Page Title
Asian American Intervarsity: The Study of Christianity at UW-Madison
feel like I was a part of the club right away. One of the members who stood out was a guy named Nelson. We
conversed for a little about sports, school, and religion, and he told me he was a Communications major. One
unique thing I found out was he worked as an intern, with my dad, at Badger basketball games. This helped me
understand that we were all connected somehow, whether it is through education or the belief of God.
The meeting started off with the whole club singing “Amazing Grace” and “I Can Only Imagine.” One young lady was
playing the piano while another young man was playing the guitar. The lights were turned off, and the only thing on
everybody’s mind was to put their emotions into the words of the song. The mood was incredible as it reminded me
of a church service back home. After singing, everybody split into groups of four to read over the gospel of Matthew
and the Acts of the Apostles from the Bible. We individually analyzed the passages for grammar and contextual
meaning and then discussed it with our groups. While it was wonderful being able to talk about Christianity for the
first time since coming to school, it was also a good time to get to know people outside of religion. One young lady I
enjoyed talking to was Denise. She told me that she is a sophomore who grew up in America, and came to UW-
Madison for their Rehab Psychology and Special Education Program. She is specifically majoring in Rehab
Psychology because she enjoys working with other people and loves having the feeling of making others’ lives better.
After getting to know everybody at our tables, the whole club joined in for a long prayer session and finished out the
meeting by singing some more spiritual songs.
After the meeting, I was lucky enough to sit down with one of the leaders of the club, Dorothy, and I learned some
interesting things about the club and Christianity worldwide. Several members of the club were international students
coming to UW-Madison from Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and even Brazil. Also, many of
the students, residing in America, have gone on international mission trips, so they have shared similar Christian
experiences. For the rest of the interview, we talked mostly about Christianity in China because that was what she
was most familiar with. She brought up some interesting points that the Christian church was not even legalized in
China until Mao Zedong died in 1976. Mao was the ruler of communist China from 1949 until his death, so the only
way to study Christianity was through “underground churches.” The definition is just like it seems where one person
would secretively host a group of Christians in their home. Today, the Chinese government still heavily monitors
Christian churches, but there are definitely noticeable improvements since the Zedong era. One way in which it has
improved is through the initiation of the Free Church movement. This movement states that there can be Christian
churches in China that are not regulated under government policy. One last thing I asked Dorothy about was how the
religious schedule compared in China and America. She said the masses and worship services are similar
because they typically are an hour long and occur on Sundays. On the contrary, the main difference is the reception of
communion during the service. In both countries, bread and wine is received to recognize the blood and body of
Christ but not on a weekly basis in China.
After spending a little more than two hours with the members of AAIV, I can say the experience had a positive impact
on me. Going into the meeting, I didn’t know how much of an effort I would have to make to fit in. After the meeting, I
realized that the members of the club didn’t judge me based on my origins, but they just wanted to make friends and
talk about the things we had in common. This is why I would classify this club as a community of interest rather than
a community of culture. Also, even though it has Asian American in the title, people of all origins and backgrounds are
free to join the club.
While the club had a positive impact on me personally, it also affected how I will study Christianity for my future years
at UW-Madison. I talked earlier about how I didn’t have the time to go to church in college, but I still wanted to pursue
some form of worship towards Christianity. This club was just what I was looking for because it reminded me of a
church service back home, especially with the singing and gospel readings. Also, it meets on campus for a couple
hours each week, so I wouldn’t have to find a ride to get to a Catholic church off campus. Most important, this
experience helped me look past origins and race and really focus on things that are important in my life like religion.
With that in mind, I will likely be joining the AAIV club for the Spring 2011 semester at UW-Madison, and I strongly
recommend this club for any UW-Madison student who is looking for a place to worship Christianity on campus.
conversed for a little about sports, school, and religion, and he told me he was a Communications major. One
unique thing I found out was he worked as an intern, with my dad, at Badger basketball games. This helped me
understand that we were all connected somehow, whether it is through education or the belief of God.
The meeting started off with the whole club singing “Amazing Grace” and “I Can Only Imagine.” One young lady was
playing the piano while another young man was playing the guitar. The lights were turned off, and the only thing on
everybody’s mind was to put their emotions into the words of the song. The mood was incredible as it reminded me
of a church service back home. After singing, everybody split into groups of four to read over the gospel of Matthew
and the Acts of the Apostles from the Bible. We individually analyzed the passages for grammar and contextual
meaning and then discussed it with our groups. While it was wonderful being able to talk about Christianity for the
first time since coming to school, it was also a good time to get to know people outside of religion. One young lady I
enjoyed talking to was Denise. She told me that she is a sophomore who grew up in America, and came to UW-
Madison for their Rehab Psychology and Special Education Program. She is specifically majoring in Rehab
Psychology because she enjoys working with other people and loves having the feeling of making others’ lives better.
After getting to know everybody at our tables, the whole club joined in for a long prayer session and finished out the
meeting by singing some more spiritual songs.
