EMS: A Chapel Story

In the task-oriented world of education, Eastern Mennonite School sets itself apart with chapels.  Three times a week, the EMS community gathers not only to learn but to build the core of who they are through shared experiences: prayer, singing, and scripture.

The chapel space is designed to nurture students and meet them exactly where they are. Students and faculty alike are encouraged to open their eyes and hearts to God’s work in the world, cultivating a sense of participation in something greater than themselves.

Students Gather for Prayer Chapel

Chapel and similar formational spaces at EMS classes, teams, and clubs are crucial in developing the communal imagination and insight necessary to perceive and engage with God’s work. While academic classes provide essential skills, these gatherings offer a unique opportunity to respond to the world’s challenges with compassion and empathy and to challenge beliefs and one another to action.

Together, we celebrate achievements, mourns losses, and expand our understanding of the world and our own place within it. Through reading and interpreting scripture based on careful readings in bible classes, they connect to a larger christian narrative with a specific anabaptist lens, recognizing each other as integral parts of an unfolding story. Singing together is a Mennonite tradition and a way of drawing in those of other traditions, of unity, where individual voices blend to create a harmonious whole. In prayer chapels, students, teachers and staff share vulnerabilities and reach out to God, supporting one another with gentle compassion.

“We bring in speakers with different backgrounds and faith, its really enlightening, no matter your personal beliefs, you get to hear about others and their faith journey.” Isabella Jackson, EMHS student

The Chapel schedule is accessible at easternmennonite.org/calendar, and services are available for viewing on the EMS Chapel YouTube channel on Mondays and Fridays. Most services are livestreamed, and recordings approved for public sharing remain on the channel indefinitely. Subscribers receive notifications when new content is posted.

The EMS Chapel is a welcoming space for alumni, local pastors, and friends. Guests are always welcome to attend Chapel in person. Visitors can park in front of the school and enter through the glass doors to sign in at the main office. The auditorium doors remain locked during school hours for security purposes. For further inquiries, contact EMS at 540-236-6000.

“What I want students to carry with them first and foremost, they matter, the world as it is matters, the problems of the world matter, because they are all known and loved by God.” Nathan Hershberger, EMHS teacher

At EMS, Chapel is more than a gathering; it is a vital part of the school’s mission to nurture a community that sees and responds to God’s work in the world.