Toni Radcliffe ’14: “Be not afraid.” This year’s chapel theme, selected by Upper School Vestry and Middle School Chapel Council, and Lower School representatives adds thematic fiber to this year’s chapel talks.
Although it originates from a Bible verse, for example Isaiah 41:10, the theme has the felxibility for both religious and secular interpretations, allowing for speakers of all faiths and backgrounds. This array of presenters helps to expose Episcopal students to cultures and beliefs they would have not otherwise known. With such diverse speakers, chapel can truly challenge the community’s mind and spirit, and hopefully inspire students to live lives of faith, purpose, and integrity as mandated by the school’s mission statement.
In a recent chapel talk, Jack Keffer ’14 and Timmy Freese ’14, Co-Senior Wardens of the Vestry, stressed the need to look at the theme positiviely. Keffer stated, “This three word phrase is so simple yet so meaningful; it teaches us to have confidence in what we are doing and to approach everything we do in a positive way.” Freese added, “The main point that we really would like to make regarding our theme this year is to take it in a positive way.”
Freese continued, “We think it’s really easy to get a lot of negative speeches with the phrase ‘Be not afraid’ just because it implies that there’s some external force that is pressuring you to meet a deadline or perform at a certain level. We will of course try to avoid having speeches with this tone but what we would prefer everyone take away is… be not afraid to do something that you are afraid of doing, in simple terms.”
By clarifying the theme, Keffer and Freese have thoroughly demonstrated what we should expect in chapel this year. Having done so, they have ensured the legitimacy of the theme and the Vestry’s role in chapel.
In their address, Keffer and Freese also described their process of selecting speakers. “We ask our speakers to include a faith component in their speeches because we want to provoke thought and ask the question what do I believe in,” Keffer explained. This factor of faith may look exclusive. However, Keffer defines faith as “believing in something bigger than yourself.” By eliminating a mention of the divine or deities, the Vestry has stretched their speaker selection to include those of all religions and even no religion whatsoever.
Having a balance between religious and secular interpretations of the chapel theme each year is a good thing because it gives Episcopal students a unified place where all cultures are respected, challenging our minds and spirits and inspiring students in the process.