Upon entering the C.S.F.
(Christian Student Fellowship) for the first time, a wave washed over me that
that assaulted all the senses, almost over whelming them from all the activity.
The smell of the midnight pancakes being freshly cooked and covered with an
assortment of topics ranging from chocolate to peanut butter, the music
blasting in the other room followed by the muffled sound of pleasant
conversations, and a large mass of bodies huddle, in an almost organized
fashion, around the pancake station. After the initial pause from processing
all this at once, I start heading for an abandoned table over in the corner,
but I was stopped half way to it and greeted by a group of people asking
questions and trying to get me involved into their group, as it was obvious I
had arrived alone. They were friendly people, but I was able to withdraw after
a couple of minutes of talking and make my way towards the table once again.
After making it to the table with
no more interruptions, I started to look around, really look around, for the first time. The overall look of the
C.S.F. was very homey and welcoming; it looked like a cabin with wooden beams
going across the ceiling. If you have ever been to a hunting lodge, the
interiors are very similarly themed. The main room was a decently sized room
big enough to fit 150 people comfortably, which was starting to reach its
limit. I could tell because a common
sign of a crowded room, besides the multitude of people, was the steadily increasing
temperature as the room filled up. It
came to the point that people were lining up outside waiting to get in; it
reminded me faintly of a club with the music blaring and a line of people at
the door. They had tables scattered throughout the room so you could relax and
eat your pancakes while making conversations with the people you just met. The
chairs were very comfortable and made it very pleasant to stay for long periods
of time.
Another thing I noticed from my
table was the raised concert area in the front of the room. There were
microphones, speakers, amplifiers and instruments up on stage so the area was
obviously used often. This mixed with the blaring music and the free pancakes
at midnight catered to all the “young” people’s needs. I started to notice that
the music was making people feel more relaxed and comfortable, making it seem
almost like a party, a setting most college kids are pretty familiar with, which
in turn made those attending more social. In this room filled with at least 150
people, not a single person was alone and it seemed like everyone was talking away.
Likewise, I was no longer alone, I was surrounded by 10 people who sat at my
table, and they were all striking up conversation having a great time. Even
when I tried to isolate myself people were still introducing themselves to me.
Everything I had observed so far seemed to be oriented to draw in the younger crowd, specifically college students. An environment with free food and loud music at midnight on a Friday seemed like a good way to keep the kids off the streets partying and safe just having a good time. This seemed to be the main focus of the night. However, I also saw that this wasn't their only goal, but they also used this as an opportunity to talk to the kids about relevant issues of teenagers, such as illegal drugs. They didn't stop the good time but casually came over the speakers and said “if you’re interested, head up to HQ in 15 minutes and we’re going to be talking about” and the guy went on to humorously list many various names for marijuana. Besides being informative they also focused on getting people involved and making friends. The C.S.F. is focusing on the aspect of making new friends. They devout a whole program to getting freshman together on Tuesday nights and making new friends. I talked to Cody, an involved member with the C.S.F. and he said “all my good friends I've made right here in the C.S.F.”
During the midnight pancakes
Line of kids waiting to get into the C.S.F.
Picture of the sign outside C.S.F.
