I drove south on Andrews Road, approaching Fifth Street and the entrance to campus. I had just passed the University Bar & Grill, where I had now been twice for swing dancing. Swing dancing had become a nationwide fad over the last year or so, becoming a big part of many of my friends’ lives. I finally gave in and tried swing dancing, and I enjoyed it. But this was not my destination tonight; swing dancing was on Sundays, and today was Tuesday.
I reached up and put my visor down as I turned right. I was headed west on Fifth Street, and the early evening summer sun was now in my eyes. I crossed Highway 117 and continued west until the city of Jeromeville was behind me. The First Baptist Church of Jeromeville was located about half a mile past the city limits, three miles west of downtown, near where Fifth Street intersects Pittman Road.
I parked the car and walked to the fellowship hall. This was not my church, but I was here last Tuesday as well, and I had been here for a couple of multi-church events over the years, so I knew where to go. I entered the room and saw two people, one I knew and one I did not, sitting at a table.
“Welcome to U-Life!” the girl I did not know said. She got out a colored marker and a blank name tag and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Greg,” I said.
“Hi, Greg,” the guy sitting next to her said.
“Hey, Ben,” I replied. “How was your week?”
“Good. Just working. It was good seeing you at the U-Bar on Sunday. Was that your first time swing dancing?”
“Second. I was there the week before too.”
“How do you like it so far?”
“It’s been fun. I’ll be there again this Sunday.”
“Good!” Ben said. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
I walked over to where several rows of folding chairs had been set up and found a seat. The University of Jeromeville had several Christian student clubs, some affiliated with specific churches and some that were chapters of national or international para-church organizations. I normally attended Jeromeville Christian Fellowship, which was a chapter of Intervarsity, and I was in a Bible study through JCF on Thursdays, but JCF did not meet during the summer as a large group. University Life, the college group of First Baptist Church, did meet during the summer. I had a light enough schedule this summer that I could get involved with another group.
Additionally, I already knew some people from U-Life. I had met some U-Life regulars in classes and at multi-church worship nights, and some U-Life people go to JCF occasionally as well. Ben Lawton, whom I talked to on the way in, I met a couple years ago in the Memorial Union, looking for a place to sit and study on a day when all the tables were full. Ben mostly attended U-Life but also went to JCF often enough to recognize me, and he invited me to sit at his table. I started hanging out with him and his friends in the MU semi-regularly, and I went to U-Life a few times that year, when I was feeling frustrated with the cliquishness at JCF.
The structure of a U-Life large group meeting was very similar to that of JCF: worship with music playing, announcements, a sermon-like talk, and more worship. The talk that night was about prayer, and the leaders decided to add prayer requests before the second worship set. A few people shared prayer requests before the whole group: one girl was leaving in a few days for a mission trip to Mexico with her church back home, and someone else needed a place to live for the upcoming school year as his plans fell through. I knew that feeling. “Any other prayer requests?” the college pastor asked. A hand rose, and he continued, “Yes, Carolyn.” I looked at the girl raising her hand and realized that I knew Carolyn.
“So, as you guys know, I’m finishing my degree in music in December,” Carolyn explained. I met her two years ago when we were both in University Chorus, and during that year when I went to U-Life a few times, she was on the worship team. “The last few months, I’ve been trying my hand at writing original music. I’d say it’s going pretty well, but I’ve definitely learned a lot about songwriting and about myself through this experience. But the reason I need prayer is because I have an opportunity to record an album.” A few murmurs and excited gasps circulated the room, then Carolyn continued. “Someone I know back home has a connection to someone at a music studio in Bay City. It’s expensive, but I’m going to take a leap of faith that I’ll also be able to find places to perform for tips. I don’t know if music will ever become my full-time job, but God has opened this door, and I need prayer for continued opportunities in music, and that my music will bring glory to God.” As everyone bowed their heads and the pastor began praying, I got to thinking about just how cool that was. Maybe Carolyn would become a big star, and I would be able to say that I knew her when she was just starting out.
The rest of the week was fairly uneventful, in a good way. Wednesday night I volunteered with the youth group at my own church, Jeromeville Covenant. Afterward I stayed up late playing games with the other leaders. Thursday night was the JCF Bible study. But what I was really looking forward to was Sunday night swing dancing.
I arrived early for the group lesson for beginners. The lesson always began with Matthew, the instructor, teaching the basic step and simple turns, then at the end he would add something different each week. We would rotate partners every few minutes, so that we could practice moves with many different people. The beginner lesson was just starting as I walked in, and I could see that Courtney, Cambria, Erica, and Sasha were here. These four girls, whom I knew from church, were the ones who had finally talked me into trying swing dancing.
I practiced the basic step with a few different people I did not know. On about the fourth switch of partners, Courtney walked up to me when Matthew was about to teach the outside turn.
“Hey, Greg,” Courtney said. “What’s up?”
“Not much. Just the usual.”
