Worship and Music
Worship is integral to Candler’s identity in the Wesleyan tradition of piety and ecumenicity, and to its mission of preparing “faithful and creative leaders for the church’s ministries in the world.” Worship forms and transforms the school as a community of faith. As a distinctive time when members of the Candler community, alumni, and visitors gather collectively before God to confess, pray, sing, profess, testify, listen, and celebrate communion, worship deepens our Christian witness before God, one another, and the world.
Worship and Spiritual Formation
Spiritual formation at Candler is nurtured through shared worship and participation in diverse program offerings supporting spiritual life and growth. Worship at Candler centers the daily and weekly rhythms of our gathered community. In worship we are part of a larger, global community, which is both formative and expressive of Christian life, faith, and practice. Under the direction of the Office of Worship and Spiritual Formation, student coordinators and volunteers plan and lead worship that embodies many styles and traditions. The community gathers for a Service of Word and Table on Tuesdays, and a Service of Word on Thursdays. Episcopal Evensong or Holy Eucharist is celebrated on Wednesday evenings. Candler students are also welcome at University Worship services. For more information, visit [http://candler.emory.edu/life-at-candler/spiritual-life/worship-music/ index.html](http://candler.emory.edu/life-at-candler/spiritual-life/worship-music/ index.html).
The associate dean of worship and spiritual formation coordinates an array of small groups and focused programs to enhance student spiritual life and development. These include group and individual retreats, spiritual direction, and opportunities to learn about various spiritual practices. Recent “spiritual learning” events have focused on formation in community through shared meals, discernment, contemplative practices, spirituality and the arts, mindfulness, and spiritual direction.
In Cannon Chapel, a dedicated spiritual formation space provides resources for both curricular and non-curricular programming that enhances student learning and spiritual growth. With a smart classroom, labyrinth, kitchen, and the adjacent Emma McAfee Cannon Prayer Chapel, the space offers opportunities for retreats, special seasonal activities, workshops on varieties of prayer, meditation, and other forms of spiritual practice, spiritual direction, and vocational discernment as well as quiet space for individual prayer and meditation.
Students create and facilitate small groups for prayer, meditation, and discipleship. Students and faculty also find spiritual nurture through informal gatherings and through programs initiated by student organizations and certificate programs. Relationships with faculty and staff, as well as with other students, also provide spiritual guidance and nurture.
Religious Programs of the University
The Office of the Dean of the Chapel and Religious Life is the center of religious life and programming for the Emory campus. Opportunities for worship, education, study, service, and community life reflect the religious diversity of the Emory student body.
University Worship, an ecumenical service led by the dean of the chapel and religious life, is held at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday in Cannon Chapel. The Whole Earth Choir and the Voices of Inner Strength Choir lead the choral life of these services. All Emory students, faculty, and staff are invited to join the choirs. Roman Catholic Mass is held at 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. each Sunday during the academic year. For detailed information about the various religious programs of the university, please visit http://www.religiouslife.emory.edu.
Music at Candler The diverse music groups at Candler provide musical leadership for weekly chapel services. The Candler Chorale, open to all members of the community, rehearses and sings weekly, and is available for credit. The Candler Singers, an auditioned choir, sings weekly in chapel and represents Candler at events in the city and beyond, with concerts and brief tours. Candler Voices of Imani, a gospel choir, rehearses weekly and sings in chapel several times each semester. The newly formed team, “WorshipNew,” explores a variety of contemporary genres. Students are encouraged to volunteer their gifts as instrumentalists, soloists, and liturgical dancers, either individually or in small ensembles. The larger Emory University choirs, orchestra, and wind and percussion ensembles also are open to Candler students. For more information, visit http://www.candler.emory.edu/life-at-candler/spiritual-life/worship-music/index.html.
