Timely, sometimes tough, questions and insights from NAES and Episcopal school leaders on leadership, governance, Episcopal identity, community life, and other issues.
News
More Than a Chapel Service: Building a Faith Community in Schools
Processing down the side aisle of the auditorium behind the acolytes. Sitting on the brightly lit stage, with a large projection screen behind me, looking out at the more than 700 upper school students and faculty. Hearing the band play familiar Christian music with the lyrics on the screen.
That first day of “filling in for the chaplain” was 12 years ago. While I was not new to the priesthood, leading liturgical worship, or working with teenagers, I had no way of knowing how steep the learning curve would be going from parish ministry to chaplaincy in a school. While I originally was just coming on Wednesdays to lead the middle school and upper school chapels for a few months, my good fortune has kept me at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville for well over a decade. I now interact with students from one year olds to twelfth grade. In that time, I have been humbled more times than I can count as I have melded together my two vocations as an educator and as a priest.
As the rector of an Episcopal church, I was always happy to welcome visitors, but those visitors had chosen to come to my church on that Sunday morning. Everyone in the pews shared the same faith tradition as me or they were at least seeking to know more about this faith tradition to which I had been ordained. Now I found myself among a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff—the vast majority who were not Episcopalian, and for the most part, were not seeking to know more about the Episcopal tradition. Hopefully, many were seeking to grow in their faith or at least to know more about Jesus, but certainly not everyone was in this boat. One thing they all had in common was they were required to attend weekly chapel. So, how would I go about ministering to a group of people with such a diversity of thought, varied interests in matters of faith, and differing religious beliefs?
The challenges of school ministry did not send me running back to the doors of a church. Instead, I realized this was exactly the ministry that God had prepared me for and now had opened the door for me to answer the call to school ministry. I quickly learned the nuances of preaching to hundreds of exhausted teenagers. I discovered the blessings of walking beside students as well as faculty and staff as life happens—the joys and the struggles of life as well as the routine and mundane days in between. I formed relationships with students, faculty, and staff that have transformed me.
It is in these relationships that my call has been affirmed the most. When I started full-time at the school, I gathered with around ten faith-filled students who were part of the student vestry. I was in awe of their steadfast faith and desire to share their own faith with others. We met together to pray, reflect, study, and even plan one vestry-led chapel that would happen in the second semester. It quickly became clear that these students who were seeking Jesus in their own lives were also equipped and eager to share their faith with others. One vestry chapel became two chapels a year, then four chapels per school year. As the student vestry became more visible in their powerful witness while planning and leading chapels, the vestry grew in numbers. This school year, our vestry is composed of 162 upper school students and eleven adults (faculty and staff members) who want to serve Christ in this visible and demanding way. Working on teams, our vestry plans and leads most of our chapels. They are the spiritual leaders of our school.
What has led to such exponential growth on the vestry? There are many factors that help explain the massive amount of interest in being on the vestry. Some of the answers include belonging, service to others, and a desire to lead. However, the most prevalent reason our students are flocking to the vestry is clear when we read the applications as well as their recommitment forms each year. Overwhelmingly, our students are seeking relationships—with God and with others. They want to grow in their relationship with Jesus. They want to be in relationship with others who are seeking Jesus in their lives. The same thing that drew me to school chaplaincy also is drawing our students to apply for the student vestry.
One student, applying for a leadership position, recently wrote, “I have appreciated the connection I can build with my peers through faith. Whether it is planning a chapel or doing Faith and Formation, I feel like I am always learning more about faith and gaining an appreciation for opportunities I am given in vestry to grow stronger in my faith. I also appreciate the community of vestry, where everyone is welcoming and there is no judgment in the face of God.” We hear these thoughts over and over again. Students and adults are seeking relationships with God and with others. They want to grow in their faith and they want to walk beside their peers as they seek a closer relationship with God.
In the Spiritual Life Pillar at our school, we do not have the vast amount of events and programming that we see in the Athletics and Fine Arts Pillars. Our Spiritual Life Pillar functions very differently than our Academic Pillar. We are the pillar that supports and nurtures all else that happens at our great school. At the core of everything we do, we focus on relationships—our relationship with God and our relationship with one another.
The Rev. Teresa R. Seagle is Dean of Spiritual Life and Service at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville.
