Chapel Credit
Purpose
The purpose of our Spiritual Life program is to help you in your journey toward spiritual maturity and prepare you to step out into a bigger world. George Fox offers a Spiritual Life Program with an emphasis in three areas: events on the Spiritual Life calendar (like chapel service), small-group studies, and ministry and service opportunities.
One of our priorities is for each student to come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and grow in that relationship toward a mature faith. While we believe strongly in the value of our Spiritual Life Program, we want you to know that it does not replace the life and ministry of the local church and should not be considered a substitute for church attendance or involvement. Instead, the Spiritual Life Program is an integral part of the total faith-learning experience you receive at George Fox University.
Who is required to attend chapel?
- If you have less than 93 academic credits before the beginning of the current academic semester
- If you are less than 22 years old before the beginning of the Fall semester
How many chapel opportunities do I need to attend?
- You must obtain at least 20 chapel credits over the course of the semester. To check your progress, login to your MyGFU account and look under chapel to see the events you have credit for.
- You are responsible to keep track of your chapel credit and must let us know within 72 hours if your credit is not showing up from an event. To let us know, send spirituallife@georgefox.edu your ID and a few sentence summary of what impacted you most about the specific chapel. If it is past 72 hours, please fill out a chapel credit form (found on your MyGFU account) next to the event you went to.
How to get Chapel credit
Chapel credits can be earned in five ways:
- Chapel Attendance (Download a Spiritual Life Calendar)
Chapel is a time of learning, praise and worship. Chapel services are held Monday and Wednesday mornings from 10:40 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Bauman Auditorium the first 14 weeks of the 15-week semester. To be given credit for attending a chapel service, students must scan their student ID cards into a computerized scanner upon entering and exiting the auditorium. Students who are found leaving chapel before the conclusion of the service or students who scan in for someone other than themselves will be held accountable for an attempt to defraud chapel attendance requirements. For other Spiritual Life options held in smaller venues, a sign-in list will be used.
- LYFE Group Leaders
Students involved in a LYFE group will obtain 1 Chapel credit for each teaching session attended (up to 6 credits). Questions about getting involved may be directed to Rusty St. Cyr at rstcyr@georgefox.edu.
- Special Events
Throughout the year there are different special events that are available for Chapel Credit. Watch the university's e-nnouncements to read about upcoming opportunities and look over the Spiritual Life Calendar to see planned special events. Weekly special events are:
- Shalom (Tuesday Evening Chapel): A smaller worship and teaching gathering that features different faculty and speakers. See the Spiritual Life Calendar for time and location.
- Contemplative Worship: Fridays in the Prayer Chapel at 10:40 a.m. Contact Spiritual Life for more info at spirituallife@georgefox.edu.
- Friday Worship: Worship with music and creative prayer one Friday a month. This replaces Greenroom and is available for credit.
- Faith & Film: Watch and discuss films. Check out the Spiritual Life Calendar for times or e-mail spirituallife@georgefox.edu for more info.
- Spanish Chapel: Worship and teaching in Spanish. Periodically throughout the semester on Fridays at 10:40 a.m. View the Spiritual Life Calendar and look for posters in the SUB for specific dates.
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Podcast - Response Form
Listen to or watch chapels online from this semester and fill out the chapel credit form for each chapel viewed. Chapel credit forms are now found at the same page (on your MyGFU account) where you view your chapel credit. Click the small icon next to the chapel event that you watched via podcast and fill out the form. After you click 'Submit' the form will be sent to Spiritual Life. The forms may take up to 72 hours to be processed as each form is manually reviewed.
As you wait for the form to be reviewed the icon will change into a question mark. After the form has been accepted, and you have been given credit a green check mark will appear. If it is denied, there will be a stated reason for denial and the icon will change into a red 'X'. If your credit is denied you may resubmit that form with the appropriate information needed.
No more than 10 spiritual life credit forms may be filled out per student per semester.
What do I do if I don’t/can’t attend 20 chapel opportunities?
- You may view up to 10 chapel services on podcast and fill out a Spiritual Life Chapel credit form. This form can be found at the same page (on your MyGFU account) where you view your chapel credit. Click the small icon next to the chapel event that you watched via podcast and fill out the form. After you click 'Submit' the form will be sent to Spiritual Life. The forms may take up to 72 hours to be processed as each form is manually reviewed.
As you wait for the form to be reviewed the icon will change into a question mark. After the form has been accepted, and you have been given credit a green check mark will appear. If it is denied, there will be a stated reason for denial and the icon will change into a red 'X'. If your credit is denied you may resubmit that form with the appropriate information needed.
- or -
- fill out an exemption form and return the completed form, along with any needed verification form(s), to the Spiritual Life office (located in the Sheridan Street House) before the fifth Friday of the semester.
