Inspiration

I didn't look forward to my sophomore year at Washington State University. My excitement level was pretty damn low as I made that soon-to-be-familiar ride across state.

I hadn't heard anything from the guys of the 9th floor all summer, and wasn't sure how I'd handle it even if I did. I barely knew anybody else at WSU. I had no idea who my new roommate in my new dorm was or what he'd be like. I was terrified of the prospect of actually focusing on stuff related to graduating as a communication major instead of random freshman focus classes. And to top it all off, my dog died over the summer.

So yeah - morale was pretty low. Not an all-time low, but still fairly far down.

But my savior was at hand, and his name was Bad Motorscooter (Not really, but that's what I call him for the sake of this blog to preserve a shred of his privacy).

The man who calls himself "Lord of the Dice" (For his awesome dice rolling abilities. Very handy in board games and gambling) phoned me on the day of my arrival and invited me to a Sunday lunch he was having with friends.

Bad Motorscooter and I kept in touch throughout that summer via email. I related my adventures in San Francisco and "Seattle" while he described what married life was like in Pullman, having gotten hitched over the summer. Seeing him and his lovely new wife again was one of the few things I eagerly anticipated about sophomore year.

I met them both at Basilio's, an Italian(ish) restaurant in what constitutes for Pullman as "downtown" (I recommend the Bistecca Steak Sandwich). What I did not anticipated was the number of friends they were having lunch with.

I soon found out that they had all just come from church together and this was a weekly post-church lunch they enjoyed. Bad Motorscooter neglected to mention any of this on the phone.

At the time, my spiritual beliefs were nebulous at best. Neither of my parents were religious, but I did join an Episcopal church's youth group when I moved to "Seattle" so that I, an outsider, could find a source of socialization in a small tight knit community. But any actual beliefs in God or the authenticity of the Bible stories were little to none.

Suddenly mingling with ten churchgoers out to lunch, eight of them complete strangers, was not what I expected when Bad Motorscooter invited me to lunch with "a few friends." However, I made do. With one exception, we were all 20-something year-olds attending WSU, and I wasn't the only newbie at the table, so we all relied upon familiar ice-breaking talking points.

"What's your major? Where you from? What year are you? Favorite Bible passage?" I kid with that last one. There was little church talk other than the campus pastor, whom paid for lunch every week, asking me a couple basic questions about attending church now or previously, and informing me there is a good Episcopal church in town should I be inclined. More on her in a little bit.

It was awkward at first, but seeing Bad Motorscooter again more than made up for it.

He called me up again a week-and-a-half later. We hadn't spoken since that lunch as we both readjusted to the school cycle. He told me of a barbecue being held on-campus in a couple hours, and suggested we meet there for a free meal and some more catching-up.

The barbecue turned out to be a yearly "Welcome Back" event hosted by the Interfaith House (Then known as the Koinonia House). The top two floors were a multi-faith center for the community and the bottom floor a popular coffee shop.

In addition to Bad Motorscooter, I recognized some of the people from that lunch several days ago. The Interfaith House was an important center for multiple religious communities in Pullman, so naturally the campus pastor Motorscooter had introduced me to was there as well. I learned her work was done primarily out of the Interfaith House.

The following Wednesday, Bad Motorscooter called me again. He told me he was attending a program at the same place we had met the previous Wednesday for the barbecue. He said it was a weekly Christian themed gathering, but it was a time and place we could always meet amidst his busy schedule.

Even though we both knew a religious based event wasn't really my thing, I went anyway. It was an opportunity for us to hang-out, and I had done the church youth group before so I knew I could survive whatever this one had in store. And like my youth group years before, this was an opportunity to meet people and socialize at a time when I didn't have much opportunity to do so.

(Plus, there was free food. Bad Motorscooter clearly knew the way to my heart. I was out the door the moment he mentioned free food).

As it turned out, I really wasn't prepared for what they had in store. I wasn't prepared for the amount of warmth, attention, and fun that awaited me.

The moment I walked through the door, I was immediately greeted by two members of the group and asked to grab a plate and sit down. I soon found myself not hanging-out with Motorscooter so much, but getting acquainted with almost two dozen attendees at this weekly gathering.

