By Piper Rutherford | Staff Writer
Baylor Spiritual Life is currently offering students a quiz to help them navigate possible options to fulfill their Chapel requirement.
The quiz went live last week and features questions that revolve around students’ interests, majors and locations on campus. It is intended to help them find a Chapel that is not only best suited for their spiritual journey and class schedule, but can also assist them in finding community.
Dr. Charles Ramsey, director of campus ministries and church connections, said Baylor Spiritual Life is committed to listening to students. After receiving suggestions from students and faculty over the last few years about how to improve the required Chapel experience, the department enlisted the help of Baylor business professors to create a quiz.
“It is important that we are responsive to our students, who can greatly benefit from Chapel,” Ramsey said. “Chapel provides a dedicated time each week where you have to press pause, even if just for a few minutes, and turn your attention to greater things — where you can meet with God, give and receive with those around you, and, most importantly, grow as people during these crucial years of college.”
Ramsey said that based on their quiz results, students will be presented with a short list of Chapel options to choose from. That way, they are not alone in figuring out where to start.
“There is a lot of confusion with choosing from the extensive list of Chapel options at Baylor that offer different venues, different styles of worship, and start at 7 [a.m.], and go until 10 [p.m.],” Ramsey said. “It is no surprise that many students find themselves overwhelmed and asking, ‘Should I do Chapel worship, where it mirrors that of a church service with a preacher? Or sign up for Chapel prayers, which are four times a week, for 15 minutes at a time? Or do something related to my major, like Faith in Business, Faith and Engineering or Faith in the Theater Arts?’”
Dr. Nick DiMauro, senior Chapel coordinator, described University Chapel Worship as a 400-student multicultural worship service that features hymns in different languages and various guest speakers. He said he enjoys his role in mentorship the most.
“I work with our peer ministry team and student workers who have that desire to see what pastoral care looks like or how a service is run,” DiMauro said. “As for the anticipated discernment group, we plan to meet together and provide people a chance to share the decisions and choices they have to make that might be weighing heavy on their mind, by providing not only a safe place to share, but to also give basic biblical principles, offer up prayers for one another and support one another — since we, as humans, were never meant to walk alone.”
DiMauro said he hopes other students see the work of peer ministers and know that the culture of Chapel is one of true acceptance.
“Everyone on our team truly cares for one another,” DiMauro said. “We have become a family, which is the same feeling we are trying to build in Chapel by fostering a warm and welcoming community. And that all starts with the Chapel worship team.”
Ramsey said finding the right Chapel is the perfect avenue for finding community. He said research shows that the spiritual journey was never meant to be an individual one.
“Finding your people is a huge part of the Baylor experience, which will help you live better, study better and thrive,” Ramsey said. “Thousands of people at Baylor can relate to the stressor of trying to identify who their people are, especially freshmen, and where they can find them, which is a stress that can be relieved by, for example, getting to find a Chapel in your residence hall where you can spend more time with people who you live close by to and will see on a daily basis — to make faith a more integral part of your daily conversation.”