Absences and Exemptions
Absences
Absences due to activities such as field trips, athletics team participation, band and choir tours, etc., are not considered excused. Students who participate in these activities are responsible to earn 20 Chapel credits like all other students.
Prolonged and confining illnesses are evaluated on an individual basis at the end of the semester. Prolonged and confining illness excuses are issued only by the school nurse for illnesses of three or more consecutive days.
Exemptions
A student may receive a full or partial exemption for the chapel attendance requirement for one semester at a time due to one of the following reasons:
- Student teaching
- Significant off-campus work schedule (must submit an exemption form along with signed employer verification, which is part of the exemption form document)
- An off-campus field placement
- Commuting more than 30 miles one way
- Illness (must submit an exemption form along with signed medical verification, which is part of the exemption form document)
Full Exemption (rarely given)
If a student receives a full exemption, he or she is not required to attend any chapel programs for the period of one semester. Students must re-apply each semester. If you are a fourth year student with less than 93 academic credits you may qualify for full exemption, talk to the Office of Spiritual Life for details.
Partial Exemption
If a student receives a partial exemption, he or she must attend 10 chapels throughout the semester. You must re-apply each semester this exemption is needed. You may receive an exemption for the attendance requirement for one semester due to student teaching or an off-campus field placement.
If I receive a partial exemption but can’t go to chapel, what do I do?
Listen to or watch chapels online from this semester and fill out the chapel credit form for each chapel viewed. Chapel credit forms are now found at the same page (on your MyGFU account) where you view your chapel credit. Click the small icon next to the chapel event that you watched via podcast and fill out the form. After you click 'Submit' the form will be sent to Spiritual Life. The forms may take up to 72 hours to be processed as each form is manually reviewed.
As you wait for the form to be reviewed the icon will change into a question mark. After the form has been accepted, and you have been given credit a green check mark will appear. If it is denied, there will be a stated reason for denial and the icon will change into a red 'X'. If your credit is denied you may resubmit that form with the appropriate information needed.
All exemptions must be cleared through the office of spiritual life by the second Friday of each semester. However, if employment dictates that an exemption be granted after this date, students should submit the exemption form along with the required documents as soon as possible.
An exemption form, which includes employer and medical verification forms, may be found at the Office of Spiritual Life, located in the Sheridan Street House, or at this link.
When do I have to have completed my chapel credit requirements?
All 20 Chapel credits must be completed by midnight on the last day of classes (the Friday before finals).
If I don't complete my credits, what happens?
Chapel Credit Deficiency Policy:
All students must fulfill their Chapel credit requirement by the last day of classes at midnight. All undergraduate students with a spiritual life credit requirement will receive an e-mail a month before the last day of classes as well as one week before that deadline. Students who do not fulfill their required credits by the deadline will have a fee placed on their student financial account.
Policy Guidelines:
- Podcast forms for chapel credit are due by midnight on the last day of classes.
- All students who have not resolved their credit deficiency by midnight on the last day of classes will have a fee of $20.00/deficient credit (not to surpass $240) placed on their student account.
- Students are required to notify Spiritual Life of their "chapel credit exemption" if they are a fourth year student, but do not have senior status according to MyGFU. No student "automatically" is exempt unless he or she has 93 academic credits or above, or is 22 years of age by the beginning of the fall semester.
- All fees will be going towards Spiritual Life programming and the Summer Serve ministry.
- There will be an appeal process for students who have a discrepancy with an applied fee.
- Fees for incomplete chapel credits have replaced the previous system of mandatory withdrawal from the university due to incomplete credits.
We would prefer that you complete the Spiritual Life credits instead of paying a fee. However, we need to find a way of managing this process that does not require extensive time and effort in the Office of Spiritual Life.
How do I appeal a fee placed on my account?
Appeal Process:
If a student has a discrepancy with an applied fee, he or she may appeal it. To appeal the fee, please download the appeal form and submit it to the Office of Spiritual Life within 30 days of receiving the fee on your account.
The following are appropriate reasons to appeal the fee:
- inaccurate spiritual life credit/attendance records
- dropping out of the university within the first two months of the semester
- incomplete in classes due to extenuating circumstances or lengthy illness, and
- extreme financial hardship
Appeals will be reviewed by a committee. Students who were "not aware" that they were required to attend chapel and assumed they were exempt may file an appeal as well, however, it is not encouraged as students are responsible to be informed of their own chapel requirement.
Students who continue to not meet the Spiritual Life Chapel credit requirement or attempt to defraud the Spiritual Life Chapel attendance process in any manner (including "sliding and gliding") may be required to meet with the Dean of Students and may be subject to further disciplinary action, which could include a semester suspension from the university.
