As a college student, I understand the demands of classes, work and other outside commitments that can consume our lives. After a hard week involving all of these tribulations sometimes the thing we need most, but most often ignore, is the chance to go to church. Living with my family back home, church was labeled as a necessity, even if attending only happened once or twice a month. But that number has changed to twice a year, if that. However, a new institution, \The Journey,"" or officially Madison Metro Foursquare Church, has made an effort to change that for students across campus.
This new Christian establishment is housed in close proximity to Camp Randall stadium and is making a gallant effort to change the meaning of ""church"" altogether. If incessant scripture readings, confusing religious expressions and mundane or predictable services are what you have in mind, you won't find it here. A handful of Seattle and Kenosha natives have made an effort to change the commonly negative associations placed with the idea of attending mass.
Directed toward college students and young families, The Journey hopes to reach out to those who desire a religious influence in their lives but who neither have the time nor the motivation. Altering the perception of pressuring preaching is exactly what young lead pastor Steve Cecil and his missionaries have in mind.
Preaching isn't the only change. There are no pews, no altar and communion is self-serve. What The Journey does offer is pop-style music, Bible verses appearing on a television screen, and a worship focusing on God's support and not the common threat of disapproval young people often face when they attend church.
Sitting together at one of the tables of four, this faith community offers the chance to grow spiritually, both as a group and individual. The Journey's leaders do not preach for an hour and a half and then let people go, but instead engage in the lives and minds of those who attend, proposing projects for helping society. A collection basket exists, but sits idle, the focus turned entirely from taking to giving. Giving is just what Cecil does as he offers personal meetings and prayer with members who might prefer the approach, but never pressures anyone to do so.
For those around campus who have searched for the perfect place of worship within the religious context of which they have been raised, the local church offers a chance to pray in a united fashion, without the preexisting religious labels. The Journey has no specific denomination and welcomes anyone who simply believes in the presence of the Almighty.
Cecil claims the new community of believers is concerned with ""helping people however we can,"" including the homeless. Perhaps what the homeless community needs most is a chance to reclaim their faith and find a life worth believing in. If a faithful, guiding hand and assurance of hope is what the homeless are searching for, I would be honored to engage myself in such a group where this activity is possible.
Within the last couple weeks of the semester, for those hoping to de-stress, make some new friends or even reclaim their faith, this church offers the chance to do just that. The Madison Metro Foursquare Church is not a demand to make the journey to the closest holy institution and drown in guilt about the past week's mistakes but a chance to journey toward the meaning of life and become a part of a fun, relaxing and involved community many of us have never known.
