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Alive! News
We Couldn’t Do It Without You!
The members of the Chapel staff would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all who have served at the Chapel throughout this school year. It is our goal each year to provide students with the experiences you need to become leaders in the church and in the world. As a result, there’s no place in Chapel life where students are not involved, planning and making decisions. A big, big thank you to everyone who has been a part of the Chapel’s ministries this year! We hope it has been a great experience for you and that you’ve been blessed by your service. To those who are graduating, be assured that you have made a difference here and will be missed. May God’s blessings go with you! Please come back and visit as often as you can.
Ushers for Commencement!
You are needed to work as an usher to assist at VU’s commencement Sunday, May 18th, from 8:15 a.m. to approximately 3:30 p.m. You get paid and a box lunch will be provided! The ushers will also be asked to attend a meeting at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 16. If you are interested in helping out, contact Barbara.Hoover@valpo.edu.
Chapel Summer worship begins May 25
Our summer worship schedule at the Chapel begins Sunday, May 25. That’s the day we go to one service (8:30 a.m.) and one location (Gloria Christi). If you will be on campus this summer, please join us!
Mark Your Calendar
Mark your August 2008 calendar for a history-making event. Plan on being on campus Sunday, Aug. 31st, for the 150th Anniversary Campus Kick off. We’ll have a festival worship service on the chapel lawn at 11 a.m. that day, with music provided by Lost and Found. Then stay for fabulous food, games, music and more. Watch for your on-line invitation and more information as VU prepares to commemorate 150 years of scholarship, freedom and faith.
$3,294 for Hilltop!
You did it! You donated $3,294 of unused meal card money to purchase food for the Hilltop Food Pantry. If you’re available and would like help to deliver the food to Hilltop on Tuesday the 13th, please contact Hannah.Cartwright@valpo.edu.
Bag a Bargain at Saturday Sale
SALT will be holding a Rummage Sale Saturday, May 10, from 8 a.m. to noon in Parking Lot 15 (the big lot by Huegli Hall). Come check out SALT’s super awesome rummage sale and find a great bargain! All proceeds go to benefit the Valparaiso International Center.
Want a really great bargain? Come early. Then come back at 11 a.m. for the bag sale – yes, everything you can fit in a grocery bag for just a buck!
Come to Chapel During Finals at 10 and Hear Seniors, Pastoral Candidates
Remember that for Morning Prayer during finals (May 8-13) our start time switches to 10 a.m., although we will remain in the Main Chapel rather than move to Gloria Christi this year. Each day will include a homily. Our four senior Morning Prayer worship leaders will offer some parting thoughts in a combined homily on Monday, May 12th. We also have the opportunity to hear a homily from each of the final three candidates for the position of the Chapel’s new Associate Pastor. As part of the search process, the committee has invited Rev. Erma Wolf to speak Thursday, May 8; Rev. Callista Isabelle to speak Friday, May 9; and Rev. Charlene Cox to speak Tuesday, May 13, during the 10 a.m. Morning Prayer services.
Another Successful WRC!
SALT is excited to announce that we have not only met the World Relief Campaign goal this year, but surpassed it by about $1,500! We have raised $13,200, which exceeds our promise to Indonesia of $11,650. This money will purchase books, music, snacks, computers, and other educational materials for a Child Creativity Center in Jakarta, Indonesia. SALT would like to extend a big thanks to everyone who helped to make this campaign a success! Keep the Center in your prayers this summer and keep your eyes open for other projects that could use funding from the 2009 World Relief Campaign.
Morning Prayer Finals Schedule
Finals are nearly here! Remember that Morning Prayer at the Chapel changes to a different time during finals. Although we still meet at 11:15 a.m. on Reading Day, Morning Prayer switches to 10 a.m. May 8. Come each day and hear our senior Morning Prayer worship leaders, Claire Rueffer, Nile Sandeen, Blake Scalet and Heather Wickstrom, offer some final thoughts.
