Chapels constitute an important part of the traditional undergraduate Greenville University experience. As the only all college gathering, chapel helps unite and spiritually strengthen the Greenville University Community through distinctively Christian programming. We seek to help equip the College Community to live out their Christian faith in all settings and circumstances of life, strengthen community ties, allow persons the opportunity to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ through confession of sin and profession of faith, and integrate important social, moral,  intellectual, and political issues in a Christian faith and learning  context.

 

  • Held five times a week, chapel provides opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to:
  • Become informed about campus events.
  • Rejoice in the achievements and share in the joys of other members of the community.
  • Participate in worship together.
  • Hear the public reading of Scripture.
  • Affirm the existence of a caring, loving, praying body of believers in Jesus Christ who, collectively, constitute an effective and powerful resource for people both within and without our community who experience either emotional or physical pain or spiritual struggles.
  • Make life -  changing decisions.
  • Confront important social and spiritual issues not necessarily encountered in classrooms or other college environments.
  • Discuss diverse ideas and issues to which all members of the community have been exposed regular attendance at chapel will help assure that  one experiences the valuable, sometimes life-changing, events which occur there. 


Students enrolled in at least twelve (12) hours of credit are required to attend chapel unless they petition to be excused through the Chaplain.


Attendance Policy

 

Chapel is an all-university community event. Therefore, all students, whether living on campus or off, must attend, and meet the required 36 chapel credits at the end of each semester. The ONLY exception to this is the students who have applied for and received chapel exemption. Chapel exemption forms are available in the office of the Administrative Assistant to the Chaplain, Alisa Gunter (Snyder Hall 102) and must be completed at the beginning of each new semester.


If you are a commuter student and you reside outside of Bond County, and you do not have a class before Chapel you may be eligible for Chapel Exemption. Please stop by and talk with Alisa Gunter for more information.


There will be FOUR chapel credit checkpoints each semester. The dates for the four checkpoints will be posted on the chapel schedules at the beginning of each semester.  When it is time for a Chapel Checkpoint, a report will be ran and an email will be sent to all CRE’s to let them know where their students stand, they will then go to the students that are lacking in Chapel credits .

 

Checkpoints are designed to help students manage their chapel attendance throughout  the semester.  At each checkpoint students should have earned a specified number of chapel credits if they are to achieve the required total at the end of the semester. While students will be reminded often to check their chapel credits on the my.greenville (GC Intranet), IT IS EACH STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP TRACK OF THEIR CHAPEL CREDITS. Students may check their chapel credits at ANY time by logging onto my.greenville and may inquire about their credits by calling or emailing Alisa Gunter @ Ext. 6525 or alisa.gunter@greenville.edu .

 

Students who do not earn 36 credits at the end of semester will be placed on Chapel Probation for the following semester.




Students who are on Chapel Probation face the following consequences:

  • Loss of Upper Division Housing privileges (if the Chapel Probation is during the spring semester, when the housing lottery occurs, students will be ineligible for upper division housing).
  • Loss of college-sponsored leadership positions (since we view chapel attendance as an important part of the GC experience, students on Chapel Probation will lose their privilege to serve in positions of leadership including RC’s, Student Government, and campus ministries).
  • In addition to these consequences, FACULTY ADVISORS AND COACHES will be notified of those students on Chapel Probation and will be encouraged to use their influence in a positive way to help students earn their required number of chapel credits.

 

To make up chapel credits that you have missed, you are required to do Community Service (CS). Community Service is assisting in some way without expected pay. CS sheets are available in the office of the Administrative Assistant to the Chaplain, Alisa Gunter (Snyder Hall 102), or here in the solutions section of Campus Services.

 

2 CS hours=1 chapel credit missed. If you do CS hours and turn them in before the next semester begins, you will be removed from chapel probation and your privileges will be restored.

 

During their time on Chapel Probation, students MUST earn the required number of 36 chapel credits during the. If the student satisfactorily completes the required number of chapel credits during their semester on Chapel Probation, they will be removed from probationary status and return to normal status the following semester.

 

Chapel Credits

Chapel credits may be earned in the following categories: CORE and ELECTIVE CREDITS.


Core Credits: Students may earn one CORE CREDIT for each traditional chapel service attended. Services are usually held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:30 am in the Whitlock Music Center, Tuesday (Prayer and Meditation Chapel) at 1:30 pm in Luzader Chapel, and Thursday (Vespers), also in the Whitlock Music Center at 9:30 pm.

 

Elective Units: Students may earn ELECTIVE CREDITS for attendance and/or participation in activities or programs that are intentionally designed for spiritual formation. Approved elective credits include:

  1. Participation in floor Bible studies or college-organized accountability/small groups (1 elective credit each time the student attends, until electives are filled).
  2. Participation in GSO (Greenville Student Outreach) events designed to allow students to serve others in the Name of Jesus Christ (1 elective credit each time the student serves, until electives are filled.
  3. Other spiritual formation activities/programs APPROVED BY CHAPLAIN in advance of earning elective credit.

 

Freshmen/Sophomores may earn up to 5 electives per semester, and Juniors/Seniors may earn up to 7 electives per semester.

 


Etiquette Statement

Although chapel is not a replacement for church, it is a place where we honor and worship the Lord Jesus Christ.  Please RESPECT others around you as you refrain from the following…

  • Talking during chapel
  • Use of laptops, Ipads, Ipods, cell phones, texting
  • Arriving late (no chapel cards will be given out after 9:40 am), or leaving early
  • Doing any type of homework!  
You MUST be in the chapel to receive chapel credit (no sitting in the Music Lounge or outside in the Foyer (unless it is the first/second week of semester)).  Failure to comply with the above guidelines will result in loss of credit for that chapel.  Community Life Staff is present and active to help students be attentive and respectful participants during the chapel experience. And please only take one chapel card, and only turn one chapel card in per person – your own.