The Vestry is a group of student leaders who are especially interested in strengthening the spiritual life of the school. These students try their best to pattern their lives in accordance with the teachings of Christ and be a wholesome example to our community.
The Vestry serves as an advisory council to the chaplains, assessing what is effective and what is not effective in Chapel. Members are directly involved in the direction and focus of Chapel content and how it is delivered. While on the Vestry, students participate in a variety of ministry areas, including
- Prayer for students, faculty, staff, and families
- Service in the community, joining God’s work among the people
- Listening for the spiritual needs of the campus
- Collaboration in worship planning groups
- Reflection on the impact of chapel and the planning process
- Innovation for chapel, exploring new paths and creative forms
- Formation as people of faith seeking a closer relationship with Jesus
Beginning in ninth grade, Upper School students may apply to be a member of the Vestry. This group of students take an active role in the spiritual life of the school while planning and leading Upper School Chapels for their peers. To apply, students must be actively engaged in their own faith formation which may include regular church attendance, youth group participation, youth retreats and other opportunities to grow in their faith in Jesus Christ.
Once students become members of the Vestry, they remain on the Vestry (possibly for all four years of their Upper School experience) unless they choose otherwise. The goal of the Vestry is to plan and lead weekly Chapels which:
- Worship and praise Jesus Christ
- Are interactive and engaging to Upper School students
- Carry a relevant and important theme throughout the Chapel
Chapels are NOT planned for the purpose of evangelizing non-believers or to offend non-Christians students. Our guiding objective in all that we do comes from the Baptismal Covenant, in The Book of Common Prayer, is to “Respect the dignity of ALL human beings.”
The Vestry provides many leadership opportunities for our students including senior wardens, senior team leaders, and junior team leaders. All vestry members have the opportunity to lead their peers as spiritual leaders of the school. While the chaplains and other adult leaders help guide the Vestry, students are empowered to choose themes, create chapel elements, and enthusiastically lead chapels from start to finish.
The Vestry comprises more than 10% of the Upper School student body. Vestry members are divided into smaller teams, which allows all voices to be heard and more active participation among every member of the Vestry. Vestry members come from a variety of Christian traditions including liturgical (such as Episcopal/Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist), Baptist, evangelical, orthodox, protestant, non-denominational churches, and many other Christian traditions. Our Vestry members have a vast variety of church and Christian formation experiences which leads to a rich and vibrant Chapel program which exposes all of our students to a wider depth and breadth of Christian worship and formation.