Chapel requirement should be met with joy

Students at Vanguard University are required to go to thirty chapels a semester. That’s roughly two per week, and for whatever reason, two is too much for some.

Most of the people in chapel are genuinely interested in what is going on. Unfortunately, this is not always the case for the people who are doing homework or on social media.

The distracted students’ chapel experience can range from messing around on their phone, to doing homework, and sometimes even sleeping.

Chapels are provided for Vanguard students’s spiritual care. But yeah, it would be more beneficial if people were actually paying attention.

During these designated times–merely fifty minutes each–we should be giving all of our attention to the speakers and worshiping God.

Honestly, it is disrespectful not to give Him that time. In the busyness of life and the stress of the school week, this pause should be seen as  a blessing and a refresher, not a burden. 

I came to Vanguard knowing that students were required to attend chapels; it’s a fairly common understanding. We enter into this community with full knowledge of this expectation. 

And yet some people have so little time. If you are that busy, to where you can’t give your attention to who deserves it, there are two options.

Number one: just don’t come. You might be able to focus more outside. Instead of doing your homework in chapel, you could plan out what days you come to chapel and intentionally pay attention or find free time in your schedule to do your homework.

The second is to get your chapel requirements reduced. If you are that busy with those 18 units, two full time jobs, volunteering with your church, and whatever else people do these days, just go talk to the Spiritual Formation Department. They will give you some grace. They’re here to help you and do not want to see you struggle to get chapel credits. 

Chapel is meant to be a place where you can take a break from the outside world, worship our amazing loving God and hearing his good word.