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University Chapel and Discipleship Ministries

three guitarists and drummer leading worship in chapel service

Chapel: The Heart of the SBU Experience

Chapel is an integral part of the SBU experience and central to our life together. Chapel helps to build a sense of community at SBU by providing a shared experience of worship, biblical teaching, community, and prayer.

The first week of each semester will begin with a special Bible or missions conference. Chapel services will be held each Monday and Wednesday from 10:00–10:50 a.m. in Pike Auditorium, which is located inside Mabee Chapel.

Chapel Live Streams

Chapel is held every Monday and Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Watch Live

All Chapel services will be live-streamed on YouTube. Subscribe to the SBU YouTube channel to get notified each time we go live!

Fall 2023 Chapel Schedule

Chapel is held every Monday and Wednesday at 10 a.m. Join us for these Chapel events during the Spring 2023 semester.

Monday, August 21: Worship Chapel with High Street Worship

Wednesday, August 23: President Melson, President of Southwest Baptist University

Monday, August 28: Fall Bible Conference with Dean Inserra, Lead Pastor of City Church in Tallahassee

Wednesday, August 30: Fall Bible Conference with Dean Inserra, Lead Pastor of City Church in Tallahassee

Monday, September 4: Labor Day, NO CHAPEL

Wednesday, September 6: C.S. Lewis Book Event with Daniel Dewitt, Executive Director of the Center for Worldview Analysis and Cultural Engagement (SBU)

Monday, September 11: Center for Global Connections

Wednesday, September 13: Center for Global Connections

Monday, September 18: Sexuality Conference with Sam Alberry, Author and Teaching Pastor at Immanuel Church

Wednesday, September 20: Sexuality Conference with Sam Alberry, Author and Teaching Pastor at Immanuel Church

Monday, September 25: Chris Williams, President of the Missouri Baptist Convention

Wednesday, September 27: Stedman Valentine, Campus Pastor & Director of Discipleship

Monday, October 2: Dr. Daniel DeWitt, Executive Director of the Center for Worldview Analysis and Cultural Engagement (SBU)

Wednesday, October 4: Spirit Chapel!

Monday, October 9: Jedidiah Coppenger, Lead Pastor at Redemption City Church

Wednesday, October 11: Stedman Valentine, Campus Pastor & Director of Discipleship

Monday, October 16: Jonathon Woodyard, Vice President of Student Life (SBU)

Wednesday, October 18: Stedman Valentine, Campus Pastor & Director of Discipleship

Monday, October 23: Shay Robbins, K2 Director at Kanakuk

Wednesday, October 25: Stedman Valentine, Campus Pastor & Director of Discipleship

Monday, October 30: Ryan Griffith, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives (SBU)

Wednesday, November 1: Jonathon Woodyard, Vice President of Student Life (SBU)

Monday, November 6: Fred Broome, Lead Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church

Wednesday, November 8: Stedman Valentine, Campus Pastor & Director of Discipleship

Monday, November 13: Dr. Daniel DeWitt, Executive Director of the Center for Worldview Analysis and Cultural Engagement (SBU)

Wednesday, November 15: Stedman Valentine, Campus Pastor & Director of Discipleship

Monday, November 20: Thanksgiving Break, NO CHAPEL

Wednesday, November 22: Thanksgiving Break, NO CHAPEL

Monday, November 27: Jonathon Woodyard, Vice President of Student Life (SBU)

Wednesday, November 29: Student Chapel with Ethan Grubaugh

Monday, December 4: Festival of Christmas

Wednesday, December 6: Prayer Chapel

Chapel Attendance

Chapel is central for our life together and regular attendance is a graduation requirement for most students.

Residential Students

All full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students on the Bolivar campus are expected to attend Chapel during their time at SBU. Students are required to attend a minimum of 75% of the Chapel services offered during the semester.

Students must scan their student ID card at the Pike Auditorium exits before and after each Chapel service to confirm chapel attendance. Any student who fails to present his ID may sign in and out with a chapel monitor. Any student who has lost their ID should get a replacement through the Department of Safety and Security, located at 803 S. Pike Ave., Bolivar, MO 65613 between the hours of 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Evening and weekend Chapel services may occasionally be offered for extra credit. Chapel is not a substitute for participation in the life of a local church and students are strongly encouraged to prioritize church membership

Commuting Students

All full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students who reside more than 15 miles away from the Bolivar campus are considered commuters. Commuters are encouraged to participate in chapel but are exempt from the attendance requirements. All non-commuting students are expected to meet the chapel attendance requirement.

Other Students

Graduate, part-time, and high school students are welcome to participate. All students who are not able to gather with us corporately are encouraged to attend virtually on the SBU YouTube channel.

Chapel Exemptions:

Semester-length chapel exemptions will only be granted to students whose academic program requires an internship, clinical rotation, or student teaching that takes place during the chapel hour. Exceptional circumstances may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Students requesting exemption must complete and submit the Chapel Exemption Request form during the first two weeks of the semester. Student will receive an email to confirm whether their request is approved or denied. 

Chapel Etiquette

We gather at Chapel to be reminded of the goodness of God in a variety of ways. All participants are asked to follow the Chapel behavior guidelines listed below.

  • Arrive in a timely manner and be seated before the service begins
  • Engage as an active listener and participant in worship
  • Refrain from the use of electronic devices, including computers and phones
  • Refrain from engaging in personal conversations or other distracting behaviors
  • Refrain from studying or any other reading not directly related to the Chapel program
  • Remove caps during times of prayer

Students who do not observe these guidelines will be subject to disciplinary action which may include, but is not limited to, losing attendance credit for that Chapel.

Chapel Credit and Discipline

Students failing to attend 75% of chapels in a given semester will be placed on chapel notice for the following semester. If the student missed four or fewer chapels, he or she must meet the attendance requirement and make up the missed
chapels. If the student missed more than four chapels, he or she must meet the attendance requirement, make up four chapels, and either complete a book report (assigned by the campus pastor) or pay a $20 fine for each additional chapel missed the previous semester.


Students who fail to meet the attendance requirement while on chapel notice will be placed on chapel probation for the following semester. While on probation, he or she must meet the attendance requirement, make up four chapels,
complete a book report (assigned by the campus pastor) and pay a $20 fine for each chapel not made up.

Students who fail to meet the attendance requirement in the semester after being placed on chapel probation will be suspended see page 22 of our Student Handbook.

Any student who scans in or out for another student will forfeit the chapel credit for both students. Both students will also be fined $25. Any student who scans in, leaves the auditorium for the duration of chapel, and then comes back to
scan out will lose credit for that chapel and be fined $25.


Students should check their chapel attendance weekly through their mySBU self-service portal. 

Discipleship

At SBU, we are not only committed to training students in truth that they may become wiser but also instructing them in righteousness that they may become holier. Both occur in an environment dedicated to discipleship.

We aim to encourage every student to love the Lord with all his heart, mind, and soul, and love his neighbor as himself. This is something we pray and labor for. We equip our staff and faculty, we train our Resident Directors and Resident Assistants, and we offer our students a variety of discipleship programs. Any student who desires to grow in his or her faith in Jesus Christ at SBU will experience no shortage of opportunities to do so.

The primary (but not only) opportunity for discipleship at SBU comes through the SBU D-Groups. These SBU D-Groups are student-led and overseen by Stedman Valentine, the Campus Pastor and Director of Discipleship. For more information, contact Stedman Valentine.

Mission Projects

While at SBU, you will have opportunities to participate in various local and global mission projects through the Center for Global Connections. An average of 30 projects are offered each year across the U.S. and around the world during the January term, spring break and summer.

Learn More About the CGC

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