Worship Life

Worship is central to community life at CTS. Through worship we encounter the divine and celebrate the many gifts we have each been given. Through prayer, song, dance, as well as the preached word, we engage in worship as a diverse community seeking to both share and learn from each other. The central worship event happens in the main 4th floor chapel each Wednesday at noon during the fall and spring semesters.

Any individual or group can sign up to prepare and lead a worship service during the academic year. As such, worship takes on a variety of forms and expressions. One week may be a formal convocation, while the next week may be a class performing a drama on the global HIV/AIDS crisis. Following the liturgical calendar may bring an Ash Wednesday service to chapel, while following current events may bring a prayer vigil honoring those who have been killed in wars or armed conflicts. Worship is yet another manifestation of the diversity at CTS.

Aside from Wednesday worship services in the main chapel, there are other times and places where the community comes together in worship. There is a smaller chapel space—the Clark Chapel on the 1st floor—for those who seek a place for individual prayer and meditation or for groups who desire a smaller, more intimate worship space. There is also a small space, the Wells Clarke Meditation Room, available to students 24/7. There are many other places inside and outside of the Seminary buildings where worship occurs.

The Arts

CTS believes that a holistic theological education requires opportunities for students to encounter the arts and artists as part of their transformative seminary journey. Like religious experience, encounters with art create spaces for new relationships and the possibility for change. Art and expressions of creativity are a crucial part of worship services and other more formal ceremonies at CTS. It is also a part of the classroom experiences. Integrated into a number of courses are opportunities for students to understand the role of art in religious practice as well as social transformation. Students may benefit from seminars conducted by professional artists or they may be called upon to contribute their own art to public display at CTS or in another Chicago context.