Amidst the class bells, lunch lines, lectures, and quizzes, students have the chance to set aside their busy schedules and focus on God through chapel hour. Four days a week, Pensacola Christian College students gather in the Crowne Centre to sing uplifting songs and to hear from a variety of speakers. Ruth Uhl (Advertising/Public Relations ’08, M.S. ’12) said, “While at college I was growing academically, and through chapel, the messages allowed me to grow spiritually.”
Clay Cox, a sophomore from Michigan, said, “Without chapel, my weeks would be much more difficult. I need chapel not only to hear from the Lord, but to get a time to sit and not worry about class.”
No matter their majors or fields of study, students are encouraged through chapel to stay grounded in God’s Word and focused on their relationship with Him. Dr. Dave Young (Evangelism ’92), an evangelist and frequent chapel speaker, recalled the influence that chapel had on his life as a student. “It has been more than a few years since I was a student sitting in chapel,” he said, “but I can still read passages of scripture and be reminded of truths I learned from the incredible variety of speakers we had.”
Often, guest speakers spend time getting to know students around campus. Dr. John Ray, a pastor in Indianapolis, IN, has been speaking in chapel for over ten years. During his visits, he takes students’ prayer requests, committing to pray for each one by name for an entire year. Over the years, Dr. Ray has heard back from many of the students he has prayed for and is constantly amazed to see how God continues to work through their lives. “My greatest burden is the reality that life in the twenty-first century is truly difficult for these students,” he said. “My heart aches for them as I see their great desire to serve and yet a weight on their souls.”
Once college days have ended, a new chapter in life will start. But the chapel messages that students have heard and applied to their lives will continue to influence future generations. Dr. Young said, “The opportunity for spiritual growth that is afforded by hearing the Word of God preached every day will likely be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”