Inside Furman is published monthly during the school year by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
Sunday afternoon services more convenient
One of the first things University Chaplain Vaughn CroweTipton noticed after joining the Furman administration last year was the empty pews during Sunday morning worship in the Charles Ezra Daniel Chapel.
The 10:30 a.m. services at the chapel often attracted fewer than 30 people. In the cavernous sanctuary, the numbers seemed much smaller. The chapel also was unable to sustain a stable choir.
While Furman is a residential campus, CroweTipton learned that most students seeking Sunday worship experiences were doing so at area churches. Music majors and faculty, too, had longstanding ties to nearby churches.
“We wanted to find a way to open the door for students and members of the community to make connections here while still being involved in local churches,” says CroweTipton.
So this year, with little fanfare, the Chaplains Office moved the 10:30 a.m. service to 5 p.m. The result has been small but steadily growing congregations, says CroweTipton. Students and the public find the new time to be more convenient. And the Hartness Organ, dedicated last spring, is attracting interest.
CroweTipton and associate chaplain Keith Ray currently lead most services. In the coming months, area pastors, religion professors and campus ministers will take to the Daniel Chapel pulpit. The chaplains anticipate that the diversity of speakers will attract even more attendees.
Moreover, afternoon services have allowed the chapel to attract musical talent that has traditionally been obligated to other churches on Sunday mornings. The chapel now seats a choir “of 12 scholarship singers who are active in music department ensembles,” says music intern and choirmaster Josh Copeland.
Copeland, a senior, is excited about the growth potential of the choir program. “As the Daniel Chapel Choir program begins to grow, we hope to involve more people each year,” he says.
Furman senior Joseph Hill serves as organist for the chapel, and music professor Gail Schoonmaker is the music coordinator.
CroweTipton says the transition to afternoon from the traditional morning services has been a smooth one. “We're seeing a larger, more consistent crowd,” he says. “We are looking at ways to advertise the service, and after Christmas break we are going to begin to promote it more.”
Interested students, faculty and staff can find the worship schedule at http://www.furman.edu/chaplaincy/worship.htm .
(FUnet writer Todd Mayes contributed to this story)