They called it "Inspire!" It was a weekly program held at the Interfaith House designed to attract Christian students and give them a place to explore and discuss their personal faith with others of similar, yet different, religious backgrounds. Every week also featured a free dinner, singing, and more often than not some sort of game or activity meant to creatively illustrate lessons or values of faith.

The program was primarily led by the campus pastor I'd met twice before, who was working becoming a full fledged Methodist priest, and a WSU molecular bioscience professor who represented the local Episcopal church in this joint program. They were helped by a small team of students who volunteered or were nominated by others to lead the group - called peer ministers.

The singing was the hardest adjustment. And I'm not talking about the evening's main activity of separating into groups and creating rap verses about Bible passages (There was an "I'm On a Boat" version of Noah, if I recall). No, I'm talking about the warm-up to that - the Christian folk songs sung all together. I got pretty comfortable singing traditional hymns at my "Seattle" church, but this was a brand new experience. Sitting amidst a large group of people my age enthusiastically singing songs like "Down to the River to Pray", "I'll Fly Away", and "His Love Endures Forever" was unnerving. I knew zero of their song selections. I was used to strict and formal hymns, accompanied by choir and organ; not these accompanied by acoustic guitar and bongos.

At the end of the evening, the campus pastor came up to me and asked if I'd consider attending "Inspire!" again.

"Yeah, I think I will," was my answer. "Not every week, but you'll be seeing me again."

I returned the very next week. And the one after that. And after that. In fact, I didn't miss a week of "Inspire!" until the following school year, and that was only due to my work schedule. I also started attending the local Methodist church. I even served as peer minister my entire senior year when I was nominated by no less than seven people - I was taken completely off-guard!

At first it was something to do on a Wednesday evening. Free food, nice people, fun activities, and discussion and reflection with people my age - what wasn't there to like? I even got use to the singing eventually. Then as I found new friends and a new job, I started making time for "Inspire!". I went out of my way to make sure Wednesdays between 5-7pm were clear.

"Inspire!", and more importantly the people of "Inspire!", slowly became the most important part of every week.

It became a place I truly could be myself and everyone accepted me for it. I didn't have to hide anything. I opened up to those people in ways I rarely do with my own family even. When things got rough, I could always look forward to Wednesday evenings cheering me up and providing people to talk with, which became especially important by the end of my junior year. I'm sure I'll get to it eventually, but that year was so rough it marked the first time I think I ever cried in public (At least since I was a baby anyway).

It also truly opened my eyes about faith. I stuck with my youth group all through middle school and high school because they were among my first friends after moving. I felt a certain obligation to stick with it, they were good, fun people to be around, and I recognized the importance of having even a small community to claim membership with.

It wasn't until "Inspire!", however, that I really started seeing the value of religion. I basically went through the motions before. But inside the Interfaith House, and eventually inside Simpson United Methodist Church, I really felt it; I got the connection. I still don't remotely consider the Bible as a factual book, or actually believe in an omnipotent being watching us all, but I understand the important messages held within that book. The messages of strength via love, faith, community, and family.

Plus, Jesus really was a rebel bucking against authority. I like that about him, although people don't like to emphasize that as much these days. He would have really looked good in a black denim jacket.

Another thing I appreciated about "Inspire!" was how good everyone was about welcoming all people. It was one of the few, if not only, Christian groups in Pullman to accept gays and lesbians. Gay-bashing, contraception-hating, conservative Christians are the worst!

"Inspire!" was such great fun too! Good Lord, those people were all ridiculous! I don't know how it managed to attract the goofiest people imaginable, but it did, and for that I'm so thankful. It was an honor and a privilege to know such people; to form friendships that grew beyond the walls of the Interfaith House. My friends from "Inspire!" will always have a special place in my heart and mind. Even if I do a shitty job of keeping in touch with them. I'm really awful at that - my bad.

I don't know if all of this was Bad Motorscooter's plan from the beginning, but it worked. "Inspire!" became my favorite, my most important, thing about WSU; and that's saying a lot. Introducing me is something I'll always owe him for.

Blogger's note: I was "Inspire!-ed" (I know, I know; but it was too easy to pass up) to get back to writing by the news that the Interfaith House was in danger of closing down. Thankfully, reasonable steps have been taken to calm the issue, and for that I'm very glad.