Alternative Sunday School

Each week we hold Spiritual Sunday Cinemas here at the Moore's home on Sunday evening. We invite everyone to play games, partake of hot koolaid and popcorn, and watch an uplifting movie. It's grand. It was there I met Rachel, who mentioned that she was late because of Alternative Sunday School (which is hosted by her apartment). I was intrigued so I asked a lot about it. Well, finally, last week I was able to attend. While my expectations were quite high I was amazed by how I underestimated it.

Hearing about it I assumed it would be some organized lesson for people who might not normally be comfortable at church, for whatever reason. A way to still be spiritually fed while some barrier exists. For a lot of reasons I was really excited by this idea of a more relaxed and comfortable gospel education. Feeling comfortable at church has never really been my forte being the most forefront.

It was even better. We gathered in a circle. People came and went. Herbal tea was shared. We had a mediator with a topic he had been pondering a lot lately, the scriptures and how he was having difficulty using them as a primary source for spirituality (especially since he returned from his mission). He asked some basic questions about how we use to the scriptures to feel the spirit and other ways we find the spirit through each day.

There was no expectations. No one had to speak. No one had to be quiet. It was peaceful discussion, everyone trying to help their neighbor or be helped (and for most of us I think we were seeking both). We talked and worked through it. As questions arose we addressed them without judgment or anticipation. Everyone was free to speak their heart and mind.

What was so amazing to me was that whenever I've seen groups like this come together there is tension. Someone trying to prove something. Some agenda. It gets expressed with hasty words or personal questions. None of that happened though. It was freeing. Like there was a giant cauldron in the middle of the room and everyone was free to pour as much of themselves into it as they wanted and everyone was free to take out as much as they needed. And it was spiritual. We all accepted each other's claims and opinions. We came knowing we knew a lot as individuals but very little compared to our whole. We were open to expansion.

How does such a group come about? Could it be replicated? Will it continue when the founding woman leaves? I don't know. I can hope. Engaging intellectuals takes perpetual growth, it has that potential.