Posted on March 19, 2006
Whoever said JMU’s religious groups were full of goody-two-shoes got it all wrong.
Anna Rae, who graduated from JMU in 2000, was an active member of Wesley Foundation during her four years at JMU. Toeing the line between stay-at-home bookworm and an out-all-night partier, she appreciated the middle ground that Wesley offered.
“I grew up Methodist and was looking for a place to hang out at JMU that wasn’t ultra-conservative or a complete party,” she said.
She found Wesley.
Students often have inaccurate assumptions regarding campus ministries, said Katie Atkinson, assistant to the director for the group. Not all members are as conservative as some people think.
“I think a lot of people assume that campus ministries are where all the people who always do everything right go, and it’s nothing like that,” she said.
Wesley does do a lot of good though.
Wesley runs a mentoring program called Sister to Sister where female members can entertain 20 elementary school girls for three hours every other Friday night. It has also spent time in Moss Point, Miss., South Africa and the Bahamas, gutting houses or providing further reconstruction.
“We’re very active in missions,” Atkinson said. “We do a lot of meals at the local Salvation Army; we go and cook for the shelter downtown.”
Wesley also offers its 45 active members an accepting place to worship and maintain their faith. While Rae was active in the church before attending JMU, she believes the group helped her stay involved.
“My faith has always been strong, but Wesley did help me stay active because it was so welcoming and inviting,” Rae said. “This is where I made my friends.”
Stephanie Piatt, another 2000 graduate who was a regular Wesley attendee, also credits the group for helping her keep faith.
“It provided me with the foundation so that I wanted to be an active church-goer after I graduated,” she said.
Atkinson understands where Rae and Piatt are coming from. On their own for the first time and without parents forcing them to go to church, it can often become difficult for students to attend regularly.
“It’s the first time they’re on their own and they have to keep their own faith,” Atkinson said. “Some students take a break before joining and some immediately come because they want to remain connected.”
However long it takes a student to join, Atkinson is confident Wesley has a lot to offer. Not only does it create a community of support and friendship, it allows members to grow as individuals as well.
She said: “It’s not only a place where students can grow spiritually. We do a lot with personal growth. In personal growth, they find out who they are and what their purpose is.”
