Chapel

The Chapel/Convocation program at LeTourneau University is designed to complement the total educational experience by integrating spiritual growth concurrent to one's intellectual and emotional development. Through a variety of programming including guest and faculty speakers, music and drama programs, and student-led services, an environment is provided which enhances fellowship and worship while encouraging one's growth in relationship with God. Chapel/Convocation gatherings are also times where the LeTourneau Community assembles to experience the worship of other cultures, to celebrate our community victories and mourn our community losses. Sometimes we gather to do important family business and hear family news relevant to the campus community.

Corporate chapel services are typically in the Belcher Chapel and Performance Center from 10:35 to 11:35 am on seven Mondays, every Wednesday, and four Fridays (three of which are Academic Chapels and meet at various locations on campus) of the semester. Programming for the balance of the Mondays a Life Groups (7).

Fall 2024 Chapel Schedule -

August

• Monday, August 26 - Fall Convocation, Dr. Steven Mason, President, LETU
• Wednesday, August 28 - Dr. Patrick Mays, Campus Pastor, LETU

September

• Monday, September 2 - LETU Student Leadership
• Wednesday, September 4 - Praise & Worship Chapel, Student Speakers
• Friday, September 6 - Academic Chapel
  
  SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS WEEK
  
• Monday, September 9 - Lo Alaman, Speaker & Poet with Urban Hymnal
• Tuesday, September 10 (11:00AM) - Lo Alaman, Speaker & Poet with Urban Hymnal
• Wednesday, September 11 - Lo Alaman, Speaker & Poet with Urban Hymnal
• Thursday, September 12 (11:00AM) - Liturgy and Prayer
  
  
• Monday, September 16 - Life Group #1
• Wednesday, September 18 - Matthew West, Christian Recording Artist
• Monday, September 23 - Andy Squyres, Writer/Songwriter, Student Speakers
• Wednesday, September 25 - Mrs. Kristen Ishihara, Mayor, City of Longview
• Monday, September 30 - Life Group #2

October

• Wednesday, October 2 - Dr. Josh Brake, Assistant Professor or Engineering, Harvey Mudd College and LETU Alum with The LeTourneau Singers
• Friday, October 4 - Homecoming Chapel - Dan M, Wycliffe Bible Translators and LETU Alum (Chapel will not be live streamed.)
• Monday, October 7 - Life Group #3
• Wednesday, October 9 - Dr. David Olshine, Professor of Youth Ministry, Family and Culture, Columbia International University
• Friday, October 11 - Academic Chapel
  
  JUSTICE WEEK
• Monday, October 14 - Dr. Tom Whittaker, Assistant Professor of History, LETU
  
• Tuesday, October 15 - 7:00PM - Juneteenth Movie
• Wednesday, October 16 - Dr. Mark Moland, Dean of College of Education, Arts and Sciences, LETU
  
  
• Wednesday, October 23 - Passage Institute for Youth and Theology
• Monday, October 28 - Life Group #4
• Wednesday, October 30 - Suzanne Merritt, Head Coach, Men's and Women's Tennis, Assistant Director of Athletics for Administration, LETU

November

• Friday, November 1 - Academic Chapel
• Monday, November 4 - Praise & Worship Chapel, Student Speakers
• Wednesday, November 6 - Founders Day Chapel - Dr. Paul Leiffer, Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering with The LeTourneau Singers
• Monday, November 11 - Life Group #5
• Wednesday, November 13 - LETU Jazz Band
• Monday, November 18 - Improv Chapel
• Wednesday, November 20 - LeTourneau Conversations with Dr. Sandra Mayo, Associate Provost for Student Success and Dean of Online Education and Ms. Lori Beaty, CPA, MBA, Vice President for Finance & Administration
• Monday, November 25 - Life Group #6
  

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  December

• Monday, December 2 - Life Group #7
• Wednesday, December 4 - Advent Service of Lessons and Carols

The spiritual formation program at LeTourneau University is central to the total educational experience, seeing spiritual growth as foundational to one's social, intellectual, and emotional development. Chapel is the most visible expression of the program and highlights LeTourneau University’s mission as a Christ-centered institution.

Through a variety of chapel programming, including guest and campus speakers, music and drama programs, and student-led services, an environment is provided which enhances fellowship and worship while encouraging one's growth in relationship with God. Chapel gatherings are times when the LeTourneau Community—students, faculty, staff— assembles to experience a variety of worship experiences, to celebrate our community victories, and to mourn our community losses. Corporate Chapel services typically are held in the Belcher Chapel and Performance Center from 10:35 to 11:35 am on seven Mondays, every Wednesday, and one Friday of the fall and spring semesters. Programming for the balance of the Mondays and Fridays is given to Academic Chapels (3) and Life Groups (7). Additional Tuesday, Thursday, or evening spiritual growth opportunities are held at various times throughout the year, including Spiritual Emphasis Week and Justice Week in the fall and GO Week in the spring.

There are a variety of other spiritual formation opportunities through Life Groups, LeTourneau Student Ministries (LSM), and Spiritual Life Assistants (SLA) to help students grow in relationship with God, other believers, and the world. Students also are encouraged to find ways to serve in the community and the local church as a part of their spiritual formation.

The Spiritual Formation requirements follow: 

To fulfill these requirements, students may simply attend 25 chapels. The following outlines examples of other spiritual formation and Christian service opportunities that students may pursue. Additional options will be considered on a case by case basis. Spiritual Formation Credits are given per occurrence and are not necessarily based on the amount of time spent. Any questions should be directed to (and all final decisions about credit rest with) the Campus Pastor and should be addressed before credit is sought.

