By Jacob Greene
Tear down. Set up. Tear down. Set up, again.
The time dedicated to chapel, plus the sacred space that comes with it—two hours a week—is quickly gone due to the high demand for the gym. It must be rapidly torn down every week due to the many athletic events in the James M. Grant Center.
There is a prayer chapel on campus. Like many elements of campus, it is undersized for what is needed—much like chapel in the gym now. The bleachers are filled up in addition to about 12 rows of seats that take up half the hardwood flooring.
The football program starting saved Simpson from closing. This is at a time when many other private Christian schools closed. With Simpson rising, why don’t we upgrade what our university promotes—a Christ-centered lifestyle.
A permanent chapel would add new elements to our university. It would lessen the burden on the Athletic and Music Departments. There would be no transitions necessary for chapel two times a week.
An obstacle stands in the way—funding. Dr. Scott Barnett has submitted a proposal for a chapel to President Dr. Hall. In it Dr. Barnett explains his view of how the project could be funded.
“We communicate to [the] community around us our values by the buildings that we have, by where we spend our money, and then seeing that we have a chapel would be a huge statement to the surrounded community, but also just from a Christian standpoint,” Dr. Barnett said. “We're gonna call ourselves a Christian institution, we should have a place where we can gather as a community to worship and not having an actual place to gather to worship, I think, communicates a lot about what really value as a community.”
Dr. Barnett understands there are other variables in the process of fundraising.
“I can't speak to all of the fundraising hurdles and things like that, but I think we're putting priorities on other things and that's understandable to some extent. But we're also making decisions to split our priorities rather than focusing on doing certain things well,” Dr. Barnett said.
Rather than constantly adding on new elements or programs Simpson adding a new chapel would allow the university to upgrade something already established—such as the chapel program.
“Building a chapel would enable us one to do our music program really well, to show our value of gathering to worship really well, but also would free up the gym so the gym could actually be used as a gym,” Dr. Barnett said. “All those practice rooms, all those offices that music now occupies could now become coach’s offices and then even the classrooms could be made into locker rooms and you would actually serve the athletes well with the gym rather than kind of halfway—as it is now.”
If the administration can secure $7.5 million for a new business building—who is to say it would be difficult to raise funds for an epicenter that would serve as a physical representation of what is of utmost importance to our institution.
Buildings represent what is valuable to an institution. The same goes for where money is spent. It shows where the priorities lie. However, for a private Christian university, there must be a balance between the tensions of marketing, business, and religious identity.
It is not as simple as building—there needs to be funds to improve infrastructure without taking away from other parts of the university.
Sarah Jobson, Dean of Students, explained the duality of Simpon’s infrastructure. Plus, what a permanent chapel could do for culture.
“I think it would be beautiful. It would show our students—even those who are visiting—all this is important to us. The same way that a gym does, right? Like, the same way that a library does,” Jobson said, “to have a gym be dual purpose…I love that we're resourceful. I love that we are good stewards of what we have.”
Jobson continued to expand on the multipurpose gym.
“But could you imagine yeah, space that is just dedicated to that and that alone. That play and holy can be separate. Now, maybe we value that play and holy can be together and I do.” Jobson said, “But man, could you imagine? I don't know that we could build one big enough for what we need. But what if it was used in different ways. What if we offered two services on those chapel days?”
Chapel builds community—literally. The Director of Spiritual Formation, Natalie Goens discussed gym being used as a chapel.
“I think a place where–just because a lot of work goes into setting up for chapel–a lot of people work really hard for that, which we’re really thankful for,” Goens said, “I do have to say—I think there's something really neat about the gym in the way of there's a lot of like churches that meet in cafeterias, in gyms, and it makes it a more welcoming environment for anyone to come to. Like I think anything that can feel slightly religious can be a little bit scary for certain people.”
A permanent chapel. That could shift campus culture as it would create a space that does not need to be torn down for athletic events.
“I think having a place on campus that stays a chapel could be very helpful to walk with the Lord in some ways,” Goens said.
Simpson is entrusted with funds that are given to the institution to promote what the university represents—Christ-centered living.
“Anything you put on our campus will change the culture. The fact that we have better lighting on campus,” Jobson said, “[it] changes how students feel about their safety. So I could imagine what a chapel would do for our culture.”
Goens concurs with Jobson—that people are drawn to meaningful spaces.
“People are drawn to spaces that are meaningful to them if they represent a major or a certain area of study or a certain vocation, like athletics,” Goens said.
A space that does not go away means using the whole chapel hour. It means having a building that can be available at any time.
“I think if you had a dedicated space that we could use like that, then it would cut out distraction. It would cut out the distraction of chairs and set up and, yeah, you could store music better,” Jobson said, “You could, yeah, be a more seamless experience than I'm standing here praying with a student while, love them, but other students are trying to take the chair that my coffee's on, you know, like, yeah, there could it could limit distraction.”
Melissa How, the Worship Coordinator, does not think a chapel would change anything in terms of spiritual maturity.
“I don't know that I think it would improve or increase like spiritual competency or spiritual curiosity or even spiritual maturity among students. But I do think it could be a really cool, symbolic building,” How said. “That would be clear when people come to visit and like, ‘Oh, wow, this is [a] Christ-centered campus. This is cool. There's a chapel here.’”
I brought this up at a fireside chat in the Fall of 2024. The following is an excerpt from the notes of Slate Staff Writer Ruby Churchill:
Talk of big budgets naturally led to a student (me) question about a permanent chapel building.
“There is one in the master plan. We try to build projects that serve the greatest need…you build a chapel if you have enough donors,” Hall said. “By the way, when you make your millions, I’m going to be calling you for a donation for chapel.”
“I’ll get right on that, I’ll pay off my student loans first,” I replied.
If we are asking people to “#comeflywithus,” then we should be all in on what unifies us.
According to Natalie Goens, one fact overtakes them all.
“I think you can encounter the Lord anywhere, whether a gym or outside or in the prayer chapel or all of that, but it'd be great in the future if there was a space where, as soon we could where I mean, just even convenience wise—we didn't have to set up and tear it down every week.”
Not only would a chapel be symbolic. It would be a place that does not go away. Although a chapel is not conditional to encountering the Lord, it does help cultivate a space that remains unchanged.
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