Worship where you are: NGU Chapel offers alternatives to in-person service
Samantha Martin, Staff Writer
Students now have options to view chapel through livestream or to stream at a later time. (Photo courtesy of Unsplash)
COVID-19 has brought about a litany of changes to everyday life. For North Greenville students, one of the major changes is the way chapel looks. Chapel used to hold a majority of the student body for regular services on Mondays and Wednesdays with other special events sprinkled throughout the semester. Now, as part of the efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, and to protect students and faculty, the in-person audience has been limited to a capacity of 250 people (crew, student band and speakers not included).
Chapel remains a requirement for all NGU students, so the COVID-19 task force on campus had to find a solution that would meet all needs.
“We went back and forth on what that [Chapel] would look like,” said VP of Campus Ministries and Student Engagement, Jody Jennings.
The COVID-19 regulations released by Governor McMaster instituted that, “Attendance may not exceed 50% of the certificate of occupancy issued by the fire marshal – or 250 persons – whichever is less.” The smaller live audience is for safety reasons, but brings about a new set of challenges for the chapel media teams.
“There’s a lot fewer people in here [Turner Chapel]. To go from around 2,050-seat auditorium that’s almost full, down to 250 people, it’s a big difference. We have to be careful when getting camera shots because we don’t want it to look like an empty room,” said Director of Media Services, Eddie Fisher.
Though students can’t participate in person like normal, some are finding new ways to build community and worship together.
“The one thing that’s great to see is that even though students can’t be in the chapel, they are watching it together,” said Associate VP of Campus Ministries, Justin Brown.
Although the online option is not considered to be traditional, some students still feel that it is just as valuable.
Student worship may look different this year, but it is an important part of the North Greenville experience. (Photo courtesy of Unsplash)
“Worship has never been acceptable because where we are or how we feel; it’s acceptable through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and I would just like to encourage people in that,” sophomore Ramey Jenkins said.
North Greenville is doing everything they can to reach students with the messages brought to chapel; services are streamed live through the BoxCast archive, soundcloud, Facebook, the chapel app and over The Vibe (Vision radio).
“I think COVID-19 has caused us to think about our delivery system, how we engage students. We have to meet all our students where they are,” said Jennings.
The truth is, chapel may look different, but the sense of community persists for many.
“I do like being in person to worship, but when I watch with my friends and I feel like that’s helping to build community with my group of friends,” said Jenkins.
The question is, will things go back to “normal” after COVID-19 regulations are lifted? Will the changes made be erased when they are no longer deemed necessary? Do students feel that the changes made to abide by regulations are improvements, or are they ready to go back to what normal used to be?
“I would be interested in doing a survey of students and see what students liked during COVID,” said Brown.
Though some may feel that circumstances out of their control are turning this school year upside down, students can still move things for the better. It may be tough, but students can still take agency and make their year as good as it can be.
“We rely on students to engage in the experience. What will be received is dependent on what you put in,” said Jennings.
