A 3 a.m. Saturday bedtime and a 9 a.m. Sunday wake up call. This has become my new routine this semester, for the church bells have summoned me.
Every Sunday, I attend a morning service at a different church in the Claremont/Upland area — Catholic, Presbyterian, Orthodox, Methodist, Unitarian, Episcopal, non-denominational, you name it.. I began this practice to discover my own religious beliefs and learn about Christianity from the perspectives of different denominations.
During this exploration, I have noticed not only the religiously guided benefits of regular church attendance, but also a positive impact on my mental health, daily routine, levels of stress and interpersonal connections. To my surprise, I found a plethora of scientific studies that supported my findings, and now I want to share this evidence with you.
Before I go any further, I would like to begin my argument with a disclaimer: I am not trying to convince you to convert to Christianity. Places and modes of worship can look different for everyone, and I want to encourage you to interact with these communities, whether this be through churches, synagogues, mosques or temples. But as a Christian who is most familiar with the order and purpose of a church service, it is my lived experience that I will draw from.
From the ages of 11 to 18, I was forced to attend an Anglican church four times a week at my British boarding school. Back then, I could not appreciate the religious purpose of forcing students to go to church. I think that many of my peers agreed with this, and chapel time was seen more as a social event where you could ogle your high school crush across the pews.
Three years after graduating high school, I now realize how much I miss going to church. The aspect that I miss the most about these services is the powerful, energizing feeling that I got from belting out a hymn, or reciting a prayer word for word alongside a thousand other people in perfect unison. It made me feel like I was a part of something bigger than myself and no, at that time it was not God that I was thinking of. It was community.
We hear the word “community” so much that the word has almost lost its meaning. The Claremont Colleges’ community is very supportive and tight-knit, but it is isolated from the real world outside of our seven campuses. After three years of living in Claremont, church has been the one thing to actually connect me with the broader Inland Empire community.
Going to church forces you to step outside of the Claremont bubble and interact with the people around you. No, it is not the same as going to a coffee shop, or a concert, or a hike — there is no escaping conversation at church.
Many of the services that I have attended incorporate a “handshake of peace,” where everybody stands up and moves through the sanctuary, shaking hands, introducing themselves and blessing each other. The typically-elderly ushers greet you with a smile and make small talk, the pastor shakes your hand and thanks you for coming at the end of the service and the volunteers offer you coffee and snacks as you arrive. Be prepared to chat.
The great thing about church is that you can take a step even further into the community if you want. Most congregations run social and religious activities outside of Sunday services. If you end up liking the community a lot, you could join Bible study groups, a Womens’ or Mens’ Ministry, identity-based retreats, catered lunches and dinners, youth groups and so on.
On multiple occasions, I have been the youngest, or even the only young person at a Sunday service. Gen-Z’s church attendance is low, so the congregation is always happy to see students walk through their doors. Church fosters intergenerational interaction, which we tend to lack at our colleges. In social settings, we are almost exclusively surrounded by people from the same generation, but there are real benefits to exploring intergenerational friendships.
Not only does going to church connect you with people that otherwise you would not have interacted with, but it also encourages long-lasting friendships and a support system. That is why multiple studies have found that regular church attendance not only improves your mental well-being, but can also prolong your life and decrease rates of addiction and addiction-related deaths.
We frequently associate church solely with religion and worship, forgetting the its role as a social institution and its importance in a community. Everyone can go to church, even if you are a non-believer. You do not have to believe in God or Jesus. You do not have to participate in the recitation of prayers. You do not have to sing. You do not have to accept the Eucharist. You do not have to be baptized. You can come, sit, chat, meditate, listen, relax and learn. Maybe you will find out something new about yourself, or connect with a total stranger.
Just don’t knock it ‘til you try it. Venture out into different churches — almost all of their services look different, and depending on what you are looking for, one may be more suitable than another. The more you go, the more you explore, the more you will understand what you want church to mean to you.
Incorporating Sunday services into my weekly schedule has been a blessing (literally). I am still continuing my journey of religious discovery, while also enjoying an hour when I can unplug from my anxieties, reflect, practice gratitude and prepare for the week ahead of me.
So keep an open mind about church, and maybe connect with a couple of seasoned church-goers to show you the ropes. In whichever path you decide to take, I hope you may find the same kind of peace that I did.
Elizaveta (Lisa) Gorelik CM ’25 is from Moscow, Russia. She is looking forward to discovering a scenic church near Yosemite during the Fall break.
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