“I’m glad you came back to swing dancing. Are you enjoying it?”
“I am. Thanks for finally dragging me here,” I said. Courtney laughed.
I practiced the outside turn with Courtney, trying to pay attention to what Matthew said about the arm position and the footwork, but also asking Courtney about her summer. When Matthew told us to rotate, I told Courtney, “I’ll talk to you later. Save me a dance.”
“Yeah!”
This was now my third time swing dancing, and I had noticed that some people really liked to dress the part. Some of the guys wore things like suspenders, fedoras, and two-toned wingtip shoes, and some of the girls wore long old-looking dresses. I had no clothes like this; I wondered if I needed to dress like these guys in order to feel like I belonged here. Not everyone was dressed up, though; some wore dress shirts and slacks, like me, and a few people just wore regular casual clothes. The four girls I knew wore dresses, but they did not appear to be vintage dresses from the swing period.
Sasha was my next partner. “Hi!” she said as I took her hand.
“Hey. How was your week?” I asked.
“Good! I’m glad to be back here!”
“Where were you last week? I noticed you weren’t here.”
“I went camping with my family, for my birthday.”
“Happy birthday!” I said. “What day was it?”
“The 3rd,” Sasha replied. Sasha was fun to talk to, cute in a her own unique way, and also the youngest person in my immediate peer group. She had just graduated from high school, and sometimes it felt a little weird for a girl that much younger than me to have caught my interest. Maybe four years was not that much, but I had a university degree already and she was just starting. But knowing that she had just had a birthday made me feel a little better about the situation, because she was now eighteen years old, a legal adult.
“Try the outside turn again with your new partner,” Matthew said. I raised my left arm away from me; Sasha turned her body in the direction of my arm.
“That was good!” Sasha told me.
“Thank you.”
The beginner lesson continued; I also got a chance to practice moves with Cambria and Erica, as well as others I did not know. During the main part of the dance, asking girls I did not know to dance made me nervous sometimes, but having four friends here whom I already knew made me feel better. At least I had four people to dance with tonight.
Half an hour after dancing started, I had danced with Cambria and Sasha so far, for one song each. I wanted to dance again, but all four of the girls I knew were dancing. I saw a girl I did not know sitting on the side; I walked up to her and asked, “Would you like to dance?”
“No, thank you,” she replied. I tried not to look upset as I walked away. I saw a girl approaching me who looked familiar, but I was not sure where I knew her, or if I actually did at all. She was maybe five foot five, with light brown hair just past her shoulders.
“Wanna dance?” the girl asked as she got closer to me.
“Yes!” I replied. I led her onto the dance floor and began doing the basic step with her. About ten seconds into the song, she asked me, “You were at U-Life on Tuesday, weren’t you? I recognize you.”
“Yes!” I exclaimed. “I’ve been trying to remember why you look familiar. What was your name again?
“I’m Bethany.”
“I’m Greg. Nice to meet you,” I said. I awkwardly made a handshake motion with my right hand, which already had her left hand touching it because of the position we were in for the dance. I smiled.
“Do you go to U-Life every week?” Bethany asked.
“I go to JCF during the year, but they don’t meet as a large group in the summer, and U-Life does. And I have some friends at U-Life. I’ve been there a few times over the years.”
“That makes sense.”
I tried turning Bethany using the turns from the beginner lesson. She followed the turns smoothly; her movements were not stiff or awkward, like some beginners I had danced with.
“So how come you’re in Jeromeville for the summer?” Bethany asked. “Are you taking classes, like me?”
“Not this summer,” I explained. “I just graduated, but I’m doing the teacher training program next year. We start before UJ does, because we follow the schedule of the schools where we’re teaching. I’m going to see my parents for about a week later this summer, but I’d rather stay here, with my church and some of my friends. I don’t really have friends left back home.”
“What church do you go to?”
“Jeromeville Covenant.”
“Oh, ok. I know that one.”
“You go to First Baptist?”
“Yeah,” Bethany replied. The song ended, and we walked off of the dance floor together. “Where is ‘back home’ for you?” she asked.
“Plumdale. Near Santa Lucia and Gabilan.”
“Oh, ok. I’ve never been there.”
“I’m not surprised,” I admitted. “Most people have never heard of Plumdale. Where are you from?”
“Southern California. Just outside of San Diego.”
“Oh, wow. That’s kind of far. What brought you to Jeromeville?”
“They have really good programs for my major. And I wanted to get kind of far from home, but not all the way across the country.”
“I get that. Everywhere I applied was far enough away that I wouldn’t feel like I was home anymore, but still close enough to go home on weekends occasionally.”
“That makes sense.”
“What major is this that made you consider Jeromeville?” I asked.
