Diversity in Chapel Worship

There is something special happening at high school chapel. New songs, different languages, and a variety of cultural expressions are rising up. In one moment we are seeing a Korean blessing, then a well-known worship set in English with one verse in Spanish, and another verse in Portuguese.

This movement towards a more diverse worship experience had momentum last year, but was propelled forward this summer when Ms. Belen Araneda and Mr. Adam Culp travelled to Calvin University to participate in the annual Calvin Symposium on Worship. They also applied and won a grant to help ECHS with our efforts to diversify our worship!

The spiritual theme for this year is Every Nation, Every Tribe, and Every Tongue. Through the efforts of Ms. Belen Araneda, Mr. Adam Culp, student worship leaders, and others, chapel is beginning to look like the scene in heaven depicted in Revelation 7:9 when people from every nation, every tribe, and every tongue will stand before God and worship Him. Read Ms. Belen Araneda’s beautiful post about why diverse worship matters, and how it fits into our spiritual theme for the year.

Here is one example of diversifying our chapel services. In Korean culture, blessings play an important role in culture and spirituality. Although it may feel odd for other cultures, speaking a word of blessing to another human can be a powerful way to see the eternal nature of another individual. Below is the original song in Korean, followed by the English translation 

May the love of God
spring up in your soul,
be a healing stream
in the wilderness flowing.
And may the love of God
quench the thirsty soul,
feed the hungry heart;
May the love of God flow through you.

May the love of God continue to spring up in the souls of our young people, the faculty, and the staff at ECHS.

By: Ben Fuller

Ben Fuller is the College & Career Counselor at Eastern Christian School.

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