After the meeting, I was lucky enough to sit down with one of the leaders of the club, Dorothy, and I learned some
interesting things about the club and Christianity worldwide. Several members of the club were international students
coming to UW-Madison from Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and even Brazil. Also, many of
the students, residing in America, have gone on international mission trips, so they have shared similar Christian
experiences. For the rest of the interview, we talked mostly about Christianity in China because that was what she
was most familiar with. She brought up some interesting points that the Christian church was not even legalized in
China until Mao Zedong died in 1976. Mao was the ruler of communist China from 1949 until his death, so the only
way to study Christianity was through “underground churches.” The definition is just like it seems where one person
would secretively host a group of Christians in their home. Today, the Chinese government still heavily monitors
Christian churches, but there are definitely noticeable improvements since the Zedong era. One way in which it has
improved is through the initiation of the Free Church movement. This movement states that there can be Christian
churches in China that are not regulated under government policy. One last thing I asked Dorothy about was how the
religious schedule compared in China and America. She said the masses and worship services are similar
because they typically are an hour long and occur on Sundays. On the contrary, the main difference is the reception of
communion during the service. In both countries, bread and wine is received to recognize the blood and body of
Christ but not on a weekly basis in China.
After spending a little more than two hours with the members of AAIV, I can say the experience had a positive impact
on me. Going into the meeting, I didn’t know how much of an effort I would have to make to fit in. After the meeting, I
realized that the members of the club didn’t judge me based on my origins, but they just wanted to make friends and
talk about the things we had in common. This is why I would classify this club as a community of interest rather than
a community of culture. Also, even though it has Asian American in the title, people of all origins and backgrounds are
free to join the club.
While the club had a positive impact on me personally, it also affected how I will study Christianity for my future years
at UW-Madison. I talked earlier about how I didn’t have the time to go to church in college, but I still wanted to pursue
some form of worship towards Christianity. This club was just what I was looking for because it reminded me of a
church service back home, especially with the singing and gospel readings. Also, it meets on campus for a couple
hours each week, so I wouldn’t have to find a ride to get to a Catholic church off campus. Most important, this
experience helped me look past origins and race and really focus on things that are important in my life like religion.
With that in mind, I will likely be joining the AAIV club for the Spring 2011 semester at UW-Madison, and I strongly
recommend this club for any UW-Madison student who is looking for a place to worship Christianity on campus.
By Chad Albanese
As a child, I always considered myself a devout Christian. I
attended weekly masses and participated in education
classes to learn more about the religion. Also, I was
enrolled in a Catholic school for a portion of my life. When I
came to UW-Madison, most of that changed. The main
reason was the lack of time. I wanted to find a church or
bible study group in which I could attend Sunday masses
and study Christianity, but that was tough. With constant
educational studying throughout the week and attending the
Badger football games on Saturday, that doesn’t leave
much extra time for an average college student like myself.
Fortunately for me, I was given an opportunity to relive some
childhood memories. I am currently enrolled in an Asian
American studies course and participated in a service-
learning event as the main project. For my project, I
As a child, I always considered myself a devout Christian. I
attended weekly masses and participated in education
classes to learn more about the religion. Also, I was
enrolled in a Catholic school for a portion of my life. When I
came to UW-Madison, most of that changed. The main
reason was the lack of time. I wanted to find a church or
bible study group in which I could attend Sunday masses
and study Christianity, but that was tough. With constant
educational studying throughout the week and attending the
Badger football games on Saturday, that doesn’t leave
much extra time for an average college student like myself.
Fortunately for me, I was given an opportunity to relive some
childhood memories. I am currently enrolled in an Asian
American studies course and participated in a service-
learning event as the main project. For my project, I
(Above) Author (left) with Asian American Intervarsity
Club members; (Below) Chad and Denise
Club members; (Below) Chad and Denise
attended a group meeting for the Asian American Intervarsity (AAIV)
club at UW-Madison.
While walking over to the meeting, I knew it was an Asian American
event featuring Christianity as the main topic, but I really didn’t know
what else to expect. I kept wondering: is there going to be a lot of
people? Will anybody be nice enough to introduce themselves to
me? Will I still be accepted even though I am not an Asian
American? After searching through most of the building, I found
myself in a study lounge with couches, tables, a projector screen,
musical instruments, and about 40 people. One young lady was
handing out nametags, and she immediately introduced herself and
other members of the club. Everybody else was Asian American or
International, but the fact that everybody was so friendly, made me
club at UW-Madison.
While walking over to the meeting, I knew it was an Asian American
event featuring Christianity as the main topic, but I really didn’t know
what else to expect. I kept wondering: is there going to be a lot of
people? Will anybody be nice enough to introduce themselves to
me? Will I still be accepted even though I am not an Asian
American? After searching through most of the building, I found
myself in a study lounge with couches, tables, a projector screen,
musical instruments, and about 40 people. One young lady was
handing out nametags, and she immediately introduced herself and
other members of the club. Everybody else was Asian American or
International, but the fact that everybody was so friendly, made me