Chapel: Devotion in All Divisions

by: Madi Bixler ’14

One way in which LCA accomplishes its mission of developing strong leaders with biblical convictions is through chapel.

Biblical truth is at the core of LCA’s foundation. We believe the Bible is inspired by God, inerrant, and authoritative. The primacy of scripture is taught both inside and outside of the classroom. One of the ways LCA accomplishes the mission of developing strong biblical leaders is through chapel. Chapel at LCA looks a little different across grade levels, but each school’s chapel program is designed to foster and support every student’s faith journey, and to instill a love of God that will last a lifetime.

Upper School

How do we develop a deeper faith? It’s a simple but powerful question that Upper School chapel asks its students. This year, the theme in Upper School chapel centers on loving God with heart, mind, and soul, as well as loving others as Jesus has. “We’re focusing on the parables and teachings of Jesus this year,” says Barrett Hardage, Upper School chapel coordinator, Bible teacher, and coach. “More importantly, we’re encouraging students to draw conclusions from these teachings, which are applicable – and relevant – to their lives.”

Upper School chapel speakers are individuals of different races, religious backgrounds, and Christian denominations. “Our goal with bringing in a variety of speakers,” Mr. Hardage says, “is to create connection points with the student body. This way, each student can relate to someone like themselves during the chapel year.”

Apologetics and learning to defend our faith are important aspects of the Upper School curriculum. These truths are being taught in depth in the classroom; chapel, on the other hand, enables students to explore their personal walk with Christ.

Advisory groups, a component of the Upper School chapel program, are a place to have fellowship and grow relationships. Each teacher leads a small group of students once a week in any conversation of the group’s choosing. “Last week,” Mr. Hardage says, “my advisory and I talked about mental health and its importance.” Advisory provides students the ability to learn from their teachers and coaches and to share wisdom with one another.

Worship is also an important part of Upper School chapel. In the control booth of the LPAC, Sam Garner directs the music and Upper School worship team. During worship team meetings, Mr. Garner leads the group through a book called The Reset, by Jeremy Riddle, which is about the heart of worship. This small study encourages students to analyze their motives in leading worship. “Worship is between you and the Lord,” Mr. Garner tells students. He reminds the team that their goal is to “give people a platform for worship.”

Middle School

“Middle School chapel is about helping our students claim their faith as their own,” says Libba Tullos. In Middle School, kids are at a “jumping-off point,” she says, when they’re old enough to create ownership of their love for the Lord, independent from their parents’ faith. “I want our kids to want a relationship with God,” Ms. Tullos says with a smile.

In chapel, kids are taught to Know God, Love God, and Obey God, in that order. By the end of their Middle School chapel experience, students have learned to open the Bible for themselves, find relevant teachings, and apply them to their own lives. Built on strong biblical teaching and engaging worship, “Middle School chapel introduces students to Christ all the time,” Ms. Tullos says. With “head knowledge” of the Bible already being taught in class, Middle School chapel encourages a “heart knowledge” of the Lord and his goodness. Middle School chapel hosts a variety of guest speakers, such as pastors of local churches and faculty members. After chapel, students meet with their home “squads,” which are teacher-led small groups by grade level. “We break down things students have heard in chapel and have fellowship with one another,” Ms. Tullos says.

This year, Middle School began with Ignite, a two-day spiritualemphasis conference. Students were challenged, encouraged, and equipped to grow in their faith through teachings and worship that ignite meaningful squad conversations. “So many of us have heard of God, but how many of us have heard God for ourselves?” Ms. Tullos asks the students. Building on the conference, Middle School chapel continues to encourage, teach, and bless students by fostering a deep love of Christ.

Lower School

Our Lower School chapel is an experience that teaches young students “to corporately worship God,” says Kerri Thompson: “We want to teach kids what’s expected in church when they begin their faith journey.” Instead of hosting a children’s chapel that’s just loud games, she says, “we want to be respectful and honorable to the Lord.”

Early Ed

“We have fun, but we’re on holy ground,” she reminds her young students. In this way, Mrs. Thompson and the Lower School faculty prepare kids for the next step on their spiritual journeys. The Lower School chapel program centers on the theme “CHRIST in Me,” based on Galatians 2:20. Courage, Humility, Respect, Integrity, Seeker of God, and Teachability (“CHRIST”) are character traits that students and teachers worked together to create as guidelines for their lives this year.

In August, says Mrs. Thompson, the children studied the book of Daniel. “We then identified Daniel’s admirable character traits, and the kids are accountable for showing these qualities, too.”

Teachers quietly watch kids in the hallway and in class to look for fruits of their study. “If a child is recognized for exhibiting respect, for example, the individual will get a small reward,” she says, like a special pen. There are occasional big rewards, too — how about a popsicle party!

During chapel, a lesson is taught from the main curriculum, “The Gospel Project” which walks young kids through the entire Bible. Later, there is discussion about ways to practice what the children learned from the lesson.

The Lower School chapel program also celebrates “Mission’s Month,” during which the school partners with 25 Project, a nonprofit mission organization, and listens to upper schoolers talk about their mission trips and learn about being a missionary. Children in first through fourth grade also meet in prayer groups. These groups strive to teach kids in Lower School to care for one another and share prayer requests. Early Education (Kindergarten and Pre-K) chapel captivates our youngest students’ attention for 20 minutes each week. With dancing, games, and stories, Early Ed chapel lays a foundation for biblical truth in young minds and hearts. The program helps to teach kids what church is like, and that this is a place where we learn about Jesus.

Bethany McMillon, coordinator of Early Education chapel, describes a typical chapel day: “We start off with singing upbeat praise songs and dancing to worship God,” she says. Mrs. McMillon reminds little ones that we were created to worship God with our whole selves. “We teach a short Bible story, with lots of engagement and questions,” she says.

Each month, Early Ed chapel focuses on one character trait, accompanied by a Bible verse and corresponding Bible stories centering on that trait. “For example,” she says, “our August traits were respect and obedience. We studied Jonah in one of our lessons.” After their Bible story, the kids get to play a game related to their lesson, keeping with chapel’s interactive approach.

Even though the little ones are full of energy, Mrs. McMillon says, they learn important lessons: “We talk about making sure our choices honor God.”

Madi Bixler (’14) attended the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating in 2017 with a BS in Supply Chain Management. She is a supply analyst and recently graduated with her Masters at UTD.