Let me start by addressing the elephant in the room. Yes, I don’t wear pants because I’m Pentecostal. Now, you may be asking yourself, “What the heck is a Pentecostal?” Well, Pentecostalism is essentially a denomination of Christianity. According to the United Pentecostal Church International’s website, it’s one of the fastest growing church organizations since being formed in 1945. Additionally, there are about 5.5 million members worldwide as stated by the UPCI. Much like Baptists, Methodists and Catholics, we have our own set of rules, so to speak. Being a Pentecostal means you believe in the Oneness of God. Additionally, you focus heavily on the Holy Ghost and the effects of the presence of God.
Now that I’ve explained that, I want to discuss my experience as a Pentecostal woman in college, and why being Pentecostal is important to me. Specifically, I’ll be talking about the way I dress, how I balance everything in my life, and why it’s important for me to live the Pentecostal life.
First, I want to talk about my experience on campus. To me, Tyler Junior College is a very diverse campus. There’s so many different types of people, so I don’t stick out in my opinion. I can’t say the same for everyone, but I do usually tend to focus on getting to the next class and what homework I’m going to try to get done. With that being said, I don’t see many Pentecostal women on campus, so that is one thing that makes my experience different from the average person.
Secondly, the way I dress. Pentecostal women tend to dress modestly. We don’t wear pants or anything that’s going to show a lot. Instead, we wear long dresses, skirts and shirts that have longer sleeves. This is something I didn’t do until recently, but I’ve recently learned the importance of dressing modestly. For me, it’s a reminder that I am special, and I don’t need to show myself off to everyone. I’ve also realized that I get a lot less unwanted attention from people now that I dress this way.
Next, how do I balance everything in my life? I will say it’s not easy. I’m involved in school, work, church and extracurriculars. It is a lot to balance, but the important thing for me is reminding myself not to stress about everything all at once. I try to set attainable goals, and I try to make time for relaxation. Additionally, I plan plan plan. An example would be that if I had an assignment due on Thursday, I would plan to get it done by Monday, but if it’s not done by Monday I’m not stressing because I gave myself a cushion.
My last point is, why is being Pentecostal important to me? Before coming into Christianity at all, I struggled with terrible feelings. I always felt like I was alone, and I felt like I was never good enough. Now that I am Pentecostal, I’m able to recognize that God will always be with me, so I am never alone. I am also able to recognize that I am good enough because I was made as I am. Basically, I’m saying that my religion has changed my mental health for the better.
Disclaimer: This is a column about my experiences as a Pentecostal woman in college. This article is coming from my point of view, and other people may not have the same experiences as me.
