For many years, Eastern has attracted people from a wide variety of ethnicities, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, sexual orientations and, in particular, religious belief systems. This is still true to this day.
The students and faculty of Eastern attend at least 80 churches from 17 different denominations. There are also students and faculty who attend nondenominational churches in the area.
University Chaplain Joe Modica said that Eastern places a lot of importance on being “robustly ecumenical” as far as religious diversity on campus. He encourages students to find a good home church as well as experiment with other denominations.
“The local church is the hope of the world,” Modica said.
For students without cars, Main Line Christian Fellowship meets on Eastern’s campus on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in McInnis. They also have a time of prayer at 8:00 a.m. for those who are interested. On Sunday nights, there is a time of worship in the Walton Dining Commons which starts at 10:00 p.m.
“I look forward to Sunday night worship because it is such a great way to start my week,” senior Ashley Bittner said.
Students have created many clubs that incorporate faith into their mission statements and activities.
One of the most recent clubs that has been founded is the Newman Club, named for Cardinal John Henry Newman who was an influential leader of the Catholic Church in the nineteenth century. The club was founded in the spring semester of 2005 by Bethany Musser ’07, Shawn Machia ’08, Anja Eltgroth ’06 and Kim Depatie ’06.
“We founded the club because we wanted to have something to help us in our faith and encourage each other. The Newman Club’s not just for Catholics. It’s for anyone who is interested in learning more about the Catholic faith or just wants to fellowship with us,” Musser said.
For more information, pick up a Local Church Brochure in the Christian Life Office (located in Walton) or send an email to christianlife@eastern.edu.