• Appropriate service through a local church and/or an approved Christian organization. Examples include serving as an AWANA leader, a worship leader, a youth leader, a Sunday school teacher, or participating in an LETU dorm floor or student organization service project,
• LeTourneau Student Ministries (LSM) Spring Break Outreach trips.
• Various other activities sponsored by the Office of Spiritual Life, such as GO Week and Spiritual Emphasis Week events.
• Short-term mission trips with an approved Christian mission organization.
• Attending a local church is strongly encouraged and recommended, but SFC are earned only through prior approved service.

We recognize that none of these activities guarantees spiritual formation in any way. That only happens when our hearts and souls are open to the moving and working of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the Body of Christ in our lives. It is our hope that, through being involved in the above spiritual formation activities, every student will actively pursue God, and His church, grow in Him, and find their place in His body.

GUIDELINES CONCERNING CHAPEL

SPIRITUAL FORMATION CREDIT REQUIREMENTS

• All degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled in an on campus program for 12 or more credit hours and who have been assigned an on campus faculty advisor are required to attain 25 Spiritual Formation Credits each semester. Please note that the SFC requirement is based on enrollment in an undergraduate program. The requirement is not affected by a student’s living arrangement or whether a student is taking classes on campus or online.
• Because Chapel is a unique and significant gathering of our campus community, degree-seeking students are required to attend a specified number (18) of corporate Chapel services in person. Other Spiritual Formation Credit options are described above.
• The following exceptions apply to the Spiritual Formation Credit requirement:
  • Undergraduate students who are enrolled in eleven (11) or fewer hours
  • Undergraduate students who have applied and been approved to graduate at the end of the current semester
  • Undergraduate students who have completed seven (7) semesters of Spiritual Formation Credit requirements
  • Students enrolled in online degree or graduate programs

• Each student is responsible to ensure sufficient progress in obtaining his or her own Spiritual Formation Credits. The official Spiritual Formation Credits records may be found at MyLETU.

CHAPEL BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS

Individual behavior affects the community experience of corporate Chapel. When attending and participating in corporate Chapel, please remember the following:

• Arrive on time and stay the entire service. Chapels vary in length. You must stay for the whole event to receive credit.
• Refrain from conversation with your neighbors when someone is speaking, singing, or presenting from the platform.
• Act in a manner which communicates courtesy and respect.
• Attendance consists of both physical presence and active listening; use of computers, cell phones, or any other device that may distract you or others around you is prohibited in Chapel.
• Do not study in Chapel.
• Your credit for a specific Chapel may be revoked without notice or warning for failure to comply with these requirements.

CONFLICTS WITH CHAPEL ATTENDANCE

• Chapel make-ups will only be allowed under certain circumstances (see below).
• Students involved in student teaching and official LeTourneau University internships receive graced attendance when these activities prevent students from being on campus during Chapel.
• Students with flight blocks scheduled by the university receive graced attendance for Chapel only on those days when flight blocks conflict.
• Students with nursing clinicals scheduled by the university receive graced attendance for Chapel only on those days when clinicals conflict.
• Other official university conflicts will be determined by the Campus Pastor and the department involved.
• On- or off-campus jobs do not exempt students from the Spiritual Formation Credit requirement.
• Students with work and other conflicts may petition the Office of Spiritual Life at the beginning of the semester to turn in make-ups. It is the student's responsibility to make these arrangements.
• Students who miss Chapel because of illness may submit a written make-up to receive credit.
• Students arriving more than five (5) minutes after the beginning of Chapel are considered late and may not receive credit for that date unless they submit a written make-up; students may not leave Chapel early.
• Problems with Chapel attendance records and Spiritual Formation Credits (including counting you absent when you were present or vice versa) must be resolved with the Office of Spiritual Life within two weeks of the Chapel service or Spiritual Formation activity in question.

MAKE-UPS

• A make-up consists of listening to or watching a Chapel program that you have not attended in person and typing a 500-word summary of its content. This summary of content must include the student's name, ID number, date and time of the Chapel being made up at the top of each page.
• Chapel recordings are available online through Canvas, but we do not guarantee that all Chapels will be available online during any given semester.
• Chapel make-ups should be submitted through Canvas. Instruction for submitting a Chapel make-up must be followed in order to receive credit.

DISCIPLINARY RESPONSES TO CHAPEL DEFICIENCIES

• 25 Spiritual Formation Credits must be completed by the end of each semester, and all approved Chapel makeups must be submitted by 5:00 PM on the final day of final exams for the semester they address.
• In the event that a student does not complete the required 25 Spiritual Formation Credits by the end of exam week, a Chapel delinquency hold will be placed on that student's registration for the following semester.
• A Chapel delinquency hold may be cleared by doing makeups as described above.
• If a Chapel delinquency hold is not cleared by the confirmation date of an upcoming semester (August 1 for fall semester, January 1 for spring semester), then a student’s registration for the upcoming semester will be dropped. If this occurs, then a student must clear the Chapel delinquency hold in order to re-register.
• Students with a Chapel delinquency hold will not participate in intercollegiate athletics or university academic competitions.

If you have a conflict or problem meeting the SFC requirement, please do not wait until the end of the semester to address it. Please see the Campus Pastor immediately.