Growing up, Sunday has always been a day that has had a significant purpose. Sunday was for church. Point. Blank. PERIOD! Being black, of the Christian faith, and Baptist denomination more specifically, I was raised to see Sunday as a day of rest, devoted to worship and fellowship with other believers. Getting up early on Sunday mornings for Sunday School is something I've been doing for as long as I can remember. Sunday School would then be followed by a two or three hour Morning Worship service, and more often than not, that service would then be followed by another equally long service.
As I've grown and matured, I've been able to look at and understand religion for myself, in ways that I couldn't when I was younger. Now I am no longer told to go to church. I don't have anyone making me go to worship services, and I am no longer pulled out of my bed for Sunday School as I may have been on some mornings when I was a little girl. Church-going is something that I do now, because it's a major part of my life; something I not only enjoy, but need. I do know, however, that that isn't the case for many people.
While many of us may have been heavy church goers when we were younger, being away at college has certainly changed that fact. Several of my friends that I used to go to church with every Sunday, or I know attended services regularly, rarely make it out of bed before noon; let alone make it to church. I've had friends jokingly tell me that they now attend "Bedside Baptist" or "First Mattress Tabernacle" since they've left home. Why though? There seems to be a church on every corner around most college campuses; many within walking distance. What happens when we leave the nest that makes us want to suddenly give up on something that was once a major factor in our lives?
College is a time of growth, exploration, doubt, and, for some, even experimentation. This is the age when we are changing tremendously, and maybe there is where the issue lies. Now that we have a choice, maybe we simply choose to not go. Maybe some of us don't want to go to the same old service, hearing the same old sermon, by the same old type of preacher, surrounded by the same old type of people. Is it that church-going is a phase that we slip in and out of? Or maybe it's something else. College life is extremely busy and very stressful. We work hard all through the week. We have tests, quizzes, papers and presentations for various classes; not to mention the meetings and other programs we attend. After all of that chaos and hard work during the week, many of us make sure we balance that out by playing even harder on the weekend. After a Friday or Saturday night spent going out with friends, partying, and participating in other, let's say "activities," we often find Sunday as the day to bring everything back together. Sunday is now seen more so as the day to get that load of laundry done, study for the test that's coming up, and catch up on some much needed sleep!
For me, finding a church-home away from home was one of the first things I had to do upon leaving home for college. The relationships that I have with some of my church family while at school can't be matched. There is nothing like having someone invite you over for Sunday dinner with their family when you are sick of the food in the dining hall. It also helps to have a mother or grandmother-like figure to give you a hug and share good conversation with when you are feeling down and a little homesick.
Often in the black community, growing up with religious involvement serves as an integral part of our identity. It supports us and provides us with personal discipline. For us, church involvement is also a social factor, not just a personal one. Ultimately, we are all young adults, finding ourselves, making our own decisions, and just trying to make it in general. All in all, I guess that we just have to decide for ourselves, and make our own decisions, because we really can't be forced to do anything. While going to church is important for some more than others, it doesn't determine how good or bad we are as people. Dr. Laurence J. Peter put it best when he said "Going to church does not make you a Christian anymore than going to the garage makes you a car."
