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Alive! News
Grants Now Available To Help Student Groups Help Others
Applications for this year’s round of Lilly Foundation funded “Faith and Service Travel Grants” are now available. Grants will be awarded to assist student groups planning to explore their faith through service and social justice initiatives. These grants will support travel to a site away from campus where students will engage in service, prayer, and reflection. Grants will be awarded for Spring and Summer 2009. Deadline for applying is Dec. 1, 2008. Download a copy of the form here.
Help Decorate the Chapel for Advent!
Decorating of the Chapel starts Monday, Dec. 1 at 8 a.m. until complete (with breaks for Morning Prayer/lunch and evenings). All are encouraged to come and help, even if it’s for 30 minutes at a time. Tasks include Christmas tree assembly, branch fluffing, and light testing. Treats will be provided. Many hands always make for light work!
Advent Christmas Vespers Assured Seating Cards
It’s November and that means we’re preparing for VU’s annual Advent Christmas Vespers, with special music by Kantorei, Handbell Choir and University Singers. The date is Friday, Dec. 12, so stop by the chapel for your assured seating cards. The 10 p.m. service is specially intended for members of the university community and will include readers from the faculty and staff as well as the student body. The 7 p.m. service is geared for the community. There is no cost but you need an assured seating card. If you’re unable to stop by the chapel, email Barbara.Hoover@valpo.edu with the number of cards needed, your name and address. Please specify which service you would like to attend.
Agape Meal & Sweetwine – Sweet!
If you’ve ever wondered what Christian worship was like in the First Century, don’t miss Res Min’s next Agape meal Wed., Nov. 19th, at 8 p.m. at Brandt Hall. Then at 10 p.m., be sure to be at Celebrate! when Sweetwine will lead the service.
Hear the Handbell Choirs Dec. 13th
The Handbell Choirs of the Chapel of the Resurrection will hold their 2008 Christmas Concert in Gloria Christi this year, on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 7:30 p.m. Sacred and secular holiday music will be presented, as well as non-Christmas tunes. Both the Intermediate and Advanced Handbell Choirs will appear on the program. Admission, as always, is free. The concert will feature a variety of literature, and inform the audience about the genre of handbell choir and its techniques. Brooke Davisson and Jonathan Rudy are co-conductors of the Advanced Choir and Andrew Robinson is conductor of the Intermediate Choir.
Prayer Life Need Some Help?
If your prayer life isn’t all you’d like it to be, get some community support! Valpo’s new prayer book In Thy Light We See Light: The Valparaiso University Prayer Book isn’t just a book – it’s supplemented by an online community in which members can post prayer requests, meet prayer partners, learn about ways to pray and view prayer resources. All are welcome to join the community at pray.valpo.edu. Check it out!
Music Under the Gallery is Coming!
You say you love Christmas? Of course you do! And you love music? Then join
us for our Advent tradition at the Chapel – two weeks of special music preceding Morning Prayer. We call it “Music Under the Gallery” and it features a variety of musicians providing pre-service music from approximately 11:05 a.m. till the service begins. It all starts Dec. 1st.
Looking Ahead to Finals
Don’t panic – finals are not here yet, but we thought we should mention now that during finals week Morning Prayer meets at a different time – 10 a.m. We will be in the same place, however (the main chapel). And to top off the week, the Chapel will offer our traditional treat after Morning Prayer on the last day before break. On Friday, Dec. 19th, please join us for traditional stollen, coffee, tea and juice.
Social Justice
Fall focus groups are continuing at SALT! Head on over to the meeting on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. in Huegli Hall and learn about clean water issues, HIV/AIDS, homelessness in Valpo or education in Uganda. Hope to see you there! Join us at 9 before the SALT meeting for the Pepper Forum! We'll have a speaker and some good conversation. For Nov. 18th, the topic is VU Housekeeping. Then, the December 2nd Pepper forum will feature a representative from Teach For America. Come out to learn more about this great post-graduate opportunity!
“Res Min” Helping Students Talk about Faith Issues
Periodically, we focus in on one of the ministries of the Chapel. This week, learn more about Residential Ministry.
As a freshman last year, Josh Buzbee recalls how formal Bible study conducted by his residence halls’ residential ministers felt. There wasn’t a lot of give and take … or discussion. And not a lot of students showed up.
This year, things are a little different.
Now a residential minister himself, Josh is helping to lead a weekly discussion time for the students of Lankenau and Alumni halls. He shares the responsibility with Deborah Beals.
“This week, we came in with a topic in mind – interfaith marriage – and discussed it, asking the students for their opinions,” he said. “It’s getting them to talk about faith issues that they really don’t think about often – and they’re doing it with friends.”
Another week, they’ll watch and discuss the movie “Luther.”
The conversations begin at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and alternate between Lank and Alumni. They go for as long as anyone wants to talk.
Josh, a sophomore majoring in theology, says he really wants to build up the group.
Residential ministers, or “res mins,” are students who help their peers in a particular residence hall to grow in theirfaith and encourage them to get involved with the opportunities the Chapel provides. They work with RAs and RLCs in dealing with problems of a spiritual nature, which is especially helpful when a student is reluctant to speak to a pastor.
Pray for Valpo!
Again this year, prayer times are set up throughout the week for the Christian organizations on campus to come together and pray downstairs in the Chapel as part of the Pray for Valpo! Prayer Group.
Morning and night time slots are available. Specifically, Monday: 7-9 a.m. and 8-9:30 p.m. Tuesday: 7-9 a.m. and 9-10:30 p.m., Wednesday: 7-9 a.m. and 9-9:55 (ending early so you can go to Celebrate!), Thursday: 7-9 a.m. and 9-10:30 p.m., and Friday: 7-9 a.m. and 8-9:30 p.m. Ideally, we will have a person or a group sign up for at least one slot per week so that there is always someone praying in the chapel at the designated times. Look for the sign-up form or contact joy.helfen@valpo.edu
Meet our Morning Prayer Leaders
One of the coolest things about the Chapel’s Morning Prayer services is they’re led nearly every day by students like you. This year’s Morning Prayer student leaders are Alex Marque, Beth Niggemeyer and Andrew Robinson. Our Friday praise band is led by Brandon Long. Morning Prayer is a time for students, faculty and staff to gather together as a community of faith. Whichever days of the week you choose to come share a pew, there’s time to connect with others before or after with a cup of coffee or a glass of lemonade. God is here for you every day. Why not make chapel break a daily habit? We’re here to help you keep the balance in your life!
Social Action – A Way of Life
The Social Action Leadership Team (SALT) is the Chapel’s social justice ministry. Students in SALT serve as the leadership team that invites Valpo students to engage in Christian service both near and far. SALT is involved in local volunteering, spring break service trips and church-based community organizing.
SALT meetings are each Tuesday classes are in session, at 9:30 p.m. in the Lumina Room of Huegli Hall. Bring a friend and come check it out!
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/
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