Yesterday I attended St. Mary’s Episcopal church in an
effort to experience “otherness.” I have never attended another church before and
was very curious to see what it would be like. I did not have too many
expectations of the people, though I did expect them to be more casually
dressed and not as involved in church activities as the people in my church
are. I suppose, in a way, I simply expected them to be less devoted to their
faith, drawing from my underlying belief that my church is superior. I did,
however, expect the people to be kind and loving, even welcoming. I also
thought that an Episcopalian church would be more traditional, having all-male
clergy dressed in traditional clothing. I thought that there would be a few recitations
and then a long sermon by whomever was the head of the clergy. I expected it to
be very formal, with a short and concise service and quick dismissal.
The experience began when I looked at their website online.
I felt very welcome and informed as their site was very much catered towards
visitors and first-time attendees. There was a page that listed very specific
directions as to where they were located, what attendees typically wear, and
how the services were conducted. Because I was given all this information, I
was more confident in locating and attending the services. When I arrived at
the church on Sunday, there was a sign out front clearly stating the title of
the church and the regular time of services. As I entered through two large red
doors, a member of the clergy greeted me and handed me a program. The program
has within it a short description of their overall worship as well as a more
detailed script describing what to do and say throughout the service. Though
slightly uncomfortable because I was not of this faith, I also felt very
welcomed by the people and the information given to me as it enabled me to
participate easily.
As the services began, I started to feel uneasy. Even though
I understood most of what was going on and could easily fit in and participate,
the service was very different from my own. Due to the influence of my own LDS
faith, ethnocentrism affected my perspective of the experience heavily. I found
myself thinking “this is wrong” rather than simply “this is different.” Which
probably stemmed partially from my faith’s belief that ours is the one true
church; however, I had to keep reminding myself that they have truth too and
they simply worship differently than me. Their form of worship works for them
and that is a wonderful thing.
After the service, I was greeted by several volunteers and
members of the clergy, asking me what brought me to their church. I explained
that it was for multicultural education and they kindly invited me to stay for
the social that followed and expressed their hope that they would see me again.
I felt uncomfortable as they urged me to stay because I had to get to my own
church but did not want to be impolite or leave a bad impression. In addition,
I had no intention of coming again because of how I felt and the fact that I
firmly believe in my own church. Because the setting was so foreign to me, I
felt awkward and out of place as I spoke to the people, even though perhaps in
another setting I would have no issue making small conversation with strangers.
Throughout the experience, some of my expectations were
shattered and some were altogether confirmed. I showed up in formal dress and
was surprised and relieved when I saw that most of the congregation was dressed
formally as well. The people greeting us before the service started were not
just clergy, but volunteers from the congregation as well, who seemed to
function in these roles similar to callings in my own church. I felt ashamed
when I realized that these people were very devoted to their faith and dressed
up for the occasion of their worship. It showed me that people of other faiths
can be just as devoted to the cause of Christ as I am, even more so. One
expectation that was confirmed was the loving and friendly nature of the
people. Several of them came up to me to chat and I felt very warmly welcome.
This made me happy, that I had expected these people to be good people – and they
were indeed. I was right about the traditional clothing and some of the aspects
of the service, but was surprised to see two female clergy. This disrupted me
but I had to remind myself that they do not have the same understanding or
beliefs as I, and that it was great that the women were participating. The
service was much longer than I thought and my vision of it was disrupted by the
fact that the main priest did not give a sermon, only did recitations. There
was also a break in the middle where he made casual announcements about church
activities and joked with members of the congregation. It helped me see how
much community there was in this church, that the people were united as friends
and knew one another well. They were not simply “Sunday Christians” as I had
thought they were.
As I thought about this experience in relation to my future
classroom, I imagined how many of my students may feel when entering the art
space. Many of my beginning students will be taking my class simply because
they believe it will be an easy arts credit. They may feel uncomfortable and
unfamiliar with the tools and methods and concepts we will use. In addition,
some of my students may be foreign or have backgrounds or beliefs that differ
from the hegemony of the community. I believe it is important for my classroom
to be a safe space in which my students feel that I am an unbiased,
approachable figure. In addition, I must set up my curriculum in a way that
nudges them out of their comfort zones while being patient and working with
them through that process.
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