Spirituality and my relationship with Christ are significant aspects of who I am today. Coming into Hopkins, however, these were not priorities on my list of things to get involved in. I spent most of my upbringing in a church but turned away due to COVID and getting busy with life. But, in the spring semester of my first year at Hopkins, I had the opportunity to reopen the doors to my spiritual life, so I took it. Since then, I have fully embraced my journey toward Christ. I’ve noticed many communities at Hopkins supporting my experience both on and off campus.
My commitment to Christianity is largely because of the family of God I have within my church, Worthy Life Baptist Church (WLBC). We are an off-campus church located across the street from the Hopkins tennis courts (five minutes from first-year housing!) that has an undergraduate ministry. Through this church, I have been able to consistently attend Sunday services, Bible studies, and prayer meetings while living on campus. On top of Sunday service and Friday night Bible Study, we also spend a lot of time and energy on fellowship. There are fun activities planned throughout the year like an annual volleyball tournament, hiking trips, and afternoon tea parties. I have met fellow undergraduate students, graduate students, and older members of the church that have all made me feel like a member of the community right away. I say this regularly to those who ask about my faith, but WLBC is the family I never knew I needed.
Since my church has a ministry dedicated to Hopkins undergraduates, I have formed meaningful relationships with those who share my faith and are also college students. Through them, I have bonded with the Christian communities on campus, including InterVarsity, a cross-campus evangelical fellowship program, and other smaller Christian groups. These organizations offer a community of Hopkins undergraduates who meet to read the Word or simply to hang out. Although I am not as personally involved as I could be, I can see how my friends are able to explore their faith in a safe community of fellow students. In addition to regular meetings, these groups often come together to do joint events for all students on campus. I remember the energy that filled a room in the Bloomberg Student Center at a Praise Night organized by United in Christ, a merged Christian group, earlier this semester. There is a strong community of Christians on campus—so many familiar faces I see in my day-to-day life.
Although I am most familiar with Christian groups on campus, there are similar organizations dedicated towards forming communities of students who are Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, etc. Hopkins is incredibly open to religious beliefs and sects, offering communities for many differing beliefs and maintaining openness to all who are involved. As a new Christian on campus, my interactions with other community members have been consistently positive and welcoming. At Hopkins and WLBC, I have been given the chance to truly blossom in my spirituality and become closer with God without judgment or roadblocks.