Also, at the request of our Morning Prayer staff, we will remain in the Main Chapel rather than move to Gloria Christi during finals.
Another Day of Caring!
The inaugural VU Day of Caring was a huge success, with more than 150 VU students, faculty and staff volunteering their time to benefit the community. Because of that, the Office of Volunteer Programs along with United Way of Porter County will be hosting the second annual VU Day of Caring Saturday, Sept. 20. That sounds like a long way off, but groups are forming now to sign up for a project when the projects “go live” May 1st on the Day of Caring website. If your group is interested in a project that requires no supplies and is located close to campus, act now to choose that project. Sign up your group by visiting www.dayofcaringpc.org or by stopping in at the Office of Volunteer Programs (Union 407).
Dr. Brugh’s Work Recognized
Congratulations to Dr. Lorraine Brugh, chapel music director and university organist, who was one of 15 faculty members recognized during the annual Valpo Authors Reception for National Library Week. Dr. Brugh, a Kruse organ fellow, co-authored The Sunday Assembly: Worshiping Together with Gordon Lathrop, published in 2007 by Augsburg Fortress Publishers.
Easy Money for the Summer
The Chapel is in need of people to serve as sound techs over the summer for weddings and other events, and/or for next school year. A training session will be held Sunday, May 4, at 6 p.m. for anyone interested. Contact Elliott.Stephenson@valpo.edu if you want to know more.
Work at the Chapel in ’08-09!
If you’ve ever thought you’d enjoy leading Morning Prayer, acolyting, ushering, helping to set up Celebrate!, or being a residential minister, your opportunity is here! These are just a few of the many chapel positions available for next school year.
Pick up a form from the table in the back of the Chapel or in the Chapel office. The forms will tell you which jobs are available, but don’t hesitate to ask Pastor Cunningham, Pastor Jim, or any other chapel staff member what each job entails. We would be happy to tell you about them.
Don't wait! The forms are due in the Chapel office by Friday, May 2.
Could you be a Residential Minister?
Residential Ministry is a service of the Chapel of the Resurrection designed to provide peer ministry to those living in the residence halls of Valparaiso University. Residential Ministers function as expressions of Christian care on behalf of the University Pastors and as ambassadors of the varied opportunities for worship and spiritual growth at the Chapel and across the Valpo campus.
Residential Ministers receive peer ministry training and participate in weekly study and review with the whole Res Min team under the guidance of one of the University Pastors. Peer ministry training involves work in the skill areas of confidentiality, listening, counseling vs. giving advice, attendance to those in mourning, dealing with feelings of guilt or failure, assertiveness and others.
Residential Ministers are familiar with the offerings of the Chapel and are able to help students connect with the Chapel's ministries.
Residential Ministers are trained to provide first response pastoral counsel and support and can be counted on to encourage students in need to seek additional help from one of the University Pastors or another pastor in the community.
In the freshmen halls, a team of three residential ministers works to create a college-level youth group-like experience for freshmen, featuring small group Bible studies, group-building social activities and service opportunities. In addition, these residential ministers make efforts at intentional contact with the freshmen as they see them on campus and they make themselves available for casual conversation in the residence halls.
In upper class halls, residential ministers either live in the hall itself or make a commitment to spend much of their unstructured time in the hall in order to make themselves available for students in need. Residential ministers will be initiating conversations throughout the hall in an effort to keep up with what's available in the hall in terms of Bible study and prayer groups and to make themselves visible as a trusted spiritual resource. As opportunities present themselves residential ministers will plan small group Bible study and prayer groups and arrange for other events in an effort to support the spiritual lives of the residents. Residential ministers will make themselves available in the residence hall for casual conversation on spiritual matters.
If you think God is calling you to residential ministry for the ‘08-09 school year, please email Pr. Jim at james.wetzstein@valpo.edu
Let’s Fill These Boxes!
