Students given room and board in exchange for faith

Tag : dining room furniture
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- It's dinner time in the small, two-bedroom apartment nearSacramento City College. One by one, five students gather around awell-used dining room table for a meal that begins with a prayer.
"Thank you Lord," begins Andrea De La Torre, 19, in the shortblessing before they dig into the Chinese food prepared by one ofthe students.
Both the weekly dinner and the prayer are required. The studentsare participants in a special program offered by All SaintsEpiscopal Church in Sacramento, Calif., that gives free housing tocollege students. In exchange for living in one of the apartmentsowned by the congregation, the students must meet the church'sspiritual requirements.
"The hope is that young people in the church will draw other youngpeople," said Amy Dierlam, coordinator of the church's Faith andLeadership program.
Similar church housing programs have begun near campuses across thecountry, she said. All Saints is believed to be the first in theSacramento area.
Nearly every congregation struggles to reach young people,particularly college students. Two years ago, All Saints members -the church has about 80 Sunday worshippers - decided to make afinancial sacrifice and give up the $600 in rent they collectedevery month and allow students to live there for free.
"It's not only a way of developing a spiritual community," saidRev. Michael Monnot, who pastors the church with his wife,Elizabeth. "It's also a way of helping students who are searchingspiritually."
The Faith and Leadership program is a partnership between AllSaints and the Lutheran Church of the Cross in Sacramento.
Daniel Allen, 20, was living on a friend's couch for several monthsbefore moving into the church apartment on 21st Street. He grew upattending Presbyterian and Episcopal churches but hadn't been tochurch for a while.
The computer science major now attends worship services every week.He has to. "The hard part is getting up," said Allen. "But you getused to it."
The students sign a contract and promise to attend church and meetwith the pastor once a month for a spiritual discernment. They mustalso attend the weekly meal and work five hours of communityservice
Holly Link, who is carrying 19 units, said juggling school andcommunity service work is tough. "But living here is worth it andthe work is rewarding," she said.
The students live in two older apartment units beside the church -the men downstairs, the women upstairs. Each unit accommodatesthree. One male student left the program shortly after schoolstarted, saying the 15 hour-a-week commitment to church andcommunity service activities was too much, said Dierlam.
The program has begun its third year. No student has been kickedout, but some have not been accepted back. "It wasn't a good fit,"said Dierlam.
Students don't have to be a member of the Episcopal church to join.They have to be willing to live in a community and want to exploretheir faith, said Dierlam.
Li Ngyu Lu, who goes by Lydia, attended a nondenominational churchin China. She heard about the program from a Sacramento CityCollege counselor after transferring. "It's been a good way for meto meet people," said Lu.
The apartment units look like typical student apartments.Mismatched furniture, small kitchenettes, homemade artwork. Still,the housing has been a blessing. "This gives us a chance to thinkand pray about what we really want," said De La Torre.