International chapel, or iChapel as it is currently known, is a place of community and love among different cultures. It takes place every Friday in UTCC on East Campus and is not just for international students. All Azusa Pacific students are invited to join in a multicultural experience with other students as long as they have a Global Pass.
Vijay givnig reflection time after the message Photo credit: Dadrienne Thompson
“Global pass gives me an opportunity to talk about our different approach to a Friday morning chapel, but more than that, a different approach to how we seek to engage with people who are different than us,” said Vijay Jacob, international campus pastor.
Worship Team leading at Friday's iChapel. Photo credit: Dadrienne Thompson
To join in on the international experience one must sign-up online for a Global Pass. This started in Fall 2012 and is running into its third year. A Global Pass is a sticker that is placed on APU ID cards that allows students to come to iChapel and shows that students have committed to the interactive approach of this chapel. The Global Pass sticker is valid until a student graduates and can be replaced if needed. This year, a feature has been added where anyone who is a Global Passholder can bring two friends with them to iChapel any week. Friends can sign-up online and pick up their sticker before the next iChapel to receive a sticker.
The sign-up process is simple and found on the APU International Chapel’s Facebook page. This year, a video was provided about Global Passes with a link that takes the user to the sign-up link.
In the sign-up link, the questions are based around commitment, Jacob said. There are a few questions of interest to iChapel, a section to receive emails for the weekly announcement and a pledge is tacked on the end. The pledge states a commitment to iChapel and the acknowledgement of participation in the chapel.
Leaders giving students global passes Photo credit: Dadrienne Thompson
iChapel asks for participation in different ways and for different reasons. Senior applied exercise science major Jonathan Prawiromaruto, iChapel attendee and previous leader, said that this year the students who attend will be challenged to come out of their comfort zone and that some may not like it.
He went on to explain that there are many different cultures being represented and in the family-like setting that is portrayed, a person’s brokenness will be shown.
“This side can be hard to love, but we learn how to love brokenness,” Prawiromaruto said.
The goal and heartbeat of International Chapel is to bridge cultural and spiritual barriers. This year’s theme, “Moving the 99 to Reach the One” is centered around Luke 15, where Jesus tells the story of a shepherd who leaves his flock of 99 sheep to look for the one lost sheep.
“It’s a theme that really captures the essence of what we feel God is calling us in this season,” senior business administration major, International Chapel worship leader, Micah Kwok said. “In International Chapel, our prayer is that we as Christians would be proactive in reaching the one who has strayed or doesn’t yet know the gift of the Gospel.”
Kwok has been attending iChapel since the end of his freshman year, not knowing what to expect. Now he is entering his third year of leading worship. He expressed how he enjoys the freedom that iChapel brings. He also enjoys the worship, not because he is the leader, but because he believes it is beautiful to worship in other languages and feels that moment is a glimpse of what heavenly worship will look like.
The focus for the speakers will be just as encouraging, according to Jacob. The guest speakers this year will be talking about testimonies of encountering Jesus. Each encounter will bring about the different ways the speaker has heard from God and the impact those messages have left, according to Kwok.
International Chapel is not just about the focus, the passes or the worship, but also family and relationship.
“I enjoy the radical relationships that form during chapel and span out to every day life,” said senior music and worship major Pat Eiwwongcharoen, International Chapel’s intern.
Eiwwongcharoen is in charge of coordinating chapels this year but also looks forward to spending time with students. He clarifies everyday life as relationship through discipleship and friendship.
Prawiromaruto interprets the meaning of family and relationship through something called an Ohana Group, which has leadership that encourages the leader to emphasize family-style community through day-to-day living.
He said his philosophy is, “I care about you in your everyday life.” He believes the ideal discipleship style is shown through this philosophy, allowing people to struggle together in Christ and be genuinely edifying to one another.
“Students who come experience great stuff, feel welcome, get a community to call home, get an intercultural experience and have fun,” Prawiromaruto said. “They also go for hugs.”