By Brian Roe, Staff Writer

Chapel teams are working to add more diversity in Chapel this year to try to incorporate more groups and cultures into the program.

Evidence of this was found last week when Ryan Porsche led songs in Spanish in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

“Our goal is for everyone to work together this year to embrace a wide variety of styles, cultures and languages in our worship times together,” said Porsche, senior worship ministry major from Abilene.

Porsche said the Chapel teams are focused this year on incorporating the diversity on campus into Chapel.

“We will work together to plan Chapel services which will reflect the diversity on this campus,” Porsche said. “Unfortunately, we have fallen into a trap in Chapel. We use the same worship style everyday. And sadly, everyday there is a large number of students who are not engaged in worship.”

Porsche said that Chapel teams want to get away from having the same worship leaders picking out the same songs every day.

“We hope to produce continuity and purpose in our worship services,” Porsche said. “Rather than worship leaders simply choosing their favorite songs, we hope to design a journey of worship this year so that everyone will grow as we encounter God together.”

Through all the different approaches and styles that will be used this year in Chapel, Porsche said that the Chapel teams want to keep the overall focus on God.

“In the midst of all this planning, we recognize it is still God who touches our hearts,” Porsche said. “Without His grace, our plans would fall lifeless to the ground. It is our prayer that in the same way Jesus fed the 5,000 with only five loaves and two fish, God will bless our meager offerings and use them to feed the multitudes.”