Donate your used cell phones to support Gloria Dei’s Hispanic mission and the new Northwest Indiana Hispanic Mission Society. There is a box in the social justice nook by Grinders on the First Floor of the Library!
Or get those fingers knitting! There is a box ready to be filled with warm scarves and gloves to go to the shelter in town for those remaining brisk days of early spring!
Chapel Pastoral Staff to Expand
The ministry of the chapel will soon be enhanced by the addition of a third member to the pastoral staff. A pastoral search committee, appointed by President Alan F. Harre and chaired by Pastor Joseph Cunningham, is currently narrowing down a list of candidates for phone interviews. Once those interviews are concluded the committee will identify three candidates who then will be invited to visit the campus to meet students, faculty and staff. The search committee will then make its recommendation to President Harre for final approval.
The long range vision of the chapel’s ministry recommended an additional staff member representing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), to the staff of the chapel. It was later determined that an ordained woman would best serve ministry needs. Potential donors were invited to consider this proposal. With the encouragement of President Harre and the staff of the Office of Institutional Advancement, an endowment has been established to fund this new position.
Our new pastor will be in place well before the next academic year. She will be primarily responsible for Residential Ministry and share in the many other facets of chapel ministry including our worship life.
Members of the Search Committee are: Pastor J.R. Cunningham, dean of the Chapel of the Resurrection; Dr. Dorothy Bass, director of the Valparaiso Project on the Education and Formation of People in Faith; Dr. Fred Niedner, professor of theology; Nicole Koehler, student; Matt McCuen, student; Beth Olejniczak, director of the Virtual Nursing Learning Center; Dr. John Stephen Paul, director of the Lilly Fellows Program and professor of theater; and Lisa Polito, director of the Lutheran Deaconess Association. Ex officio members are: Dr. Lorraine Brugh, director of Chapel Music, and Associate University Pastor James Wetzstein.
WRC Donations
Donate to the World Relief Campaign online at http://www.valpo.edu/chapel/saltwrc.php, or send donations to the Chapel c/o Barbara Hoover, 1600 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383. Checks may be made payable to Valparaiso University with “EdJakarta” in the memo line.
Making a Difference for Kids
SALT’s fund-raising efforts for the annual World Relief Campaign have begun! This year’s WRC is “EdJakarta: Imagination in Session,” and it benefits the Child Creativity Center in Jakarta, Indonesia. The focus of the center is on the vulnerable street children of Jakarta, who would otherwise have no real educational opportunities. In addition, the center will serve children whose schools do not incorporate much creativity into the lessons. Check out information on it in the back of the Chapel. Have you gotten your EdJakarta keychain yet?
Houston, We Have a Problem
Due to technical difficulties, the Chapel has been unable to add any updates to the sermon and homily podcasts since January. However, they are still being recorded and as soon as the problems are resolved we will let you know. In the meantime, you can check out dozens of sermons and homilies from the fall semester by going to http://blogs.valpo.edu/chapelpodcast/
New at the Chapel!
Have you been to the Chapel for Morning Prayer on a Monday or Tuesday recently? Two new services, compiled by a team of church music students and Dr. Lorraine Brugh, are being offered each week at 11:15 to 11:35 a.m. now and throughout the season of Easter.
Monday’s new service features global music, such as music from the African-American tradition, calypso style, Spanish song, music of the Iona Community in Scotland, and music from Africa.
Tuesdays offer a contemplative service that incorporates music from the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Presbyterian traditions, as well as music from the Iona and Taizé communities.
In addition to the new Monday and Tuesday liturgies, the Morning Prayer schedule includes a traditional matins service on Wednesdays, a homily service on Thursdays, and a contemporary praise service on Fridays. Come, check it out!
Chapel Podcasts
Did you know that all of the chapel’s sermons as well as the homilies given on Thursdays are recorded and turned into podcasts? Let’s say you missed a service and really wanted to hear that day’s particular speaker. Better yet, you came away from the chapel inspired but while you were trying to explain to your friend what you heard, you could not find the right words? Check out our podcast! Podcasts are being added each week. You can find them on the right side of this webpage!
