What s Happening with your McCleary Chapel Ministries 2011-2012
Take a Look at UIndy: View this video to see what we look like! UIndy Campus Tour Video
The Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Programs at UIndy The mission of the Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Programs (EIP) is to create and implement opportunities for intellectual, spiritual, and religious formation of UIndy students. The two chaplains serve the University of Indianapolis in both curricular and co-curricular capacities by casting a vision and empowering students to lead and participate in a variety of religious events and programs. Through the multifaceted work of the McCleary Chapel Ministries and the Lantz Center for Christian Vocation, religious life at UIndy is vibrant and an important dimension of our campus environment. The University of Indianapolis Chaplains are Rev. L. Lang Brownlee (lbrownlee@uindy.edu and Rev. Jeremiah W. Gibbs, gibbsj@uindy.edu.
The Lantz Center Our Lantz Center for Christian Vocations and Formation provide our students a place and a space for vocational exploration, growth in the understanding and practices that lead to a deepening spirituality, and chances to serve others in Christ s name. In the context of a community of fellow Christians, and mentored by our two university chaplains, these students are invited to envision and respond to way God is leading them into their future. Find more on our CVOC programming at http://vocations.uindy.edu/courses.php
Threshold Christian Retreat With direct and immediate attention to Christian formation and community building, Threshold is a weekend retreat experience that happens in August before the start of the first semester. It is designed to help incoming university students know the ways on our campus that they can grow in their Christian faith and get connected to a Christian community at UINDY.
Appalachia Service Project In January, twelve students and two leaders traveled to Jonesville, Virginia, for a week of service in making homes warmer, safer and drier for families in need. Three UIndy teams worked to build a front porch, insulate a home, and do considerable interior work for families. As a service-learning experience, the group shared each evening about what service means for us as persons of faith, and for our world.
Faculty-Staff Christian Mentoring Program This Spiritual Mentoring Program is intended to provide spiritual mentors who are trained to enable deepening relationships for Christian Vocations students while they are at UIndy. Walking with students through the challenges and the joys of life, our faculty-staff mentors share the journey during the academic year.
Lantz Center Commissioning Students that complete the two-year spiritual formation curriculum have the opportunity to be commissioned for Christian service by the Lantz Center. Commissioned students read their commitment statements, are anointed with oil, receive the Lantz Center medallion, and their feet are washed by the chaplains as an example.
In June-July, the Lantz Center partnered with the Annual Conference to host a week-long workshop at camp to help teens explore God s call upon their lives to work in ministry in the church and the world. The partnership continued in March to bring 25 Sr. High students to the university for a weekend retreat on the same themes called exploration.youth this is intended to become an annual offering.
9-11 Observance at UIndy On September 11 th, our campus ministry led students and others in a commemorative service of remembrance on the Smith Mall in the center of our campus. Student leaders led us in readings and prayers. We all observed a candle-lighting to remember the victims of violence, and in our hopes for peace among peoples.
Pastoral Care and Counseling The two UIndy University Chaplains spend time with students, faculty and staff in pastoral settings, both formal and informal, helping with matters involving the spiritual, emotional, and other needs of the persons who are involved. This year, we were joined by McCleary Chapel Fellow Mr. Tayon Swafford, whose role was to help us strengthen our outreach to African-American Christian students at UIndy.
Worship Opportunities Our worship life is rich and varied: Taizé, Praise &Worship, Chapel Prayer Break, Community Communion Service, and special services. Throughout the academic year, our various worship opportunities are intended to facilitate a growing and transformative relationship with God in the context of the supportive community of fellow Christians.
UMYL Scholars Programming Special gatherings, Christian Vocation courses, and service opportunities are part of our UMYL Scholars programming. The UMYL Scholars programming aims to give these United Methodist scholarship recipients relationships with fellow UMC students, develop patterns of spiritual discipline that upholds them in their lives while at UIndy, allows them to serve others and have fellowship with one another while deepening their UMC identity. These UMYL Scholars are encouraged to step up and develop their leadership skills to be stronger local church leaders throughout their lives.
Chapel Steward Mentoring This mentoring includes supervision, support, and book study with key student leaders assigned to help create and sustain ministry programming. The Chaplains work with students who have exhibited leadership potential and Christian commitment, in order to allow them to become more competent and confident as leaders, to gain skills in interpersonal relationships, and to gain proficiency in envisioning and implementing holistic Christian programming for our campus.
The Christian Peer Mentoring Programs for Men and Women Developing strong connections among fellow Christians is the core purpose of these programs, called The Peak (for men) and Salt N Light (for women). This program enabled Christian student leaders to engage in ways to strengthen Christian discipleship which included formative, service, worship and fellowship opportunities on campus, as they mentored first-year students throughout the academic year. The bonds established help students both in faith and in the other concerns of their university years.
Leymah Gbowee Lecture Nobel Peace Prize recipient Leymah Gbowee was guest to UIndy on February 15 th, sharing her witness to nonviolent response to the destructiveness of corruption and warfare. Prior to her campus lecture, McCleary Chapel Minstries sponsored the showing of Pray the Devil Back to Hell, a documentary on her work and the work of many Liberian women whose faith inspired action against evil.
Spiritual Pilgrimage to Taizé, France In May of 2011, eight UIndy students and three adults made the trip to experience a week in Christian community at the international, ecumenical Christian community at Taizé, France. The spiritual pilgrimage included the opportunity to worship and pray, to be in service, to have times of spiritual formation, and to fellowship with Christians from all over the world.
Upcoming: Service Pilgrimage to Taiama, Sierra Leone This coming May (2012), twelve students and three faculty/staff journey to Taiama, Sierra Leone. There they will work with our UMC s Operation Classroom to help rehabilitate a Girl s Boarding Building for the Secondary School. This is our ministry s third service pilgrimage to Sierra Leone in recent years.
A University That Takes Time for its Students! Watch this fun little segment UIndy released this year as a way to convey our environment of helpfulness and relationality with our students: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7euuv4prvfo
Dean Michael G. Cartwright published a book about the charism of Indiana s Wesleyan related universities
Education for Service Do you have students interested in exploring the University of Indianapolis as their university? Our Office of Admissions can help answer your questions or arrange for your visit to our campus! Contact them as your students approach the important decisions regarding their college/university choice. If you have any questions or comments about the university, or to let us know about prospective students. You can reach us at 317-788-3216 or 800-232-8634, or email admissions@uindy.edu. At http://www.uindy.edu you can access an online application for admission to the University of Indianapolis.
A Good Partnership! We are grateful for our connection to, and involvement with, the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. Your church-related university in Indianapolis is an active and vital partner in preparing young people for service in the churches and communities of Indiana and the world. Check out UM Connections at UIndy on Facebook