By Abigail Gan | Reporter
Not every Chapel service at Baylor involves a large-group meeting at Seventh and James Baptist Church.
When the Rev. Dr. Erin Moniz became director of Chapel in 2021, the Office of Spiritual Life had a vision of Chapel expanding to meet the needs of a more diverse student population. One of the ways it is doing so is “Callings and Career Chapels.”
“The way the Chapel model exists now is we’ve really focused on where students are already finding themselves at Baylor,” Moniz said. “Where are they already naturally gathering?”
Moniz said the goal is for Chapel to become integrated in the student experience, allowing students to view spiritual formation as part of what they’re here to do in college.
“[For business students,] let’s have a chapel that … [asks] about, what does it mean to be a Christian in the world, doing industry and doing business?” Moniz said. “Does that matter? Is it different? How should we think about that? A lot of it’s focused on vocational discernment.”
Moniz said there are multiple Callings and Career Chapels, including for people interested in the healing, business and arts professions. She said they plan on expanding the options to encompass a wider spectrum of majors and interests.
Rev. Matthew Aughtry, assistant director for ministry in the arts, took the lead in the faith and arts Chapels because of his background in filmmaking. He said art can follow the biblical story of creation, fall, sacrifice, redemption and forgiveness.
“The beauty of the Gospel is that when you speak it across cultures … it resonates,” Aughtry said. “And I think that’s what I’m trying to do in all the faith and arts options, is find something that resonates with the art-making process, with the storytelling process.”
Longview freshman Ian Dunnahoo, who was enrolled in faith and arts last semester and is currently enrolled in faith and filmmaking, said he enjoyed his experience in Chapel and the ability to meet other arts majors.
“I remember speaking with my roommate because he was in Chapel as well,” Dunnahoo said. “And he didn’t necessarily enjoy his Chapel very much. I thought it was very different to my experience, because I always look forward to going.”
Aughtry said faith and arts uses a book entitled “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron.
“[Faith and arts] opened my eyes to not just art in the Christian tradition, but art in general being a very spiritual thing,” Dunnahoo said.
Aughtry said it’s important to implement various Christian practices into every Chapel, whether worship or vocational. On some days, he said students would be given supplies and an hour to create something, preferably outside their medium. Aughtry said there was only one rule in this activity.
“Don’t do any of this work out of a desire, out of a felt need to prove yourself or your worth, because often art gets tied up into, ‘This is who I am, and I am as good as my last song or my last movie,’” Aughtry said.
Aughtry said art should have a sense of playfulness and tie into creation.
“God doesn’t need creation,” Aughtry said. “God’s not trying to prove his worth. Through creating, God is just joyfully creating.”
Aughtry said for students who aren’t religious yet, he wants them “to realize that the faith has treasures for them, that can equip and resource them to be better.”
San Antonio freshman Megan Hart, who was enrolled in faith and arts last semester, said it helped ease some of her fears and solidify her vocation.
“Realizing that God really can work through art, and He’s an artist himself, so why can’t you work through your own art?” Hart said. “It really gave me a lot of peace about what I’m doing.”
Hart said she learned a lot about the relationship between art and spirituality.
“God is the greatest Creator, and God is the greatest artist Himself,” Hart said. “A lot of times, I feel like arts and Christianity and faith can be very separate. But realizing that God created the world, and if you’re considering the world as its own art form, that makes Him the greatest artist.”
