Hundreds turn out to explore religious opportunity at IU

It wasn't quite wandering the desert for 40 years, but wandering around FaithFest in Dunn Meadow Sunday afternoon might have felt just as hot.\nSeveral hundred students turned out throughout the day for the annual informational festival of mostly Christian faiths sponsored by the campus religious leaders group.\n"People who come here have some interest in coming," said Ken Larson, director of the Christian group The Navigators, who helped organize the event. "We're not here to twist arms. We're not looking for membership so much as friendship."\nFaithFest debuted about 10 years ago as a means to give new students information about the Bloomington branches of their religion in addition to several new options. \n"Freshmen come down here after going to their home church for so many years and usually have an idea of what they want to join, but they're always welcome at another church as well," said Wes Burton, a FaithFest volunteer for the Reformed Presbyterian Church.\nLarson echoed that sentiment.\n"When people come down to IU, they have some desire to connect with people of their faith," he said. "This way we can get many groups together in a fun environment."\nFaithFest is also a great opportunity to learn more about the history of Bloomington and how its churches fit into it.\n"The Reformed Presbyterian Church is actually one of the oldest in Bloomington," Burton said. "It was also involved in the Underground Railroad."\nFreshman Nick Branch was one such student who came to FaithFest with a church already in mind.\n"I'm definitely looking for a Baptist church," he said. "I've been to Methodist and Lutheran churches, but the Baptist churches are loud. They have all this singing. They're full of energy."\nHe also found it pretty convenient to have all the different Christian faiths in one place.\n"I didn't feel like getting up this morning to try and find where the Baptist church was," he said. "But this is much easier. I'll definitely be there next week"