Why Chapel Matters: How Students Grow in Faith at Dock Mennonite Academy

 

For families considering a Christian school, an important question is often: What does faith formation actually look like during the school day?

At Dock Mennonite Academy, faith formation is not limited to chapel, Bible class, or special spiritual activities. It is woven into the life of the school as students learn, build relationships, discover their gifts, serve others, and grow in their understanding of what it means to follow Jesus Christ.

Chapel is one important expression of that larger commitment.

From Early Childhood and Elementary through Middle and High School, students regularly gather for worship, biblical teaching, prayer, music, and community. At the High School, which is the focus of this article, students gather for chapel three times each week.

While High School chapel takes many different forms, its purpose goes beyond adding a worship service to the school schedule. Chapel creates regular space for students to encounter Scripture, worship together, hear the good news of Jesus Christ, learn from one another, and consider how faith shapes everyday life.

During Chapel Orientation at the beginning of the 2026–27 school year, members of Dock's student Chapel Committee shared with their classmates why these gatherings matter and how students can make the most of them.

A Place to Slow Down and Reorient

Jonas Camilleri (’28) began with a reality every high school student understands. School days can be full of grades, tests, sports practices, friendships, activities, and stress.

Chapel creates intentional space in the middle of that busyness.

“Chapel is a time in our day where we have the opportunity to step back, take a break, and focus on God. It's a time we get to listen to a message, focus, and pray, working together and individually to grow in our faith and understanding.”

For Jonas, that matters because “faith goes beyond church. It's something we need to apply to our everyday lives, including the time we spend at school.” He described chapel as a place to “slow down and reorient ourselves towards a more spiritual path.

At Dock, the center of that reorientation is Jesus Christ.

That idea fits naturally with Dock’s 2026–27 theme, Everyday Worship. Faith is not confined to Sunday morning, Bible class, or even chapel. Following Jesus shapes how students learn, work, build relationships, use their gifts, respond to challenges, and live together in community.

Chapel gives students a regular opportunity to pause and remember that larger purpose.

Check out our website to learn more about Faith Integration at Dock

Many Ways to Experience Chapel

One thing new students quickly discover is that chapel does not look the same every day.

Student Chapel Committee member Neva Peterson (’27) described convocations that address important academic or health topics, along with smaller gatherings through advisor groups and interest groups. Interest groups bring students from different grades together around shared activities—from fishing and games to arts and crafts—while incorporating a biblical theme or Bible study.

Lydia Sensenig (’28) described why that format matters: “I like having the mix of grades in each group because it lets you get to know the upperclassmen better and build friendships.

Neva experienced that herself as a younger student.

“Interest groups have been really impactful to me, especially when I was an underclassman, to hear from older students who gave wisdom to me about school and faith in general.”

Throughout the year, students can also look forward to worship through music, visiting groups such as college choirs, and messages from pastors, alumni, parents, faculty, and fellow students.

These experiences look different as students move through Dock, but the larger purpose stretches across the school: creating age-appropriate opportunities for students to encounter Scripture, worship together, ask questions, learn from others, and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

They are also reminders that Christian formation happens in community. Students do not learn what it means to follow Jesus only by receiving information. They learn by worshiping, listening, serving, questioning, encouraging, and living alongside one another.

Learning to Listen to One Another

Lydia shared that speaker chapels provide opportunities to hear wisdom from both outside guests and members of the Dock community.

That includes students themselves.

“This is also a unique way to receive wisdom as a community by listening to each other,” Lydia explained.

She also reminded her classmates that standing in front of the school and sharing something meaningful is not easy. “It takes a lot of vulnerability,” she said, encouraging students to be open to receiving wisdom whether the person speaking is an experienced pastor or a classmate they never expected to see on the chapel stage.

That willingness to listen to one another is an important part of faith formation at Dock.

An Anabaptist/Mennonite understanding of Christian education emphasizes that faith is lived as well as learned. Students are invited to practice following Jesus in community—to listen carefully, discern together, extend grace, serve one another, and consider how the teachings of Christ shape relationships and everyday decisions.

Chapel provides one regular setting where that kind of formation can happen.

Faith and Academic Excellence Belong Together

Jonas ended his reflection with perhaps the best explanation of why Dock continues setting aside this time three days each week:

“At the end of the day, school doesn't revolve around getting good grades. We're here to grow in our relationship with people and our relationship with God.”

At Dock, that does not mean academic achievement is unimportant. Quite the opposite.

Academic excellence is an essential part of a Dock education. Students are challenged to think deeply, work diligently, develop their gifts, and prepare well for what comes next.

But Christian education understands that the purpose of learning is larger than achievement alone.

Dock seeks to educate the whole person. We want students to become thoughtful and capable learners while also growing in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, learning to live faithfully in Christian community, and discovering how their gifts can be used in service to others.

Faith and learning therefore do not compete with one another at Dock. They belong together.

The classroom, chapel, athletic field, stage, lunch table, service experience, and relationships between students and teachers all become places where students are being formed.

Becoming People Who Follow Jesus

Chapel is one of the places where that formation happens—week after week and, in age-appropriate ways, throughout a student’s years at Dock.

Students slow down. They worship. They encounter Scripture. They hear the stories and wisdom of others. They build relationships across grade levels. They ask questions. They learn to listen. And they consider how the good news of Jesus Christ shapes the way they live.

Those practices matter because Dock’s goal is not simply to produce students who know more about Christianity.

We want students to know and follow Jesus Christ.

We want them to pursue excellence in their learning.

We want them to become people who live faithfully in community, serve others with their gifts, and carry the love of Christ into the world.

Chapel is not the whole of faith formation at Dock. But it is an important rhythm within a much larger vision of Christian education—one in which faith, learning, relationships, worship, and service are woven together.

That is what makes chapel about much more than another gathering on the school schedule.

It is part of helping students become the people God is calling them to be.

Come experience how faith, learning, and community come together at Dock Mennonite Academy. Schedule a campus visit, attend an open house, or learn more about becoming part of the Dock community. Schedule a tour today!

Grades 9–12 Open Houses

• Saturday, October 10, 12:30–2:30 p.m.
• Saturday, April 10, 12:30–2:30 p.m.

Families are also welcome to contact the Admissions Office to arrange an individual campus tour.