Cultural Immersion Project: Union Baptist Church - Essay Example

Cultural Immersion Project: Union Baptist Church Introduction I chose to attend a morning service, at 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, and I was toldthat Pastor Jeffrey Brown would be speaking that morning. The Union Baptist Church is located at 874 Main Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I arrived about twenty minutes early in an effort to acclimate myself to the surroundings and to try and observe some of the people as they arrived and entered the church. I stood alone, hands behind my back, and tried not to attract any attention. Being an international student, of Muslim religion, and white, there seemed no better cultural immersion experience than to attend a black community church of a religious orientation very different than my own. The contrasts were deliberately sharp and well-defined: I was an international student mingling with American citizens; I was Muslim whereas I chose to attend a Baptist church; I was white whereas much of the congregation was black; and, I was an "outsider" in nearly each and every respect. From a cultural point of view, this was stretching the differences rather tightly. My Outsider Experience As an initial matter, I must admit that I was very nervous and a bit uncertain. As I was driving to the church, a million different things went through my mind. I was often hesitant and excited at the same time. I was hesitant because I felt quite awkward attending a religious service so different than my own. I have heard many things about Christianity and I have had many Christian friends; despite this superficial familiarity, I didn't know whether I would be welcome at the church. I wondered whether people might ask me personal questions, such as whether I had been baptized a Christian, and I wondered whether I ought to answer truthfully that I was a Muslim or whether I ought to simply lie and try to be accepted. More confusing was the fact that I didn't really understand the different nuances of the Christian religion. I knew that there were many different branches, such as Protestants, Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Baptists, but I didn't know how these different religious branches differed in terms of doctrine or behavior. More, these were black Baptists, and I wondered why blacks went to a different church than other Baptists. I wondered whether I would be the only Muslim or the only light-skinned person. Despite these fears, I imagined that the people would not be hostile. This is because I had telephoned in advance, and I was told that I would be more than welcome to attend. The church employee had given me directions and suggested that I attend the morning service rather than a workshop. In short, I approached the experience with a cautious optimism. The actual experience was both illuminating and a bit humbling. It was illuminating because I witnessed a true community of people, brought together by a common set of beliefs, and a people whom appeared extraordinarily conservative and possessed of pride and self-esteem. Three things, I think, struck me most about the people that I observed and met. First, everyone was well-groomed and the worship service seemed as much a fashion show as a religious event. Whether it was the young children or the older adults, everyone was dressed in fine clothes. Darker colors prevailed, though there were brighter accessories. There seemed to have been an unspoken dress code, and although I had dressed politely, I felt that my clothing was slightly out of place. This was something I had not anticipated; I had been worried about being a Muslim and a foreign citizen, but I hadn't even considered how to dress beyond being polite. I felt, as I entered the church, that my clothing identified me as an outsider. Second, everyone was quite friendly and everyone seemed to know everyone. I was struck by the hugs and the handshakes. People smiled and greeted their fellow worshipers with big smiles. Their interaction was both formal and informal at the same time; more particularly, they spoke very politely to each other and they touched each other quite easily. Again, this led to me feeling a bit like an outsider. People smiled and welcomed me to the service, but I wasn't hugged or touched. Still, the smiles seemed genuine and no one was impolite to me; quite the contrary; a few people asked where I was from and what I thought about the weather. Third, and finally, I was surprised by the body language. I walked slowly, behaved rather formally, and was careful to try not to offend anyone. The congregation, however, seemed to be in constant motion. By this I mean that no one stood still. People were constantly brushing past me, gently, but I felt that I always had to be aware of the constant movement. The conversation was constant. The joking was constant. In short, the people appeared to me as a sort of swelling sea bouncing from one wall to the other. It almost made me tired as I tried to soak in the atmosphere. The conversations were pleasant, though I felt somewhat defensive and evasive. People asked where I was from, what church I attended in my hometown, and how long I had been in Cambridge. I tried to answer as honestly as I was able, but I found myself being rather brief, guarded, and evasive. I also found myself hoping that certain questions wouldn't be asked. I didn't want to discuss my own religion, race, or other controversial topics. Much to my surprise, and delight, none of these fears came to pass. Most of the questions were quite brief and cordial. I talked about the weather and breakfast with one woman. I also sat near a family that was talking about sports and some of their relatives in California. Still, I had felt uncomfortable. I recognized that I was an outsider, I worried that conversation might highlight my differences, but the congregation treated me with kindness and respect. I was never put in an uncomfortable position, and I was never treated impolitely. For that, given my fears, I am extremely grateful to the people whom I met on that morning. People were, to be honest, aware of my presence. They seemed to notice that I was new to the church, that I was white, and that I seemed a bit self-conscious. Nonetheless, some people smiled and a few actually introduced themselves and initiated conversations. I saw nothing to suggest that my presence was a source of concern; quite the contrary, my feeling was that outsiders were welcome. The specific artifact that I chose was a "prayer request." It