The Work God Has Given Us to Do: Call it Social Justice, Call it What You Will
Not every student will be a Naya Bakaes. By that I mean, not every student in an Episcopal school will start a robust peer mentoring program, as Naya did, before graduating from high school. That... Read More »
The Enduring Impact of Chapel
Recently, I texted a former student of mine whose mother, an actress, is featured in the series Elsbeth. I was delighted when I received an immediate reply from the young man I had coached in lacrosse and soccer, his secondary sports (he starred in basketball and plays in college). And, despite our Episcopal school requiring 3x weekly chapel, this student-athlete was decidedly not a chapel enthusiast. That being said, he had recently returned from China where he reported “listening to a lot of podcasts and reading from religious texts.” He continued, “I used not to think religion would have been a big part of my life but I’ve recently been interested in implementing it into my daily life.” After telling me he was reading Genesis, he asked for my recommendation for religious practices and texts. Knowing how brief and cryptic my twenty-something son’s texts can be—I was deeply moved by the fact that this young alum had replied and done so with a clear desire for spiritual growth. As school chaplains, we are very familiar with those students who seem to have no interest in our weekly worship services and sit seemingly disengaged through the required chapel gatherings. Then this same young person comes back to an alumni gathering and reports that they feel as though something is “missing” from their lives post-graduation. They find themselves searching for spiritual belonging and the opportunity to gather in worship. How many of our former students have surprised us by asking us to officiate a wedding, baptize their child, or bury their loved one? Alums whom we didn’t think were paying attention while they were attending our chapel services who later felt a pullback to devotional experiences. Read More »
The Angels and Saints Among Us
In the week before coming to the NAES conference this year, our chaplaincy and school came together to prepare a memorial service for a beloved faculty member who died suddenly on Halloween. One evening, in the difficult days that followed her death, I opened a file in the chaplain’s office containing years of memorial service bulletins faithfully prepared in the midst of similar tragedies. These service bulletins, compiled by chaplains, like the Rev. Preston Hannibal, who will soon celebrate 50 years of school ministry, serve as a reminder that we are not alone. For we are accompanied by those who walked this way before us–the men and women who faithfully ran chapels, pastored students and faculty, taught classes, and served as advisors and coaches. Read More »
How Inclusivity Lets our Light Shine and Strengthens our Community
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 Amid a disgruntled parent, a leaking roof, or dismissal... Read More »
Letting Your Light Shine
In the middle of September, I marked the occasion of my birthday in a typical Coloradan fashion: by hiking a “fourteen-er.” A picture-worthy occasion, I shared it on social media and a dear friend commented, “Radiant creature!” “Sleep-deprived and super tired creature,” I replied. A week earlier, the same friend comforted me by reminding me that my “greatness” doesn’t stem merely from what I do, but from who I actually am, in God. Read More »
Growth Moves at the Speed of Trust
“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be... Read More »
The Practice of Intentional Pausing: A Reflection on Community in Episcopal Schools
A fellow teacher at the first Episcopal School where I taught gave me a piece of profound advice. It was centered on intentional pausing and has helped me consistently delight in the three Episcopal school communities I have been blessed to join. Read More »
Pastoral Care: A Ministry of Being
Both Episcopal and non-Episcopal schools are in the business of educating students of all ages, backgrounds, races, religions, cultures, and abilities in caring, nurturing environments. What is unique about Episcopal Schools however, is that Episcopal Schools are “embodiments of the Christian faith…that honor, celebrate and worship God as the center of life,” and as such “are created to be models of God’s love and grace.” One important way we share God’s love is through pastoral care. The Episcopal Church defines pastoral care as “The ministry of caring at the heart of the church's (or school’s) life.” In my ministry as a school chaplain, pastoral care is woven into every aspect of my day. Tending to Jesus’ sheep is multifaceted, and the following are a few of my reflections about pastoral care after serving forty years in education, the last ten as a chaplain in an Episcopal School. Read More »
Embracing Diversity and Inclusion: The Episcopal School Perspective
In recent months, the role of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in schools has faced increasing scrutiny, with some arguing that it promotes indoctrination rather than education. More than two dozen states, including here in North Carolina, have taken legislative steps to restrict or outright eliminate DEI initiatives and roles in public colleges. This debate has significant implications for the education sector, particularly for schools rooted in principles of diversity and inclusivity, such as those affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Read More »