Reigha Weaver | Arts & Life Writer
When Welcome Week ends and classes start, churchgoing freshmen start wondering where they should spend their Sundays. Each new student might church hop for weeks trying to find what traits they are looking for in a church.
For Waco newcomers like Cedar Park freshman Regina Whitfield, inclusivity is the most important aspect of a church.
“I want to go somewhere that I feel welcomed and immediately part of the family,” Whitfield said.
Whitfield said she wants a church that will surround her with others like herself.
“I would like to go to a church where there are a lot of other young people and the messages are geared towards us,” Whitfield said.
Rockaway Beach, Missouri, freshman Adrian Sanchez, also said a general sense of belonging is important.
“My ideal church contains people from all backgrounds and cultures and respects those attributes accordingly,” Sanchez said.
However, not all students have had positive church experiences. Sanchez said he hopes that the church he chooses has a loving atmosphere.
“I also spent most of my life, specifically my teenage years, without going to church,” Sanchez said. “I often found that I wasn’t accepted in those places. Even when I needed it most, I still felt like church was a place of opposition and fear. I hope to find a church that has a loving atmosphere and accepts everyone regardless of biases.”
For those who do have a church back home, the process can be just as daunting. In this new environment, one might look for the things they love in their current church and translate it to what they are looking for in Waco. Skiatook, Oklahoma, freshman Kiera Pshigoda said she enjoyed the music at her home church.
“One thing I love about my church back home is that we did a mix of contemporary worship music and reading from the hymnal,” Pshigoda said. “Most churches nowadays don’t even have hymnals, but I love classical church music and hope more churches start bringing it back.”
Pshigoda said she is looking for a place to express herself and receive a well-rounded experience.
“I look for churches full of people who like to worship proudly and whose sermons focus not just on interpreting the Bible itself, but on how to apply the teachings to everyday life,” Pshigoda said.
Students stumped on where to go to church can access a list of local churches on the Office of Spiritual Life website.
