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On Wednesdays at Conrad Grebel University College, before the student body sits down together for Community Supper, a group of students, faculty, and staff choose to gather in the Chapel for a worship service. Because of the pandemic, these services have changed quite a lot. Like everything else, they had to move online.

Some aspects of Chapel have stayed the same, but others had to be adapted for the online format.  Chapel still consists of a student speaker and a speaker from Grebel faculty and staff. The aspect that’s changed the most are the musical segments which are fewer and pre-recorded.

“In the fall, when we weren’t in the red zone, we were able to have the hybrid version of Chapel where we could be in person and online at the same time,” said Ed Janzen, the Chaplain at Grebel. “It was a life line to be connected with each other like this.”

The hybrid version allowed a limited number of residents into the Chapel where the chairs were spaced in a staggered circle. Completing the circle was a webcam and a monitor with all the faces of associates, apartment dwellers, and others from the Grebel community who joined via Zoom.

“We sat around and experienced a sense of equality that technology didn’t hamper,” Ed commented.

Sarah Driediger, a first-year student living in Ottawa said, “It really did feel as if I was part of the community and part of the circle, even on Zoom.”

“It has been really nice including people who are on co-op terms or out of town,” added Catherine Bergs, a member of the Chapel Committee. “Normally, we lose associates from the Chapel team and people who regularly attend Chapel because they have to move out of town for co-op.”

Even if associates are doing their work term in Kitchener-��ݮ��Ƶ, it can still be hard for them to attend Chapel. Before the pandemic, Chapel started at 4:30pm, a time when most students were working. However, with the lack of Community Supper and more availability in the Chapel schedule, the service now starts at 7pm. This schedule opened up the possibility for co-op students like Suomi MacCarthy to attend Chapel and be part of the Chapel Committee. “It’s been nice to come to Chapel regularly during co-op because of the scheduling change,” said Suomi. “Chapel has been a weekly grounding time for me - a time to calm down and get away from work for a little bit.”

Due to the newly found flexibility in time and scheduling, there have been new additions to Chapel services.

“In spring, we had a lot of breakout rooms.” Suomi explained, “The breakout rooms give us a good opportunity to hear other people’s thoughts and think a bit more about what the speakers said.”

Sarah added, “It’s really nice to get to know other people who are coming to Chapel. As a first year, I appreciate getting to know people and having social interaction, since I’m living in Ottawa.”

“Rituals aren’t a big part of Mennonite worship,” Ed explained. “The one thing we do have is a relationship with the people we worship with. The only way to facilitate that relationship is in conversation. If we’re going to be a truly worshiping community we have to be in conversation with each other while we are in worship, and the technology enhances this.”

Communication during worship is something Zoom’s chat function has allowed to happen. “I love seeing comments from people,” said Catherine. “We’re not from a church tradition that calls out ‘Amen’ during the service, but sometimes people will type in the chat ‘that was so powerful’ or ‘you did such a good job.’ It makes my heart very full. People can share a thought as it comes to them without being disruptive.”

Even though technology shapes and enhances the Chapel experience, Ed said, “there’s this immersive experience during Chapel where we forget about the technology.”

 “When there’s a really powerful message from the speaker or when the music hits close to home, I forget that I am just sitting in my living room at home watching it on a screen,” said Sarah.

Suomi added, “We’re having fellowship in the presence of God and each other. It doesn’t matter that it was over a Zoom call.”

The pandemic has caused a revolutionary change in the way Chapel at Grebel is conducted and some changes might be here to stay.

“I don’t want to go back to only in-person services,” Ed said. “I like the hybrid model. We become a larger community and a more continuously connected community when we’re able to reach past the geography of our spaces.” Ed added, “During this pandemic, we have continued to find community with God and with each other, and technology has helped us with this journey.”

Written by Abby Rudy-Froese