With barbecues, pool tables and Ping-Pong tournaments to name a few of the activities at the Long Beach North Institute of Religion, they hope to share thoughts and ideas based on Christian values in classes offered every week that Elder Paniagua teaches both in-person and online.
This institute of religion is funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but Paniagua considers it to be more of a support system to help young students as they go through college.
This center of religion provides free parking for LBCC students, where all they ask for in return is to sign up for their ‘lunch-in’ and they can use parking, at no extra charge for food or parking.
During the ‘lunch-in’, they provide an environment where students can socialize while eating free food from either the cook-offs or barbecues, along with spaghetti or chicken quesadillas.
Typically at the institute, there are several scripture-based classes where they teach the old testament, new testament, modern revelation and teachings of the prophets.
The classes being offered can benefit students who choose to be part of the Brigham Young University program, as their courses are transferable to the institution.
The institute is meant to support those students that don’t go directly to BYU, but instead go to a community college first.
“This is more of a satellite for the BYU pathway program, so we’re kind of a school. So if students want to take classes (here), they can transfer to BYU,” Paniagua said.
A secondary focus they have is bringing in missionaries that go over to the Liberal Arts Campus, where they place a white board next to them and ask students to write answers to questions, such as ‘Who is your hero?’
The intent behind this is to start a conversation with students, getting to know them and possibly getting them to come to Christ and read the scriptures with the missionaries.
“We’ve been able to bring a handful of good people and are trying to set up a time to meet with them and have them go over into our class in the institute,” Chase Black said, a missionary from this institute.
A majority of LBCC students who have gone to visit the institute are athletes from the athletics department. Some of them being the track and field team girls.
As missionaries, women serve for 18 months and men for two years.
Paniagua believes it is a very meaningful experience, as missionaries are sent to locations like South America or Europe to preach the gospel.
“Think about it, 19 year olds leaving everything behind and being in a different country not knowing the language and having to learn the language, its a life changing experience,” Paniagua said.
The courses provided at the Long Beach North Institute of Religion are held weekly on Monday-Wednesday 12:00pm-12:50pm on zoom, as well as in person on Monday 10:00am-11:30am and Wednesday/Thursdays 7:30pm-8:00pm.