Student Report: Class Studies Several Religions And Learns Lessons about Micah

This year, The eighth grade has been swept up in a cyclone of adventure. And no, we are not talking about the rollercoaster on the boardwalk at Coney Island, or the enormous tornado that took Dorothy far from Kansas. Our curriculum, designed by our teachers, Martha Adler and Anna Phillips, is all about learning what it means to be an adult Jew, and a large part of that is having an understanding of other religions. So we have been taking field trips about once a month to different places of worship.

In November, we took our first trip to St. Augustine, the oldest African-American Catholic church in the District. Their amazing gospel choir helped to add excitement to the service, very much like the Temple Micah choir does for ours. We were also able to observe the sacrament of communion, in which Catholics eat and drink consecrated bread and wine. The community was diverse, and the environment was joyful and welcoming.

In December, we departed for a very different experience, only several blocks away. At the Islamic Cultural Center, we were led on a tour by Mr. Abbasi, who answered our many questions, such as "How do you fast in Alaska if it is always light or dark?" or "What is the most important thing a Muslim can do?" We were also there during the 11 a.m. worship, when a steady flow of people came in to offer their prayers.

Our most recent trip was to the Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church. Though the actual location was familiar, the atmosphere was very different than it is on the High Holy Days. While we were at MMUMC, we watched the baptism of a baby, and saw one of the ministers receive an "unexpected cell-phone call" from Jesus, who wanted everyone to go "fishing for people" to follow on his path. After the service, many of the congregants welcomed us to their church. We also met the Rev. Charlie Parker, the senior pastor, the Rev. Faith Lewis, the youth minister, and Bruce Caviness, the organist and music director. Mr. Caviness showed us how the organ works and did a very elaborate demonstration using the foot pedals as well as the three-level keyboard.

We got to learn about the tapestry hanging behind the altar, and how it was stitched by hand by members of the church. The top squares represent the Trinity, the squares in the middle represent the twelve disciples of Jesus, and the bottom squares represent the Crosses of the Liturgical Seasons (for instance, Lent, Easter, Advent). We encourage you to look at the tapestry when we return to MMUMC in the fall.

In March, we made 192 sandwiches for the homeless clients of Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place. This is part of our commitment to community service this year.

In the next few months, we will be taking a trip to the Torchinsky Funeral Home, as well as the first-ever eighth grade trip to Ellis Island and the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," we have truly enjoyed all of our trips, as they gave us a deeper appreciation of other faiths. But they have also made us realize that there really is no place like Temple Micah.

[By Anne Katz and Sarah Zeichner; from March 2008 Vine]