was given to me by an old woman and she told me that I could complete the prayer request, that it would be given to Pastor Jeffrey Brown, and that he would make a prayer on my behalf. The concept, the artifact, seemed reasonable enough at first glance. However, I noted that the request asked for my complete name, for my telephone number, for my email address, and for some other personal information. I wanted to ask the woman whether I could fill out the prayer request without providing the personal information, but I did not. Instead, I slipped it into my pocket and returned my attention to the service. If one thing did strike me as odd, it was this prayer request. I am not sure why a private prayer to God need go through a pastor or why my personal information needs to be provided. I had many questions about this artifact, I still do, but being an outsider I held my thoughts and my questions privately. Specific Answers The main thing that I learned was that it is emotionally challenging to be an outsider. By this, I mean to suggest that there is an inner turmoil which results in the -self-creation of certain barriers. In my case, I imagined a number of potentially embarrassing situations before I had even experienced the Baptist church. In this way, I may have been defining myself as an outsider in certain ways before I had even attempted to integrate with other people. I think I had my own biases, my own expectations, and that my fear was in many ways the product of my own cultural background and particularities. I think that this is very significant. It is true that I could have immersed myself in a less welcoming culture; however, this different cultural context was rather welcoming, and it taught me that my own expectations and predispositions could lead to feelings of inadequacy or fear. If anyone seemed uncomfortable, I imagine that it was me rather than the worshipers. In the final analysis, my fear was genuine, my feeling of being out of place was specific, and I altered my behavior in an effort to please my hosts. In certain ways, to be more specific, I did not behave precisely as myself. I tried to become someone else, less talkative, and more guarded. No matter how kind the people were, I could not simply shake free of these feelings in order to put myself completely at ease. How this cultural experience can be compared to other situations is an excellent question, and I think, quite interesting. As a preliminary matter, I have experienced many situations where I have become immersed in a culture very different from my own. I can compare this experience with two other experiences. First, coming to America was a definite cultural immersion experience. Again, similar to the Union Baptist Church experience, I had certain preconceptions and fears. There were, however, a few differences. I was, to be sure, surprised by the racial diversity in America. Coming to America, I was able to blend in more completely than in the case of the black church. I could walk down the street, go shopping, buy a newspaper, and no one really knew whether I was an American or not. This was quite relaxing. Being able to blend in, being able to blur the insider/outsider distinction, made my daily life much nicer and less fearful. A second experience was my enrollment as a student in America. I was not able to blend in as much as in the case of living in America generally; on the other hand, there were other international students whom shared my status as something of an outsider. There were, for instance, Buddhist students from Thailand and Hindu students from India. This was interesting because rather than being a single type of outsider, as in the case of the Union Baptist Church, there were many different types of outsider groupings. This outsider status provided a certain basis for sharing our common experiences; in effect, I was able to discuss my fears and concerns with other international students whom shared similar fears and concerns. In this way, we eased each other's transition, created a more diverse grouping, and helped each other integrate more easily into the insider student context. The black Baptist church, by far, was the most challenging type of cultural immersion that I have ever experienced. If I were compelled for some reason to be an outsider every day, the challenges would be much greater than what I experienced during a simple morning service at the Union Baptist Church. First, I think that I would attempt to dress in a manner which didn't highlight me as an outsider. Second, I would attempt to familiarize myself with conversational topics which appealed to the insider group. I might, for example, learn more about sports and issues of local concern. Finally, I would attempt to make a wide range of friends rather than limiting myself to a small group of friends. This is because an outsider is small, but the insider group is much larger. I would want to understand the diversity that exists within insider group; in this specific situation, for instance, I would have liked to have known how the Baptist faith differs from other Christian faiths. I think that adapting on an everyday basis would require some sacrifice, a genuine intellectual interest in the insider group, and an offer of friendship. How Insiders Can Create an Inclusive Environment First, in order to answer this question, I must concede that the people at the Union Baptist Church did indeed create a welcoming environment; I cannot say that it was inclusive per se, as there were definite groupings. The most important aspects, from my point of view, were my experiences when I telephoned the church and later when I was greeted by a member of the church. An essential way in which to create an inclusive environment is to welcome people without conditions. My clothing felt out-of-place; on the other hand, I was not instructed to dress or to behave in a certain way. Quite the contrary, I was welcomed as I was. I think this is important. Second, people can create an inclusive environment by offering assistance to outsiders. I was given directions to the church, I was aided in finding a seat for the service, and I was even directed to drinks and refreshments by a kind old woman. Finally, an outsider can be made to feel like an insider by not asking personal questions which might highlight differences. In my case, as mentioned, I was asked about the weather and about sports. I was asked very neutral and polite questions. These steps, all taken by the black church which I attended, contributed to my comfortable experience. Read More