The Duster Today

Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Jeff Sammons Changes made to help "shape spiritual formation"

If you have been to chapel lately, you have noticed a few changes. A focus group that included faculty, staff and students recently reviewed what could be done to enhance chapel. The focus group developed the ideas and then a Chapel Advisory Committee, in which both faculty and staff are a part of, was formed to put into action the ideas from the focus group.

Kirk Hayes, a Bible professor at Lubbock Christian University, has been in charge of chapel over the past few years. He noted, "I'm still overseeing chapel, but utilizing thoughts from a larger group. It represents thinking from a diverse group on campus."

The major change that most students have observed is that the announcements on the screen are not being read aloud anymore. In the past, several minutes were necessary in order to read through all the announcements and it was during this time that people didn't always pay attention, but the Moody Auditorium was filled with the sound of talking. The reading of announcements, in the past, could sometimes become a time of distraction as students talked of homework and the latest gossip, or discussed the latest announcement that was just read by the announcer.

"Well, I'm going to feel out of the loop if they don't read the announcements to me in chapel!" You may be thinking this, but, don't worry. The announcements are still played on the screen before and after chapel for you to view; they are just not read aloud. Also, you can go to the LCU Portal, and the announcements are posted on there as well.

With the change in the reading of announcements, this results in more time and focus to be placed on singing praises to God and to the speaker's message for that day. Kirk Hayes further discussed the new format of chapel in which he said that we will "still have one-to-two days encouraging us (students) to be involved in serving, but also two-to-three days a week trying to be more effective and intentional in shaping spiritual formation."

Another result of the deletion of reading announcements, professor Hayes mentioned, is that chapel will generally get out about five minutes earlier every day! He said, "Chapel helps develop community," so this extra time should give students a better opportunity to stay after chapel and visit with one another. And, if you're like me, that is one of my favorite parts of the day, standing on the mall or sitting on the swing talking with friends before we have to head to class.

So, there are still announcements, there is just not a designated time set aside in chapel to read through all of them. The format has been changed a little, but now you understand the reasoning behind these changes: more focus on spiritual matters, campus involvement and community.

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