Students: Belong, Worship, Serve with Duke Chapel!
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Students on the Chapel tower
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Students on the Chapel tower
We would like to get to know you! A Chapel minister can be in touch with you, if you take a moment to fill out this brief form.
The Chapel offers undergraduate and graduate students many ways to connect their faiths and learning at Duke. See below for ways you can belong, worship, and serve through the Chapel.
Religious Life Groups
There are twenty campus Religious Life groups, plus two Chapel Affiliate groups, from a wide range of religious traditions that offer worship services and belonging in a faith community. Working with these groups, the Chapel also provides opportunities for thoughtful, intentional interfaith engagement.
Chapel Worship Services
The Chapel is home to a long—and living—tradition of faithful preaching and inspiring sacred music. Join us for our ecumenical Christian worship services Sunday mornings at 11:00 a.m. and throughout the week. Students are also invited to participate in the Chapel’s weekly services by serving as ushers, lectors, communion servers, scripture readers or also by leading prayers.
Chapel Choirs
Chapel Music aims to create high quality musical experiences, while giving glory to God and stirring the hearts and minds of all those it reaches. Duke students are invited to join one of the Chapel’s three choirs to learn music, form friendships, and be inspired. All are welcome to attend open rehearsals on Wednesday, August 24, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, and Sunday, August 28, from 9:00 to 10:30 am. Auditions for the choir will be held by appointment from August 29 through September 2.
Seeking Your Spiritual Direction
Students are invited to join a four-week series at the start of the semester to explore the diverse array of spiritual and religious opportunities on campus. This program is open to all students, from any religious tradition or none. Each week, participants will have some simple exercises to do on their own. Students will gather weekly for about an hour of discussion.
Just Tea
Held Mondays from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Chapel's Student Ministry lounge, "Just Tea" is an opportunity for students to gather with one another and Chapel ministers for conversation without the pressures of grades and academics. Come to listen, come to share a story, or come just to enjoy the tea. The Student Ministry lounge is room 0037 of the Chapel basement; to get there, enter through the basement door facing to the Bryan Center and the room will be immediately on your right.
Contact the Chapel's director of Religious Life
Durham Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope
Students, Duke community members, and others are invited to discover how their spiritual journeys are connected to our city of Durham through the Durham Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope. Held on the weekend of September 9–11, the pilgrimage is led by DurhamCares, a local nonprofit with a mission to foster collaboration, develop leaders, and educate the people of Durham to care for their neighbors in holistic ways. Space on the pilgrimage is limited.
Theology Underground
Students are invited to participate in Theology Underground, a series of guided conversations about how culture, identity, and race impact the way we live out our faith and beliefs. The Rev. Racquel Gill, the Chapel’s minister for intercultural engagement, will lead the discussions. Each month, the series will engage with a different cultural community and learn about their unique and creative ways of imagining God and living out their faith. Theology Underground begins Tuesday, September 13, at 6:30 p.m. in the Mary Lou Williams Center Underground Multipurpose Room.
A Just Faith Community Course
In "A Just Faith" community course, open to students and community members, participants will have opportunities to examine their own traditions around justice topics and learn from the greater Durham community through local practitioners.
Healing Our Communities from Racialized Trauma
In collaboration with the nonprofit Community Empowerment Fund and Episcopalians United Against Racism, Duke Chapel will hold a half-day workshop on Saturday, September 17, on “Healing Our Communities from Racialized Trauma.” The in-person workshop is from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Fellowship Hall of Elizabeth Street United Methodist Church (1209 N Elizabeth St. in Durham). It will present concepts, practices, and community-building exercises based on the book My Grandmother’s Hands by therapist Resmaa Menakem. Participants are invited to see how these skills for racial healing and racial justice can be applied in their contexts, especially within faith communities. The gathering is also an opportunity to make connections with community groups. Refreshments will be provided. Masks are required.
Chapel Scholars
Among the many students who connect with the Chapel, a select group embarks on a journey of faith and learning related to questions of purpose, meaning, and calling. These students are the Chapel Scholars. Chapel Scholars form an interdenominational community of Christian students connected to the Chapel. Together, they ask and seek answers to life’s deepest questions. Through study, service, counsel, and worship, Chapel Scholars build community across traditions and are formed together in faith. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
C. Eric Lincoln Theology & Arts Fellowship
The C. Eric Lincoln Fellowship is a semester-long program that 1) provides funding to a student for a sacred art project and 2) invites the fellow to broaden the reach of artistic expression at the Chapel. Applicants must be active students in good standing at Duke. The fellowship runs the length of the spring semester. The Lincoln Fellow is expected to produce a visual art exhibit to be displayed in Duke Chapel near the end of the spring semester.
Nighttime Tower Climbs
Students can sign up for a special nighttime Duke Chapel tower climb on the third Thursday of each month. This trip up the Chapel tower is an opportunity to share a memorable experience with fellow students and get a rare view of the campus and city at night. Registration becomes available the week of the tower climb with time slots avaible between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Space fills up quickly!
Student Workers
The Chapel hires students for a variety of jobs from worship coordination to communications. See what student jobs are available.