Spiritual Life

The mission of the Malone University Campus Ministries Department is to contribute to students' spiritual formation by building them up to know, love and serve Jesus Christ. We provide Christian faith development opportunities for individuals and groups in a variety of campus contexts.

 

Campus Ministries

Campus Ministries staff members work closely with students, university staff and faculty to facilitate spiritual formation. Programs are designed to encourage personal and campus-wide spiritual development, participation in society as Kingdom citizens, and spiritual and moral accountability. The offices of the University Chaplain, Director of Campus Ministries, and Director of Service Learning are located in the Randall Campus Center.

Service/Outreach

The practical aspects of Christian commitment, such as service and evangelism, take students outside of the Malone community. To serve the poor and needy locally, students organize to help in soup kitchens, collect food for the hungry and participate in other outreach programs.

A little further from home, students may participate in service or spiritual development trips to urban centers of major cities or other areas of the United States that are in need. Trips outside the borders of the United States are planned each year, such as trips to Africa, China, Central America and Eastern Europe. Trips vary each year; for more information, see the Director of Service Learning.

The Chapel Program

Chapel at Malone University is essential to the distinctive mission and identity of the University and its effort to integrate the Christian faith with the whole of our lives. Chapel is intended to creatively engage the Malone University community with the gospel and the implications of life in the Kingdom of God. Integrity characterizes both the presentations and the presenters. Chapel ministry goals include providing opportunities:

• to understand and develop a personal faith in Jesus Christ
• for the University community to understand and experience a deeper relationship with God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through worship, which is indispensable for personal wholeness
• to understand the implications of the Christian faith by addressing pertinent character, cultural, and theological issues leading to a life-long commitment to service, and consequently to positively influencing our campus culture
• to address our cultural tendency toward individualism by providing a forum which uniquely reinforces a sense of campus community and identity.

Chapel Services

Chapel is held every Tuesday from 10:30-11:10 a.m., every Wednesday from 10:05-10:45 a.m., and most Fridays from 10:05-10:45 a.m.  Each day of the week has a particular focus: Tuesday chapels are Community Worship, Wednesdays are Convocation, and Fridays are Spiritual Formation.  Services are held in the Sanctuary of the Johnson Center for Worship and the Fine Arts. The chapel semester schedule can be found via the Campus Ministries webpage http://www.malone.edu/student-life/campus-ministries/chapel. 

Why Do We Require Chapel?

Students' attendance in chapel is required because within our Christian framework, we believe that all teaching of truth must be built on a foundation of God's truth. Thus, in the same way we require students to study the truth of physical science, the arts, and literature, we see no contradiction in requiring students to study God's truth. Chapel facilitates students' experience and understanding of God's truth through study of the Bible, exposure to corporate worship, and opportunities to understand the relationship offered to us in Christ.

Chapel Attendance Policy

All full-time students are required to participate in the Chapel Program while they are members of the student body. Students must earn 20 chapel credits (1 chapel = 1 credit) per semester. Students should present their student ID card at each chapel in order to receive credit; students without their ID may see a Campus Ministries representative after chapel to receive credit. Chapel credit will not be given to students arriving more than ten minutes after a service has begun. 

Chapel Credit

Chapel Credit Accounts are maintained for every student. Students may review their Chapel credits by logging in to MaloneXpress, via the student tab, and looking at online services ("chapel attendance").

Students are issued a disciplinary fine when they fail to meet the semester requirement of 20 chapel credits. This fine will be assessed on the last regular class day of the semester at 5 p.m.; therefore, any appeals concerning students' chapel attendance must be made to the Campus Ministries Department before that time.

To avoid being fined, students may watch the DVD of a missed chapel and write a one-page reflection paper on that chapel before the last regular class day of the semester at 5 p.m. The number of make-up chapel credits is limited to three per student per semester. DVD procedures and paper guidelines are available in Campus Ministries. If students still do not meet their chapel requirement, the number of chapels attended will determine the amount of the disciplinary fine, for example: 19 chapel credits = $35; 18 credits = $70; 17 credits = $105; etc. The money received from these fines will be directed into spiritual formation activities directly benefitting Malone students.

Chapel Excuses: Students may be excused from part or all of the current semester's Chapel program only by applying for an academic or non-academic excuse. Applications and further information about excuses may be found at http://www.malone.edu/student-life/campus-ministries/chapel or are available in the office (RCC).

Integrity Violations: The following are violations which will incur a disciplinary sanction issued by the Vice President for Student Development:

• Students scanning a student ID card for chapel attendance without having attended that chapel.
• Students scanning an ID card other than their own.
• Any action considered by the Spiritual Formation Committee to constitute a violation.

Chapel Worship Etiquette: Chapel is not merely a student assembly. Since the purpose of Chapel is public and corporate worship for the entire Malone community, the following instructions are listed in order to enhance and enrich the worship experience for everyone:

• Please remove all hats out of respect for our purpose and reverence for God (as in the attitude of Moses removing his shoes in the presence of God).
• Please do not leave your seat at the end of Chapel until formally dismissed by the speaker.
• Please do not bring food or drink into the worship center.
• Please refrain from the use of headphones, laptop computers and cell phones.
• Please refrain from talking, studying and otherwise disturbing others around you.

Chapel credit may be withdrawn from students making such disturbances.

Further Information: Further information regarding upcoming chapels can be obtained from the Department of Campus Ministries (Ext. 8441) or on its website www.malone.edu/student-life/campus-ministries.

Church Services

Church services are provided by churches representing various denominations in the Canton community. Students are encouraged to regularly attend the church of their choice and to involve themselves as much as possible in its worship and service. Church involvement is seen as an important area of development in growing as a mature member of the body of Christ. A list of area churches and articles about choosing a church are available in Campus Ministries or at http://www.malone.edu/student-life/campus-ministries/church-shopping.php. 

Bible Studies

Several Bible studies and small groups are available on campus, including the Roots Bible study program. Contact Campus Ministries for information or go to http://www.malone.edu/student-life/campus-ministries/campus-bible-study.php.

The Rose Room

The Rose Room on the upper level of the Randall Campus Center is available for private quiet meditation and reflection whenever the building is open. It is not available for group meetings.