Sorry, The Rampage does not support Internet Explorer.
Internet Explorer presents security concerns, and is no longer supported—even by Microsoft. Please download a modern browser such as:
Question of the Week

Question of the Week: Changes to Chapel Services

by Sahara Brewster
Communications & Graphic Communications • 2020

Throughout the last few years, Bluefield College students have seen many changes made to programming for weekly chapel services. This semester, chapel services are featuring BC faculty speakers. We asked students, “What is your opinion of the changes being made to chapel programming this year?” 

Samuel Kimzey

“One thing I appreciate about chapel is the way it functions as a time for much of the campus community to take a short break from the busy things of each week and come together for a common purpose. I value that sense of unity experienced in chapel. I also appreciate the chance to hear from some of our faculty members, particularly those with a ministerial background, such as Dr. [Tracey] Stout this semester, and to see the role that their faith plays in their daily lives. I would say the primary area that chapel has room to grow is in the realm of consistency, seeing as most of the services are not connected to one another with a definitive theme or with the guidelines of a specific passage or series. I would also venture to suggest that some of the chapel speakers have been perhaps more inclined to address social issues than I believe the position warrants.” – Samuel Kimzey, senior Christian studies and history major

Randy Rombow

“I love the chapel services this semester. It’s more interactive with students. The worship is deeper and sounds amazing.”

– Randy Rombow, Christian studies major
Jacob Webster

“I feel as if chapel has digressed to the point where we have traded our values on reverence for the Word of God to wanting people to feel comfortable and attempt to evoke emotions. We have gone from having local pastors where students can get connected to a local church to trying to have a more diverse speaker line-up that at times [has] caused students who bring their Bible to not even need them. As someone who is pursuing his call to ministry, many of my peers and I feel like the chapel programming this semester has severely impacted the attitude we have toward chapel. Ideally, we would love to go to chapel every Wednesday to hear the Word of the Lord being preached, but realistically we sometimes dread it because we know it’ll be a shallow message. I think a good diversity in speakers and depth of message is appropriate, but it’s almost like every week it’s the same type of surface material being presented to the students when so many students crave something meaningful which can only be found in Jesus Christ – not feel-good mottos, not believing in yourself, and not evoking emotions rather than the Holy Spirit’s guidance.” – Jacob Webster, senior Christian studies major

Adrina Brown-Duncan

“I think that chapel has become more intimate, but I feel that the services are geared toward those who have not received Christ yet.”

– Adrina Brown-Duncan, criminal justice major
Christen Brewster

“Personally, I like having the faculty speakers more. The diversity keeps me more interested, and I feel like their stories are more engaging and relatable with the students. So far, it has kept me more engaged than previous chapels in the other format.” – Christen Brewster, business management major

How do you feel about the changes to Chapel services? Let us know you’re thoughts.

Write an Opinion

Close Magazine