Believers say it’s taking a look at life with your eyes wide open.

Many lowa Staters grew up with a religious background. Some students have since fallen off the wagon, for whatever reason, and no longer practice religion at all.

But there are some Cyclones who get really excited about church, who consider Jesus Christ a close friend, who look forward to celebrating their faith every day.

Some of the faithful have organized clubs at lowa State, like the Salt Company and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), that in turn hold weekly worships for those who enjoy sharing their beliefs with others in a community atmosphere. And several Ames churches make it easy and fun for students to attend weekly services.

Each Thursday night the Salt Company holds a religious rally near campus. Ethan Burmeister, an ISU alumnus and freshman director of the organization, said that between 450 and 500 people attend each evening session, about 50 of whom are visitors.

For about 90 minutes, those who attend are treated to music, speakers and hymns. And while Burmeister said that this is indeed a religious service, it’s not at all stuffy or boring, like most students think of a traditional church ceremony.

“It’s done really innovatively and contemporarily,” Burmeister said. “It’s just a context where students can come in, and they can have a non-traditional religious worship experience, connect with other Christians and grow in their faith.”

Burmeister himself is a five-year member of the Salt Company. He was introduced to the festivities when he was still in school.

“l had friends on my dorm floor who wanted me to go,” he said. “It was really different from what I experienced in the past. Everything related to my life.”

Burmeister was raised Catholic, and his parents still are. He admits that his dissatisfaction with religion was “partly” the reason he joined the Salt Company. However, he said that most students join for social reasons.

“We had a poll last year, and we asked people why they came,” he said. “And most people answered because their friends came. It’s social in the fact that you already have something in common with everyone there: your religious beliefs.”

As the freshman director, Burmeister is in charge of the ministry set up specifically for freshmen. He said the only advertising they do is table tents in the dorms, and “the rest is all word of mouth and people bringing people.”

Several Ames churches also work hard to make weekend services appealing to ISU students. St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and Student Center on Lincoln Way employs five peer ministers, who work part-time to make students feel at home at STA.

Matt Brandenburg, a senior in biology, works 15 to 20 hours a week as a peer minister. “Part of my job is to work in the area of hospitality toward students and [make] church a place where students feel welcome, as opposed to a place where they just attend church,” he said.

Brandenburg was raised Catholic, and he got involved at the church through other students. He said that his involvement in peer ministry has made going to mass much more than just following the guidelines of the Catholic Church.

“I’ve always gone to mass, but it was more like I was meeting a requirement, an obligation,” he said. “A lotta students come to St. Thomas because they enjoy it.”

This eager congregation stems largely from the church’s efforts to make students an integral part of the ceremony, he said.

“We have students involved in the music ministry, participating as hospitality ministers, who greet people at mass, and [as] eucharistic ministers,” Brandenburg said. “We try to get a good mix at different masses.”

Unlike many Catholic churches elsewhere in the country, St. Thomas offers mass at times that are convenient for students. No longer is a hangover or lack of sleep an excuse to miss church.

Brandenburg said most lowa Staters attend the 10:30 a.m. or the 7 p.m. services on Sunday. “People can still sleep till noon, and they can still make it to mass,” he said. “Or students who go home for the weekend can still make it back to mass.”

The priests, too, at St. Thomas try to make parts of the actual ceremony a little more lively than the average mass. “It seems to be more community-oriented than traditional Catholic churches,” Brandenburg said. “The priests facilitate a more open way of greeting guests.

“Most priests will say, ‘Let’s offer each other a sign of peace.’ Monsignor [James] Supple will say, ‘Turn to your neighbor and say, “God loves you and so do I.'” It’s an invitation to be open, a little bit more conversational and less stoic than traditional churches.”

Even students who don’t get a chance to attend Salt Company rallies or church in Ames try to make religion a big part of their lives.

Chad Anderson, a senior in English, commutes to school everyday and can’t always stay on campus late for meetings or church services. He does, however, regularly attend Countryside Bible Chapel, a non-denominational Christian church near Strafford, where he lives.

Anderson grew up in a Christian home after his father was “saved” about the time Chad was born. Not long after, his mother was saved too.

Even though Anderson grew up in a religious household, he could feel himself slipping away from Christ as he grew up. “You’re taught it, you’re immersed in it,” he said. “Junior year of high school, I was getting to a point where I had to make a decision over whether or not [my Christian beliefs] were true or not. And my life was kind of slowly heading downhill, whether morally or otherwise.”

Some soul-searching and a deep knowledge of the Bible made Anderson realize that Christianity is where it’s at for him. “When you look at the teachings of the Bible, when you look at life, you find that, when you actually follow what the Bible says, that’s the way things seem to work out the best.

“ln the back of my mind, I knew that that made more sense than anything I’d ever come in contact with.”

Since that turning point, Anderson has focused his attention away from sin and toward helping his faith to grow. He is active in his church and has attended a few Salt Company rallies when time permits.

He said that “actually becoming a Christian” has turned his whole world around. “lt’s made a huge difference with me,” he said.

“It gives you a solid base. Think of all the psychological side effects of having a fast belief in something.

“I can understand where people say, ‘Well, it’s a psychological thing.’ From my experience, it’s really beyond that. It’s beyond having this death grip on this belief system. It’s taking a look at life with your eyes wide open.”