In a classroom at the LDS seminary building by West High School, Diana Roshek is mulling the meaning of the word "Messiah."
She searches for a definition and, gently, Will McGarvey prompts her."Anointed one," he explains.
Roshek is the lone student today in the Bible study class that McGarvey, youth director of the First Presbyterian Church, teaches at West High School. This fall, West High joined at least one other school in the valley that offers a Bible study class during the school day.
Taylorsville High School has offered a release-time Bible study class for the past three years. The class, taught by Angel Poleto, has seven students this year.
McGarvey has two students usually, but on this Friday his other student is using the release time to work on a service project.
So Roshek has McGarvey's undivided attention. He spends the first part of the interdenominational, 90-minute class talking about Jainism, a religion of India that teaches liberation of the soul through knowledge, right faith and right conduct.
McGarvey's class has two primary goals: to teach students about other religions and to ground them in historical biblical Chris
tianity. Each class period also gives teens the opportunity to pray together, McGarvey said.
The class lets the teens know that when they "step on campus, God comes with you, that it's OK to be religious."
Less lofty but equally important are the connections he hopes the teens make with other Christians.
"We're hoping they'll come to know Jesus Christ better, find fellowship with other Christians on campus and foster an environment of understanding and love despite the hostility toward religion in culture," McGarvey said.
Roshek welcomed the opportunity to spend part of her school week learning about Jesus Christ and fellowshiping with other students.
"It was something I thought about ever since I was a freshman," said Roshek, a senior and member of West High's Student Senate.
Roshek likes the exchange of religious views that occurs in the class - she's a Catholic and the other student is a Mormon. She draws on what she learns to teach a Sunday School class at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. And she said her understanding of other religions and cultures has deepened considerably.
Her peers often look askance when Roshek mentions the Bible study class or the Bible Club on campus that she also belongs to.
"People said `oooohhhh, Bible Club,' " she said. "In this society it's almost natural to mock the Bible. You don't see people reading the Bible on MTV."
Roshek is unruffled by such responses. "It's real cool," she'll say of the Bible class and club.
Her enthusiasm is catching. "People will come up and ask how they can be involved. It's slowly integrating into West High."
After-school Bible clubs are more common at local schools than are Bible study classes; there are nine clubs at valley schools. The clubs tackle Bible study, put on social activities and do community service projects.
But the Bible study classes are growing. Effort is under way to start a study class at East High School by spring.
McGarvey is "elated" to have two students - he calls it a good start to what he hopes will be growing interest in the class.
"It will grow," he said. "We're trying to create a Christian culture here for youth. So often being a minority in Utah, kids don't express themselves at all. This gives them an outlet for religious experience during the week, in their everyday lives."