Fish Out of Water

Last week I was invited to an event by Community Bible Study called sharing of the bread. Community Bible Study is a Christian organization at San Jose State that is 100 percent African-American. The group has about 10 members.

I grew up in church and have gone my whole life, so the bible study part of the night was not much of a culture shock to me. What made me a “Fish Out of Water”, was that I was the only white boy in the room. For the first 30 minutes, I was also the only guy in the room. There was some awkwardness at first, but I did my best to make myself comfortable and engage in small talk. Humor is a great way to break the ice, so I did my best to give my share of it, and laugh at the jokes of others.

The event was not much different from their regular Bible Study. The only difference was that there was pizza (a food item that will cross all cultural barriers). The night was then lead by the reverend from their church. (whom I sadly forgot the name of). The reverend preached on being Thankful for not only what has been given to us, but also for what should’ve happened to us and didn’t.

I grew up in church. I am used to being preached at. This time was a little different than what I had experienced. The reverend expected his audience to respond back with an Amen, a MmmHHmmm, or a Yes Lord! I never really felt uncomfortable with everything, in fact I enjoyed the experience. I liked the interactivity and the interpersonal aspect of the sermon.

I was a little humored by the fact that this was an “event” that they put on, but was really just they’re regular meeting with pizza. But I appreciated being invited and getting a taste of African-American church culture.

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