will be a separate class about Dan Brown's books and the truth and fiction in The Da Vinci Code. Please join us for this! The meetings are 11-12 on Thursdays in The Buzz, the coffee shop in the EMU.

I am also an active member in our Wesley Center writers' group. We're a small group of poets, authors, bloggers, and essayists who get together to discuss our writing and to find some new inspiration.

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So there you have it: this closeted Christian's open and public acknowledgement of who she is. I am a person of faith who believes profoundly in the value of every person, and of the importance in supporting each other on our own paths. I am so incredibly grateful that I have found a community at the University of Oregon where I can live this faith, and can do so in community with others. It's easy to feel lost and intimidated by the louder and more radical members of the Christian community. But at the Wesley Center I'm reminded that my faith is one that allows for all people, that is profoundly transformative, and is something that I consider central to my continued pursuit of social justice in the world.