University of Dubuque Begins Sunday Worship Service
Sep 13, 2016
DUBUQUE, Iowa – University of Dubuque Campus Ministry will launch Impact Christian Fellowship, a new weekly worship service, at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 18, 2016, in Blades Chapel.
“The culture of our worshiping community will be shaped by the priorities of quality worship practices reflecting a variety of backgrounds,” said the Rev. Dr. Jim Gunn, Edwin B. Lindsay Undergraduate Campus Chaplain. “We desire to see students formed and prepared for living the faith after college.”
Even though the worship service will be geared towards students, Gunn believes people of all ages will be blessed by attending. Everyone, including the Dubuque community, is invited to weekly worship services at 5:30 p.m. Sundays in Blades Chapel. Worship will last for about an hour.
Students will play an integral role in the worship service. The Rev. Dana Perreard, campus pastor and associate chaplain for worship, has been instrumental in expanding the music ministry, developing a growing number of student-leaders on the worship team. Perreard joined the staff full-time this summer and brings extensive experience in youth, pastoral, and music ministry to this effort.
“I am inspired to see so much excitement and dedication among the students to share their gifts of leadership and music,” Perreard said.
Components of the new worshiping service will be funded with a $15,000, Vital Worship Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Campus Ministry will use the grant to enrich worship and faith formation within the University’s diverse community. Faith formation will be enhanced by retreats, leadership development, and student leadership.
The grant is one of 28 totaling more than $350,000 awarded for 2016 by CICW to churches and schools in North America. The CICW’s Worship Grants program, in its 17th year, has funded more than 750 projects since its inception. The program is supported by Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. Founded in 1937, the endowment’s major areas of concern are community development, education, and religion. For more information on the grants program, visit worship.calvin.edu/grants.
Impact Christian Fellowship is an outgrowth of the Christian fellowship among students at UD. It was a natural next step in increasing the ministry with students beyond the shorter chapel services that occur mid-week. Gunn and Perreard believe that the joyful fellowship among the students will be contagious for other adults, and the student will serve as role-models for those people who are younger.
“We recognize there is always a need for authentic, Christian community,” Perreard said.
