Last summer I asked my college students in Anthropology 1, aside from learning anthropological concepts and theories inside the classroom - to explore places, experience cultural happenings, and then apply their learning through writing ethnographic accounts using the method of participation-observation.I am posting in my blog with the writer's consent selected ethnography penned creatively by my students to contribute to the emerging sub-discipline of anthropology called 'Virtual Ethnography'.
Basically, virtually ethnography is also referred to as Webnography. We cannot deny the fact that with increasing use of technology and the Internet, there is now a demand for online spaces on various ethnographic accounts.
Ethnography By Llenel de Castro
When we think of religious sites, we often think of the most ostentatious – the Vatican, Sagrada Familia, Angkor Wat, Borobudur, and Mecca. We think of those pilgrimage sites where thousands or millions of people flock to show their faith. In the Philippines, we think of Quiapo, Manila cathedral, and all our other grand churches. Rarely do we think of those small, simple, close-knit non-Catholic groups. In fact, except for Iglesia ni Kristo’s iconic architecture, we barely notice the other Christian dominations at all.
Because I used to watch the 7th heaven marathons during holy week on Studio 23, it’s small Christian churches that have always interested me. Unlike in the large Catholic churches where the priest barely knows his congregation, the pastors from small fellowships almost always come from the community they serve. The members are usually less than a hundred and if not for the fact that my best friend’s dad is a pastor, I wouldn’t probably know where to find one.
Unlike Catholics who spend only an hour in church on Sundays, my friend spends her whole day serving the Lord and the community. In the morning, they have the service for adults that includes time for praise and worship, bible study and the sermon. In the afternoon, kids from the community come to sing and dance, read the bible, create artwork and eat what sometimes is their only meal for the day.
Along with one of our other friends, I came to help out for the children’s worship. A few minutes before the session started, with her pastor dad (who also happens to be a physicist) on electric guitar, we practiced the action songs. We waited for the kids to trickle in and when there were enough for us to start, we sang and danced Christian songs, including my favorite Welcome to the Family which my best friend (forever) and I learned in preschool together and their favorite Father Abraham which had us all throwing our arms up in the air, stomping our feet, nodding our heads and turning around and around.
After singing and dancing, the kids recited their memory verse, a verse from the bible that they learned from the week before. Those who were able to recite the verse got candy and a chance to shine. The small group activities about the lesson for the day, humility, came next. The big kids read passages from the bible and were also given some English exercises. The middle group practiced their reading skills and made figures with pistachio shells. Since the smallest kids couldn’t read yet, the teacher explained the bible story to them and they colored some sheets of paper. When the kids finished their activities, it was time to eat. That day, they got spring rolls and rice. If they didn’t finish their food, they asked to have leftovers placed in a plastic bag, which they brought home.
What struck me about the church is its simplicity. Compared to the huge places of worship with all the most expensive cloth, accessories and artwork, this little church had nothing. It was just a 50 square meter apartment. But what it lacked in majesty, it made up for with an abundance of love and kindness.
It’s hard to find faith in big churches because it’s so easy to think that the congregation is being corrupted and when religions clash, it’s hard to believe in anything at all. What I felt that afternoon was the exact opposite. The children’s worship is a special program that they made for the kids of the Philcoa area. Some of these kids sell sampaguita near Jollibee, some are children of the vendors in front of McDonalds and the big kids work as barkers. The people of the church take time out on Sundays to help these kids, to teach them and to hopefully guide them on the right path. Unlike priests or pastors in big congregations, they don’t get anything in exchange.
The theme for this week’s ethnography is a spiritual journey to a religious site. While there are tons of fancy religious sites, there have been very few that have made me feel spiritual and my afternoon at the Bible Christian Fellowship is one of them. Unlike the normal hour-long Sunday masses that I just routinely stand and sit through, last Sunday’s session had me dancing and jumping up in the air. I remember smiling as we sang songs while simultaneously thanking God (whether he or she be a Hindu, Muslim, or Christian) for letting me be there that day. On the way home, I thanked the invisible forces at work for letting everything work out perfectly so that I was able to spend an afternoon full of fun and laughter with my friends and most importantly for making my childhood dream of being in 7th heaven come true.
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