For many college students, moving away from home means finding a new place of worship while attending school. The Ypsilanti area is home to many churches and other religious centers students can use to their advantage, whether on campus or off.
No matter the denomination, there are many places Christian students can go to practice their faith. Sprinkled about the community are Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian and a handful of other Christian churches.
The University Christian Fellowship’s King of Love church is located just off campus and provides Sunday service for students. Nearby is the Cross and Resurrection Lutheran church, located on Ann Street. The nearest Baptist church is in the Normal Park neighborhood area on Cross Street.
A quick Google search will pull up a multitude of Christian denominational churches surrounding EMU’s campus.
Catholic students on campus can find their niche in the Holy Trinity Student Chapel, which provides students with mass daily around noon, with evening and weekend mass services as well. The Holy Trinity has embedded itself in campus life, opening its doors for students to come and go as they please. In addition to church services, the Chapel also gives students a place to study or hang out between classes.
“You always see students in here, finding their own little spot with their laptops and notebooks,” said Anne Stemmerich, administrative assistant at the Holy Trinity.
Jewish students, or those interested in learning about Jewish culture, can look to the Hillel Foundation which, for the most part, is student led.
“We provide students with cultural, educational and social opportunities,” said Clara Silver, the executive director at Hillel, located on Washtenaw.
The nearest synagogue is in Ann Arbor. For many of the fall holiday services, many Jewish students go to Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor. Hillel also uses Pease Auditorium for some of the common, widely attended High Holiday services.
Outside of religious services, Hillel has a very active campus presence. Hillel often joins with Holy Trinity and the Muslim Student Association for on-campus interfaith dialogues to encourage open and enriching religious discussion in a comfortable setting.
As for the Hillel building itself, “We like to think of it as a home away from home,” said Silver. “We host Friday dinners every other week and we have a kosher kitchen for students to use if they need to.”
The Hillel Foundation also has pool tables and lounges and provides students with a place to hang out and socialize with others.
“Hillel is all about Jewish life on students’ terms. We let them decide what they want to do,” Silver said.
Muslim students on campus seem to have the most difficulty finding a place to practice their faith, which calls them to pray five times a day. The closest mosque to EMU’s campus is the Masjid Bilal, located near Michigan Avenue and Carpenter Road, which can pose an obstacle to students on campus because it is not within walking distance.
Because of this, many Muslim students take advantage of the various nooks and crannies around campus.
“There is a verse in the Quran that essentially says every inch of God’s land is available for prayer,” Nourhan Mattar, treasurer of the Muslim Student Association, said. “If it’s clean and quiet, we can pray there.”
They also plan special accommodations for Friday prayers.
“We do Friday prayer in the different breakout rooms near the student org offices,” said Mattar.
Muslim students also have access to the MSA offices to pray and commune.
“The office is always open so we have a lot of people come in here,” Mattar said.
She later added, “For now we have the MSA office. I basically live here. We all do. I think someone’s clothes are under one of these desks.”
