During this unusual time, the Student Life staff put their heads together to tackle many problems that were presented by moving to online learning part-way through the semester. Tabor campus pastor, Ryan Lee, points out that one of the most important questions he seeks to answer is, “How can we influence our students and help them continue to grow spiritually?”
The spiritual formation programs are designed to cultivate an environment for faith development on our campus. The primary way the College promotes this is through regularly scheduled chapels each Monday and Wednesday at 10 am. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and all the stress of transitioning to online classes, Tabor decided to suspend the usual chapel program format for the remainder of the Spring semester and move to a new approach.
Since one of Tabor’s core values is Christ-centeredness, there are several ways in which the College has continued to offer opportunities for students to grow and stay connected on The Journey (chapel theme) of their spiritual life.
- Tabor began hosting a weekly 15-minute devotional led by one of our faculty & staff members. This is a platform to learn more about Community members and more about our journey with Christ.
- There are sermons posted on the Canvas (academic platform) Chapel page each week. Learning more about Christ and His Kingdom through a diverse range of voices speak truth and life into the student body
- Offering online small groups via Zoom, or other media platforms. Student ministries continue to “gather together” online to learn and grow together in their faith.
- Lastly, continue to encourage students to use the prayer textline to submit any pressing concerns or issues for prayer. Tabor desires to continue to be involved in the life of our students and serve them from afar through the power of prayer.
Ryan Lee admitted, “This has been a learning curve for all of us as we transitioned to this new format. Things will continue to shift, and adjust, as we try to meet our students’ spiritual needs remotely.” While the careful spiritual formation plans of the Student Life staff got thwarted, Tabor is once again showing evidence of remaining faithful in its mission. Plus, the College is learning new things for the future about how to blend virtual and campus-based spiritual formation.