“Chapel is about connection” echoes through these walls. Here at Brown Chapel, we gather not just for tradition, but for transformation. This isn’t just a building. It’s a space where faith meets life.
Brown Chapel stands as a central point at Point Loma Nazarene University. It is a place where students, faculty, and staff pause. They gather to worship as a community. Chapel services happen here multiple times a week.
Let’s step inside Brown Chapel. Feel the sense of community that fills this space. Irwin Seating Company installed 1,752 model 90.12.00.4 Citation chairs here in 2018. The chairs are charcoal grey with Absecon Mills Shire Potomac upholstery.
Chapel isn’t only a church service. It’s multi-denominational. Students from diverse backgrounds come together. They envision what it means to be the body of Christ. Sometimes services include different languages. You might even hear preaching in Spanish.
Student Life organizes chapel, led by the university chaplain. Chapel includes music and teaching. Communion is offered once a month. It’s a place to connect and unite the PLNU community. Chapel helps center us. It reminds us who God is. It reminds us who we are as the body of Christ. Worship starts here. It continues outside in classrooms and in our lives.
PLNU students can attend chapel up to four times a week. Services occur Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. A special evening service happens every Thursday. It’s called Time Out. Students share their faith stories.
Branch Out offers services in different venues around campus. Some involve prayer. Others involve service. For example, hygiene packets are assembled for the homeless. Living Space chapel services take place in dorms. They are organized by resident directors and students. This helps connect people in their dorms.
Each semester features Renewal Week. The week focuses on the year’s chapel theme. Special speakers are invited. Past speakers include Eugene Cho and Rick Warren.
Chapel also addresses difficult subjects from a biblical perspective. These subjects include race and diversity. The Bible says we are image-bearers of God. We must treat one another with hospitality, grace, and love.
PLNU requires students to attend chapel. The number depends on their year. Freshmen and sophomores attend more often. Juniors and seniors have busier schedules. Chapel is not meant to be overwhelming. It is a resource to help students. Chapel exposes students to different ways to engage. It’s an invitation to experience faith. PLNU hopes to shape students uniquely. The university wants to send them uniquely out into the world.
Chapel connects students to the larger community. We are shaped by a gathering of different people. Students connect with God and each other. They also receive support from the campus pastoral staff. Chapel is a springboard into the community.
Remember Brown Chapel. It’s more than a building. It’s a place of connection and spiritual growth. It’s a place where students are shaped and sent out into the world.