By Abigail Gan | Reporter
While every student at Baylor is required to take two semesters of Chapel, only a handful know what these services are like behind the scenes.
The Rev. Dr. Nick DiMauro, Chapel coordinator, said the culture of Chapel starts with its team.
“We have to have a fullness where we are so we can pour out,” DiMauro said.
When he came to Baylor in August 2021, DiMauro said there were no student workers in Chapel. Last semester, he had one student worker, and this semester, he has 10.
“They asked me to build a team, so that’s what I’ve been working on,” DiMauro said.
DiMauro said it’s important to pray over the hiring process for Chapel student workers because he wants to make sure he hires people who are walking with the Lord.
“If I have a sense that a person is going to be good in ministry, then that’s where I go,” DiMauro said. “After, I would like for them to be ready to serve in a church in some capacity.”
Houston freshman Annalyn Henry was enrolled in Robbins Chapel in Brooks College last semester. Henry said she offered to play piano for the services because they didn’t have a pianist; she had played piano in her home church for about five years and said she wanted to find an opportunity to do it at Baylor as well.
“Coming here, I really wanted to find a sort of leadership position that was similar because I really enjoyed doing that in church,” Henry said. “It really helped me grow in my faith.”
Henry said working in Chapel helped her find a Christian community.
“I have a strong body of believers to come to when I’m struggling or when you pray for something, and it’s genuinely been really amazing,” Henry said.
Nederland freshman and Chapel student worker Marley Scott met DiMauro and other staff members while enrolled in Chapel last semester. She said being on the team has shown her what family is like.
“It’s really hard for me to be vulnerable, so I like to just put on a face and have a fun time,” Scott said. “But I’ve actually been able to be vulnerable with them and find a community … and it’s nothing like ever before.”
Houston freshman Emma Barberena said she works closely with the Honors Residential College and is a worship leader for the services every Monday morning. She said she also works on the operation side for Chapel worship and occasionally plays percussion for Thursday services.
“Our job is to really make sure that the students are feeling acknowledged and enriched and that they’re understanding what Chapel worship is and how we bring different cultures and ethnicities and their ways of worship into Seventh and James,” Barberena said.
Barberena said serving on the Chapel team has given her the opportunity to see other students develop and grow.
“It’s been wonderful seeing the Lord work through students lives in that sense … revealing the opportunity that prayer presents and how you can find peace from it,” Barberena said. “You can see it working through the students as well — the way that they treat each other, the kindness and love that everybody shows for each other. You can see it in the way that we are a Chapel team.”
