The Spiritual Unity Team at Mesa College is creating a space for students to share thoughts on spiritual concepts, to learn about different faiths and to serve the community alongside a group of companions. Group members gathered Oct. 30 to hear guest speaker Nancy Rank-Medina speak about the Baha’i Faith, an independent world religion.

When Richard Mattison and Nader Mehregani established the club, they were met by a body of students interested in exploring diverse beliefs and working towards creating a more unified community. Mattison and Mehregani invite guest speakers of different spiritual backgrounds to speak with students during meetings and help actualize the desire of group members to be of service.

Rank-Medina elaborated on three principles central to the Faith: the unity of God, the unity of religion and the unity of humanity. She spoke of the faith’s founder, Bahá’u’lláh, whose teachings express that all major world religions derive from one God, and that the purpose of religion is to bring together in harmony people of diverse backgrounds, races and faiths. The Baha’i Faith also emphasizes the importance of justice, a concept that drew Rank-Medina to the religion during her college years. After speaking, Rank-Medina opened up the floor to students who were eager to ask questions of her.

“There is a critical need for the young people of our generation to begin to speak more about spirituality and these taboo topics- to explore questions like: What is the purpose of life? What is the afterlife? But also, what is the importance of virtues and qualities, such as truthfulness, patience, or love?” Mehregani said. “However, none of these ideas truly make sense without their application in service to humanity. For otherwise, why is love important further than the extent of my close family and friends, if I’m not consciously and sincerely working for the betterment of the world and all its peoples?”

Mattison explained that service is a central component of the group’s mission.

“I feel like it’s kind of our responsibility, in a way… a lot of us are fortunate enough to have really comfortable situations, and with that comes the opportunity to get involved, to make differences and help the community that we live in… and help push us forward as a human race,” Mattison said.

Rocelle Llevares stated her own motivations for joining the club.

“I’ve always had an interest in different religions, and just the idea of diversity (and) coming together. I feel that the community can be a lot stronger with that kind of aspect. We celebrate our differences and our different cultural backgrounds and I think that’s what makes us unique as a club,” Llevares said. On the concept of spirituality, she stated, “It’s just the promise of becoming a better person, improving yourself and reaching your full potential.”

To facilitate the volunteer work the team aims to engage in, Mattison shared that the club has teamed up with the local parks and recreation department. Through this partnership, group members are free to volunteer their time as tutors or become involved in creative programs available to children in the community. Mesa students interested in joining the dialogue on spirituality and service can learn about future club meetings by observing posters on campus. Students can also keep in touch with the group’s activities by following them on Instagram @MesaUnityTeam.