CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — Isaac Clayton, a sophomore at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology studying mathematics and computer science, knows developing his faith has been one of the most important parts of his education.
“It’s great to know hard technical subjects, but there are lots of things that being a disciple of Jesus Christ will teach you about how to live your life that will have a longer-term impact,” he said.
In this dense and academically oriented city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in Boston next door, young single adult members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are striving to gain a higher education and to build and live their faith.
As many as 50 colleges and universities are in the greater Boston area. Members of the Church who have come to the area for school make up three YSA wards and attend the Cambridge Massachusetts Institute of Religion. Upward of 80 to even 100 young single adults gather at the institute building every Wednesday.
Clayton, who grew up all over the world because of his dad’s job, is the second counselor in the Mount Auburn YSA Ward bishopric, a calling that surprised him but has taught him a lot.
Before his calling, he thought the bishopric did everything in the ward, but now he sees how much the ward members take initiative to build Zion. “It has really taught me that the Church is led by Jesus Christ. Because there is no way that it would be this organized if one person were responsible for everything,” he said.
Elise Jarvis, a Boston College student from Salt Lake City, studying international relations and data science, said people may assume it is alienating to be a person of faith among so many who believe differently or not at all. But she sees it as a great blessing.
“We have more opportunities to share that light and faith with others around us,” she said.
Chloe Call, a Harvard University student from Draper, Utah, studying history and Germanic literature, said coming out east feels like part of her role in the Church’s rising generation to gather Israel.
“People are curious and need good examples in their life,” she said. “Every strong Latter-day Saint student I know that has lived out here has impacted people around them, both in the Church and outside of the Church.”
Large gatherings and small groups
Jarvis and Call also attend the Mount Auburn YSA Ward with Clayton. Call said the congregation is tight-knit but also welcoming. Its members come from different backgrounds, have different interests and talents, and attend many different universities.
And Jarvis said the ward has “a beautiful culture of love and acceptance.”
“It feels like home going to church on Sundays,” she said. “Sundays are a delight. We can come together to be with the Lord and with others.”
Jarvis, who serves on the ward council, said the ward tries to reach out to all young single adults who may be on the outskirts — both geographically and in other ways. The ward not only wants to be welcoming and build community but also to help each member come closer to Jesus Christ.
Many YSA Latter-day Saints in the area bring friends with them to institute activities. Every Wednesday afternoon, the building opens at 3 p.m. for anyone to come by and study or hang out with friends. Then they all have dinner together at 6 p.m. and institute classes at 7.
The YSA wards in the area gather for home evening on Mondays and for other activities once a month. Besides large gatherings and activities, smaller groups of members also help everyone find home and belonging, Jarvis said.
Groups by college or university affiliation can also have a mix of YSAs and married couples. For example, Clayton said one couple hosts a board-game night every week at their apartment for fellow MIT students.
They support each other; groups of friends will often go to each other’s events and campuses, such as watching Clayton when he rows for MIT, or going to see plays, concerts, competitions and more. Members of the YSA wards go on dates together and “graduate” when they get married.
Besides the social aspect of the groups, institute and ward activities, Jarvis said the overall purpose is to draw closer to Jesus Christ — to help the young single adults engage with the scriptures, worship in the temple, build faith and deepen conversion.
Welcomed and wanted
Jarvis said though there are only a handful of Latter-day Saints at Boston College, the campus is accepting of people of all religions, and she feels she can share her faith easily. One of her freshman-year professors followed with interest her full-time mission to Portugal.
Harvard has about 20 student members of the Church, Call said. She appreciates not feeling alone but also the opportunity to grow. Her first year in the Boston area came with culture shock. But she knew there would be friendly faces at institute on Wednesday nights.
“They emphasized, ‘Come as you are, we want you here.’ Knowing there is a place where you are not only welcome, but you are wanted, is really wonderful,” Call said.
Clayton, who served a full-time mission in the Brazil Porto Alegre North Mission, said someone from MIT who is also a member of the Church helped him know where to go on his first Sunday in Cambridge.
“That was just wonderful,” he said. “I hope that more people come out here. We need righteous people everywhere. We need good people everywhere.”
Be a builder
The students spoke to the Church News the same day that Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed Harvard University faculty and students about the need for more faith in the public square.
Developing faith must be part of a college education, Clayton said. This goes beyond an institution simply saying it supports faith; it must also enact policies to do so and include that in the school’s infrastructure.
For example, people of faith often come from larger families; so when calculating financial aid, does an institution take into account the student’s siblings? People of faith also value marriage and children; so how can campuses support students who are growing their families?
Sometimes, Call said, a Latter-day Saint in a secular university will stick out, and there comes a time when he or she will need to speak up and stand up for their beliefs. Quiet believers are also noticed and can be an example.
“If you are going to live your faith in a place like this, you can’t help but be a builder,” she said.
When it comes to institute and the YSA ward, Call said: “The more invested you are, the better it becomes. You can show up, or you can participate — and when you participate, you’ll get more out of it, you’ll make good friends. You get out what you put in.”