“Evolution biology. And a minor in animal science,” Bethany explained. Evolution biology was not the answer I expected to hear from a Christian. Growing up, I was a nerdy kid who liked things like dinosaurs, so I never thought to question evolution. Now that I had spent the last few years around Christians, I realized that this was a controversial issue in many Christian circles, particularly those who read the Bible literally. I was not sure at this point in my faith journey exactly how to reconcile the Bible’s account of creation with what I learned in school about evolution. Bethany must have anticipated my thoughts, because she said, “I know what you’re thinking. Christians and evolution.”
“Yeah, I kind of was,” I acknowledged.
“The way I see it, how and when God created the world doesn’t affect how we respond to Jesus’ message of salvation today.”
“Wow,” I said. “That makes a lot of sense. What year are you?”
“Going to be a junior.”
“That’s cool. What do you want to do with your degree? Vet school?”
“No,” Bethany answered. “I’m not sure, but not vet school.”
“I guess I made an assumption, since a lot of people come to Jeromeville for vet school, and you came from kinda far away.”
“Makes sense. You aren’t the first person to guess that. What’s your major? Or, what was your major, I should say.”
“Math.”
“Oh, wow,” Bethany said. I could see from her reaction that mathematics was not her favorite subject.
“I get that reaction a lot,” I replied, chuckling.
At that point, a new song started, and a guy walked up to Bethany and asked her to dance. “Sure,” she said. “I’ll talk to you later, Greg?”
“Yeah!” I walked off looking for someone to dance with. Sasha was already dancing, and so was Courtney. I danced that song with Erica.
Midway through every swing dancing night, the DJ will announce that it is time for the Birthday Jam. Everyone stands in a circle, those with birthdays stand in the middle, and others jump in to take turns dancing with them. Sasha stood in the middle, and I watched guys dance with her, switching every fifteen to thirty seconds. I had never danced in a birthday circle before, but I wanted to this time. I walked up behind the guy dancing with Sasha, waiting for a turn. He saw me behind him and handed her to me. He had been doing a different step from the one that Matthew taught in the beginner lesson; I thought it was the one that I had heard people call the Lindy Hop. I did not know the Lindy Hop, so I went back to the basic step that I knew. “Hi!” Sasha said, noticing that she was dancing with someone she knew.
“Happy birthday, again!” I said.
“Thanks!”
I saw another guy approaching out of the corner of my eye, so I said, “Save me a dance later?” as I handed her off to him.
“Yes!” Sasha called out.
I noticed that Bethany was in the direction I was walking, so I stood next to her. “I know that girl from church,” I explained. “She was one of the people who first talked me into going swing dancing.”
“How long have you been doing this?” Bethany asked.
“This is my third time.”
“You’re pretty good for only three times.”
“Thank you! What about you?”
“I started coming a couple months ago. Ben Lawton brought a big group here. Do you know Ben?”
“Yeah. I didn’t see him tonight, though.”
“I don’t think he’s here this week,” Bethany observed. “I don’t know why.”
Bethany and I danced the next song after the Birthday Jam. I danced with Cambria and Erica and Courtney later that night, twice more with Bethany, and once each with two girls I did not know. A few minutes before midnight, the DJ announced that it was the last song of the night, and Bethany asked me to dance. As I was dancing with Bethany, I noticed the girls I knew from church grabbing their things and leaving. I waved, and Cambria and Courtney saw me and waved back. Sasha and Erica were not looking in my direction.
“Thank you,” I said to Bethany as the song ended and the lights turned on. “Will you be here next week?”
“Yeah! And will I see you Tuesday at U-Life?”
“Oh, yeah. That too.”
“What else are you doing this week?” Bethany asked as we walked out of the building together.
“Wednesday I volunteer with the junior high group at J-Cov. And I have Bible study Thursday.”
“That sounds like a good week. I just have class.”
“Well, enjoy your class,” I said. We had stopped walking by now and were standing in front of a car, an older sedan.
“This is my car,” Bethany explained. “Where are you parked?”
“Over there,” I said, pointing. After a pause, I added, “I’ll see you around?”
“Yes,” Bethany said as she gave me a hug. I hugged back.
I walked to my car and turned it on. I thought that the song currently on the radio was by Jewel, but I got some of those girl singers mixed up sometimes. Ever since last Tuesday, when Carolyn Parry mentioned recording an album, I thought of her every time I heard one of those girls on the radio. Would Carolyn become the Christian Jewel? The trend in Christian music in those days was to market artists as knockoffs of secular artists. If Carolyn was at U-Life this week, I could ask her more about her music, although I did not want to sound dumb.
I realized as I was going to the bathroom before bed that I never did dance with Sasha again that night, even though I asked her during the Birthday Jam to save me a dance. I had spent much of the night talking to Bethany, and dancing with her. And she had given me a lot to think about, including an answer to one of the questions in the debate between science and religion. To this day, I still use Bethany’s explanation when telling people my thoughts on creationism and evolution. Someday, when I die and have an eternity to spend with God, I will ask him how all of that works. In light of all the time I had spent with Bethany tonight, somehow not saying good night to Sasha seemed like an afterthought.
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