Today, the whole family is loading up in the new party van and heading toward Abilene, TX. I am attending the Math and Science Centennial Conference at ACU, a part of their celebration of 100 years for the institution. It should be fun revisiting old professors and friends. I will also be delivering a short talk covering my thesis research. I think that the thing I am anticipating the most is attending Chapel on Friday.
I always had mixed feelings about Chapel. On one hand, it is great for the whole student body to assemble everyday to pause for reflection and praise. On the other hand, too many people acted disrepectfully and disruptively raising a black cloud over the affair. I recall several instances when Wayne Barnard (at that time, dean of students who presided over Chapel) had to reprimand the entire assembly while the speaker struggled to address us over the noise. What a shameful way for a group of college "adults" to behave. Despite those distasteful attributes, most of my memories of Chapel are fond and I look forward to returning. I remember one time we had bats loose in the stadium. They kept flying around and freaking out the people who sat in the upper seats near the ceiling (generally, where the loudest people sat). Mostly, I remember singing. It is always amazing to hear 3000 people sing "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" in perfect harmony.
Do you have any particularly strong memories of Chapel? Good or bad, leave a comment.
Wow, things changed a lot in chapel since I was in college. Chapel was mandatory and attendance was taken via camera. Of course, there were some who didn’t want to be there, but generally people were quiet and respectful. There were always some who talked, but never disruptively! We had assigned seating, not free seating and that may be the difference. I never sat near anybody that I knew well enough to carry on a conversation with!
I do remember the singing. It was always great, and you know I love to sing. We had some really gifted student speakers also. Many of them are currently well known ministers or professors at ACU. It was always an enjoyable break in the day for me.
Oh my goodness….we had bats in Chapel my sophomore year! It was awful! And yes, it was still the same 2001-2004 (I didn’t have to go to chapel my senior year because I wasn’t taking 12 hours), Wayne Barnard reprimanding people for being too loud, standing up on stage and just stopping talking until everyone was quiet. One day a guy started freaking out and standing up and yelling about how stupid and oppressive chapel was…it really annoyed me. He had to be escorted out by campus security.
I loved Chapel freshman year – a time to come together, sing some songs, hear a speaker (some good, some bad), and see different aspects of the ACU community. Then my sophomore year, they changed it and went total chapel-nazi on us. Friday praise days were moved, you went to a different place nearly every day for different kinds of breakout chapels, there were NO performances from any on-campus groups allowed…basically ruined the community aspect of chapel. It got so bad that my senior year when I didn’t have to go, I said I’d go when I started missing it. I’ve never been back because the last 2 years got so horrible that chapel has been completely ruined in my memory.