The only people who go to youth groups are the perfect kids who never do anything wrong and who go to church every week and talk about God and what is happening in their lives. Many people think that this is a stereotype, but upon doing my research, I find that it is completely false. Although there may be children within this community, they do not represent it as a whole, they are only a small part of a larger group. When you look at a group of people, you categorize them based on how they look, behave, or talk. Gee says that to be recognized as part of a certain community, you must "talk the right way, but you also have to act and dress the right way" (p. 440). Even if people don't realize it, all of these factors add up to form speech communities. It's rare that people take the time to look deeper into these communities to better understand them. Christianity began over 2000 years ago with Jesus Christ and his disciples. Jesus traveled through villages preaching religion and teaching people the will of God. Jesus would eventually die for the sins of man, but three days later he would be resurrected and give hope to the world. Jesus became known as the messiah of the Christian religion as well as God's teacher. People continue to tell his stories and worship him today in what is known as Christianity. There are all sorts of different ways for people to come together to worship and praise God. One of the popular methods for teenagers is youth groups because it allows them to learn more about God, but in a modern and more fun way. As I walked into that darkness, The bright room filled, and around the corner I saw a group of teenagers standing with their hands in the air, singing songs I hadn't heard before. never heard before. O...... middle of paper ...... during the entire service I never felt out of place or that I wasn't welcome there. I felt like I was immediately accepted as one of them and had become friends with them all. All kinds of people participate in these groups and they are not just "gifts" and "church boys" like people seem to think, they are all simply people looking to express their views among their peers. When I first walked through those doors into that dark room with Connor, I was a little skeptical about what I was getting myself into, but coming out I had a whole new perspective on youth groups. Works Cited Aitken, Connor, personal interview, October 12. 2011Well, James P. “Tools of Inquiry and Discourse.” » Explore the language. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2009. 440-451. Print.Kennedy, Philip. Christianity: an introduction. New York: IB Tauris, 2011. Print.