By Cavan Burns | Reporter
With the arrival of the pandemic and the departure of Dr. Ryan Richardson, Baylor Chapel has introduced new changes this semester.
Every Baylor student is required to attend two semesters of Chapel, which — according to the Chapel website — seeks “to invite students into the worship, witness, wisdom and work of the Church as part of Baylor’s mission.”
“The pandemic created a lot of freedom to adapt, and we really felt strongly we needed to take bold steps with Chapel,” Dr. Burt Burleson, university chaplain and dean of Spiritual Life and Missions, said.
Dr. Ryan Richardson, called “Chapel Ryan” by Baylor students, was the associate chaplain and director of Worship & Chapel at Baylor for just over 15 years until his departure in August 2020. His wife, Kristen Richardson, was the associate chaplain and director of Pastoral Care at Baylor as well. Their family is now at Abilene Christian University, where Dr. Richardson serves as the associate vice president for Student Life.
Since the departure of the Richardson family, two positions were created, including director for Chapel and director for Campus Ministries and Church Connections.
Both positions have recently been filled. Rev. Dr. Erin Faith Moniz is the director for Chapel, and Dr. Charles Ramsey is the director for Campus Ministries and Church Connections.
Ramsey was most recently the director of Baptist Student Ministries at Baylor, and Monez was assistant chaplain at Berry College in Mount Berry, Ga.
Next year, there will be another option for Chapel, bringing the total to five options. Chapel Forum will be a way for students to “hear from a variety of speakers who are scholars and practitioners and have the opportunity to dialogue with them as well as with one another regarding the issues of the day.”
“I think part of the experience was being able to go in person,” Fort Meade, Md., junior Zach Baek said. “I do like, however, that there are different options, which cater to people’s interests.”
“The two [chapel options] that would’ve been, I think, the most helpful to me at that time, would be Chapel Forum, some form of Chapel Studies,” Burleson said. He remembered that when he came to Baylor, he had many questions. In Chapel Forum, “students are being invited to think about compelling social issues and theological ideas, but they’re learning how to talk about them.”
“I haven’t been this excited about something in a long time,” Burleson said.