Prayer Books Available Now!
Students may pick up a complimentary copy of the Valpo Prayer Book, Our Hope for Years to Come, at the Chapel or the Guild office in Loke Hall. The book is a tool for students to connect our campus experience with spiritual teachings. Funds for the printing of this book come from the VU Guild.
What are you doing next Sunday?
The Chapel is currently looking for students to be ushers
for this school year. Ushers at the chapel assist people in feeling comfortable during the worship service. They welcome worshipers entering the chapel and give them bulletins, they take the offering, assist people during communion by letting them know the proper time to come up, and straighten up the chapel for the next worship service. There is a need for ushers both at the 8:30 and 10:30 services each Sunday!
Please email ty.doering@valpo.edu if you are interested in helping create a positive, comfortable environment for worshipers by being an usher at the Chapel of the Resurrection this year.
Other chapel-related groups that could still use a hand this year are: The Altar Guild, (it’s like being on the crew for a play, only it’s church) or Acolytes (the people that carry the cross and play with fire).
Go to the “Alive … on Facebook” page for links that will take you to them and give you more information. Or, if it’s more convenient … to volunteer to acolyte during the 10:30 services, send an email to: Ruth.MobergFoster@valpo.edu and let Ruth know which services you are available and any activities that may conflict. Acolytes for the 8:30 services should contact Catherine.Jackson@valpo.edu. To get in touch with someone about serving on the altar guild, email the Altar Care Chair, colleen.tichich@valpo.edu.
Hungry for daily spiritual nourishment?
Sure, you’re here at Valpo to get an education. You expect to grow intellectually and socially, but what about spiritually?
Along with Sunday services, Morning Prayer at the Chapel offers every student the opportunity to strengthen their faith through daily interaction with the Chapel community.
Some of the worship may be familiar to you, while some of it may not be as familiar. We would encourage you to attend each day, to get the full flavor of what the Chapel has to offer. In the past, much emphasis was put on the differences between the services each day. The differences were thought to have caused a division among the Chapel as a worshipping community. As one person put it, “it feels like there are five different congregations.”
To address this concern, while at the same time preserving many of the well-loved “flavors” of the day, this year’s Morning Prayer Staff decided to use the Order of Morning Prayer as a “template” for each day. This way there is greater uniformity among the worship services. Tuesday, however, will still remain a more contemplative time, Thursdays will include a homily, and Fridays will continue to feature our praise band and a drama.
We encourage you to stop in at the Chapel at 11:15 and see how each day’s service “feels” to you this year. It’s a great time to receive some spiritual nourishment to get you through the challenges of your day!
Growing As a Whole Person through Chapel
A new school year is full of challenges! You will hear things throughout the year that will cause you to think twice … and you will grow as a person.
As a university chapel, we encourage you to open your mind and your senses to what you will experience in worship, too. Some amazing things happen here! If you take the opportunity to come to Morning Prayer each day of the week during Chapel Break (11:15 to 11:35), you will see and hear some new things.
Worship at the chapel draws upon the gifts of Christians across the centuries and around the world. Students, pastors and other members of the University community bring their best as an offering to shape each worship service through music and art, proclamation and prayer.
How many times have you made a pledge to spend more time reading the Bible? This year, just attending Morning Prayer can help you not just achieve this goal but also have a deeper understanding of the multiple layers of scripture and the interrelatedness of biblical stories.
In the past, the scriptural readings used in Morning Prayer were all repeated from the preceding Sunday. This year, we will be using a new daily lectionary, in which we will spend Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday reading Scripture related to the readings from the preceding Sunday, while on Thursday and Friday we’ll be reading texts that look forward to the readings to come the next Sunday. What this means is we will be reading parts of the Bible that not been highlighted during Chapel in the past, but which are related by topic or theme to the lessons with which we’re probably quite familiar.
Additions
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