Students explore faith at RCU
- Guest Writer
- Sep 25
- 5 min read
Chapel at RCU looks and feels different this year with new leadership, worship songs, daily themes and faith-driven speakers. Cam Underdown from Zera Ministries, a nonprofit that aims to help people who feel far from God become mature followers of Jesus, is now coordinating chapel.
Several students at RCU shared their thoughts about chapel, and how faith at RCU affects their own journey.
reporting by Hannah Mitkus, Isabela Placencia, Logan Pruden and Hannah Traczynski
Aurora Jacobs
Aurora Jacobs, a sophomore theatre major who was raised Methodist, said, "I feel like my faith is represented well by allowing me access to different opportunities to learn more about God and faith, such as the chapel and the Offering, and my friend’s Bible study. As a Christian, I really don’t mind that it is a requirement. I actually like that it gives me more motivation to go to church and be involved. I definitely feel like my faith is represented and respected in the chapel.
Brooke Cicero
Brooke Cicero, a junior business
management, who describes herself as Christian, said, "I think RCU does a great job representing my faith by fostering an inclusive environment that welcomes a variety of perspectives and beliefs. I actually kind of enjoy that chapel is required; it creates a fun and meaningful social environment. It also offers a chance to pause and reflect in the middle of a busy week. I do feel that my faith is respected during chapel, even if every message doesn’t directly align with my personal beliefs."
Macayla Lane
Macayla Lane, a senior psychology major who is agnostic, a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God, said, “I am not the biggest fan of being expected to go to an event that is all about religion. As a senior, my time is valuable, and I am a very busy person with life, work and school. It really just feels like I'm being forced to participate; it's not something I got to come to on my own time.”
Liliana Tasich
Liliana Tasich, a junior elementary education major, whose faith background is Christian, said, "I feel that Chapel should be required by the school since it is a Christian university. It helps me grow in my faith and focus on Jesus. I feel like I am learning from the [chapel] messages and RCU has amped up their chapel game! My faith has grown at RCU. The Christian friendships I’ve created and the Bible classes were fantastic. My faith has grown tremendously, and RCU is definitely to thank for that.
Zoie Brandt
Zoie Brandt, a sophomore digital marketing major, said, "Being someone who was not brought up in a religious household, I feel that RCU has opened my eyes and brought some faith into my life. Honestly, I like Chapel, for me it’s not so much the religious part of Chapel, but the sense of community. Being together in one room is very nice. I also feel like Chapel for me is a time of day where I can take a moment to slow down and breathe, despite being overly busy."
Adrionna Lambert
Adrionna Lambert, a freshman nursing major who identifies as Christian, said, "I feel that RCU handles the representation of the Christian faith very well. With the chapel being required, I feel that it makes students learn more and hear different stories. It also gives us something to do during the day. Yes, I feel that my faith is respected during chapel, as every speaker we’ve had has made me think and relate things in my life to my faith."
Shahd Ali Bakkar
Shahd Ali Bakkar, a junior biology major, was raised Muslim. "I think that RCU does a great job representing their own faith and what the school does, but not as much when it comes to other faiths and religions, which is fine because it is a Christian school," she said. "When it comes to chapel being mandatory, I think it's pointless for someone like me because it feels weird being in chapel as a Muslim, and sometimes it feels a bit wrong since I can’t really agree with the things being said in chapel. I also think that forcing people to go to chapel in my opinion defeats the point of chapel because if people were truly devoted to God or devoted to being a Christian they wouldn’t have to be forced to go. It a little backwards to me." She also said her experience at RCU has made her closer to her own religion. "I have now learned about a different religion and how it works and can see the similarities but the major differences too. It’s made my religion clearer and made my faithfulness to being Muslim stronger."
Eli Hullinger
Eli Hullinger, a junior mass communication major whose faith background is in the Northern Baptist Association, said he appreciates how Chapel has been refreshed this year. "I think that with Cam coming in, it feels more like what I’m used to. Last year, it was more liturgical and more structured, repeated stuff that I’m not really used to." Although Hullinger said he appreciates that the love of Jesus is discussed, he feels that RCU should address sin to strike a balance. "Jesus didn’t just die because he loved us, he also died for our sins," he said.
Ethan Dinanath
Ethan Dinanath, a junior financial planning major, who is Baptist, said, "I have mixed feelings about how RCU handles the representation of my and many others' faiths. While I agree with certain things, I would be lying if I said there weren't things I disagreed with, such as how some chapels are run, how certain classes handle the Christian faith, etc. I like the idea of Chapel, and while I think it should be required. I think there should be an itinerary posted for each chapel, so students can choose whether or not they want to go, depending on the content of that day's chapel. There have been really good chapels, and there have been some that seemed absolutely pointless."
Alyssa Swanson
Alyssa Swanson, a sophomore marketing major who identifies as Christian, said, "RCU represents our faith pretty well. They focus on the aspects of community and love, which is a major part of the Christian faith. Many chapels are less focused on actual Christian scripture and are more just stories. I think it makes sense to have some sort of religious event required. I like how they do it since it caters to all beliefs and provides many options to people. I think they could do a better job making it more scripture-based."
Olivia Duffy
Olivia Duffy, a senior mass communication major whose faith background is Catholic, said her faith is not represented in chapel. "Even though I think the majority of the people who go here are Catholic, we aren’t really represented. As a Catholic, we don’t really sing, for the most part, it is just scripture, praying and communion. Plus, chapel feel like a chore, whereas going to church doesn't feel like a chore. My church feels more welcoming, and I feel at peace as I can pray what I need to pray about. A lot of people on campus don’t practice faith at all, and they shouldn’t have to go if they don’t believe in God."
Alison Johnson
Alison Johnson, a sophomore accounting and nonprofit management major whose background is non-denominational Christian, said, "There has been a much different experience from last year..... Overall, it feels more focused on God than it did last year. I want to know him and I want to spend time with him. I want to be in an environment that also cultivates that. I really appreciate it when people actually use the Bible. Last year, scripture wasn’t used enough, and it was too focused on the person and not on how scripture affected their life. Scripture should serve as the foundation to speak from."
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