Free food, friendly representatives, first day of school photographs, flyers, and inflatable furniture have all made appearances on campus to attract students to campus religious groups. The tactics seem to be working, too, since insiders assert that student religious involvement at UMBC is on the rise.

Recently resigned Episcopal chaplain Menalcus Lankford believes that student interest in campus religious activities is increasing, while UMBC Hillel director Rabbi Jason Klein emphasized that student involvement is on the rise in all areas.

UMBC's Interfaith Center was created a few years ago due to large student participation in religious groups. The center provides meeting space for religious activities and hosts a few interfaith activities, too. The Religious Staff Council, composed of various religious leaders, works in partnership with the university to mentor the student organizations.

According to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship staff advisor and UMBC alumnus Galen Zook, "I think there is a growing interest in spirituality. Students…are seeking meaning and purpose in life beyond just monetary success. They want to make a difference in the world. They are seeking real relationships and true community, and they are finding all of these things in faith and spirituality."

InterVarsity's student leader, Elise Pohl, iterated that while students today might still be religious, they "are looking for a different brand of religion than our parents or grandparents. We don't necessarily want the rituals of a service, or to go to church every Sunday because we're supposed to. We want to be excited, and feel something real, and then go and do something to impact the world in a positive way."

Thus, campus religion provides more than just a way for people to gather and share common beliefs.

UMBC religious groups dedicate time to educating those of other belief systems and increasing student comprehension and tolerance of other religions. Klein encourages students to be more than tolerant, though. "The more we can move from tolerance to acceptance, from acceptance to celebration, and from celebration to activism, the better off we are as a community."

When leaders of multiple campus religious groups were asked if their organization was exclusive, every one answered with an emphatic "no," since they seek to include all in their educational and social activities.

Additionally, the organizations are designed to nurture and support their members. Klein said, "We are here to help make sure that UMBC feels like a home for students; we want students to feel taken care of, supported, and challenged as appropriate." Zook explained that when he was a student, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship provided him with "helped [him] grow in every aspect of [his] life."

A wide range of service activities allow groups to aid others on a local, national, or international level. Hillel utilizes eco-friendly consumable products, encouraged students to write to someone who might feel invisible by passing out five hundred stamped envelopes with stationary after the Welcome Week R-E-S-P-E-C-T talk, and plans to visit the elderly; InterVarsity Christian Fellowship members volunteer on campus and at soup kitchens in Baltimore.

Meanwhile, a full activity schedule allows for good times. There is no explanation for Hillel's upcoming Inner Harbor cruise, the Lutheran and Episcopal Campus Ministry's upcoming trip to listen to rock band The Getaways, or InterVarsity's capture the flag and pick-up Frisbee games other than to have fun and socialize!

Modeling a community spirit, larger campus religious organizations also help to co-host activities with smaller groups. The university's new Episcopal chaplain, Kate Spencer, also plans to capture community cooperation in her method of peer ministry, which will place students in direct mentorship and ministry with one another.

For Pohl, a senior in her third year of InterVarsity involvement, religion has improved her UMBC experience. Not only does she enjoy the social support of her group, but also the service opportunities it has provided. As a student leader, Pohl has also been able to grow in her abilities of "public speaking, leading a small group, or just talking to random people in my dorm."

Learn more about UMBC's religious groups and upcoming events by visiting umbc.edu/studentlife/mosaic/culturalgroups.php and scrolling to the bottom of the page.