Religious life: a community investment

An investment in social and spiritual capital brings a rich dividend. Although many channels exist for students to develop spiritually - informal meetings at dorm level, weekend retreats, opportunity to attend local churches and other places of worship - the monthly chapel in many ways is the public face of the school's religious life and is the one required activity for all Senior School students and staff. (Junior School students attend a weekly Sunday school at Kellogg church, and join the whole school for Christmas and Easter chapels.) The last two chapels contained a lot of clues about what the school believes is important for our whole community as we seek to grow together.

First, students are heavily involved in all aspects of chapel. Over the last two years we have seen the growth of a strong music team who lead the worship exceptionally well, with a full band of guitars, drums, keyboard and violin. They introduce and lead the songs effectively and are very competent singers and musicians. Other students read Bible passages, give personal reflections, lead prayers and spice up the service with student-created videos and PowerPoint presentations. Second, we are providing strong role models for our students. In September, we featured three people who are making a difference through their professions – an architect working with a Christian NGO based at the top of our hill; a parent working in public health and medicine in Garhwali villages; and a staff spouse who is a human rights lawyer involved in issues of social justice. Each had an inspiring story, and spoke with conviction about their vision and work.

Third, we are acknowledging that we are a mixed community. The singing of hymns and songs, for example, is not obligatory; it would be inappropriate to require people to sing words which don't reflect their beliefs. However, there is content in each service which enables all students and staff to participate from their own tradition. In the October chapel, we followed a model of Quaker worship, led by parent Janet Legro, spiritual director at the Friends School in Tandem, Charlottesville, VA. The theme was "Listening to God in solitude and silence", and we managed up to five minutes of effective silence during the course of the meeting. We also recognised that this practice of silence was present in many religions, and two students shared very thoughtfully about the silence and reflection in their Hindu and Buddhist traditions.

This leads to a fourth principle in Woodstock's religious life; we are encouraging students to develop an appreciation of the spiritual. Can only Christians pray? Of course not; so in the October chapel a Muslim Afghani offered a heartfelt prayer for her country. We seek to preserve a delicate balance of distinctiveness and openness, clarity of conviction and generosity of spirit. Chapels are Christian, but there is surely a place to both learn from one another and to speak to God in our own way about shared concerns.

Student leadership, interesting speakers and the use of creative approaches to communication have made chapels more engaging. The cake and hot chocolate afterwards also help! Our purpose is that chapels should be a highlight of the month, offering a sacred space to renew the vision of the community – not a chain of compulsion, but an anchor in a time of change.