By Nancy Edwards
For those who have ever wondered how people of different faiths worship, but don’t necessarily have the time to visit every church there is, don’t worry: a local resident has already done that, and has published a book that discusses her visits to each one.
Stacy Morgan, who has a recent e-book published, “52 Ways to Worship,” visited 52 different faiths in the span of a year. Most of the churches she attended were Indiana, however, when traveling, she made stops from Los Angeles to drop in the Church of Scientology to Science of Mind in Colorado.
Morgan’s interest in learning about various faiths occurred years ago when she was a graduate student in Oxford, England. There was a chapel nearby that hosted Evensong, which is a service of evening prayers, psalms, and canticles, conducted according to a set form, normally performed at Anglican Churches. Morgan was enthralled by the beauty of the church.
After starting a family, she wanted to provide an environment of stability and put off her desire to travel to different churches until her kids were adults. Her memory of that English chapel returned after she visited an Episcopalian church that held an Evensong service.
“When I left the service I began to wonder what happens in other churches,” Morgan said. “On a whim, I traveled to different churches and I blogged (about the services).”
After she began her visits, she started to feel as though there “never enough Sundays.” There was not enough time for her to visit a different church each Sunday in a year. The solution?
“I realized some people worship on Saturdays,” Morgan said. “That reflected my ignorance.”
As she traveled, Morgan realized that she “wanted to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” meaning experiencing visits that were outside of her comfort zone. She learned that attendees of some faiths wash their feet before services, others involve using various scents or lay food aside as an offering, while others, such as the Quaker religion, are silent in prayer for up to an hour.
Through her journeys, Morgan wrote about her experiences as an objective reporter so as not to sway her opinions onto others.
“This (book) is meant to be used for college basic religion,” she said. “Readers can figure out what they think,” about the various faiths.
Morgan’s e-book is available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. She is also available for speaking engagements and can be reached through her website: 52w2w.com.
