Fun, Engagement, and Meaning: Middle School Chaplain John Mark Elliott Adds More to Students’ Chapel Experience

Every week at CCES, Lower, Middle, and Upper School students come together in worship. Far from being mere congregants, students play integral roles in every service as acolytes, readers, or musicians. This year, Middle School Chaplain, John Mark Elliott, has introduced even more ways to invite and encourage participation from students. "In addition to Monday Morning Prayer, we now have Friday Morning Prayer as part of our weekly schedule. Every Friday morning at 8:10 a.m., our school community pauses for a moment of prayerful silence followed by a student-led or faculty-led prayer,” he says. 

In this way, students begin and end the week with moments of pause and reflection. “We kick off the week with words of encouragement, and we end the week with words of gratitude,” he says. Students from every grade (5th-8th) are invited to participate by offering a prayer. 

Another addition is the fun and innovative Gospel Actor Team. As a subcommittee of the Middle School chapel team, students act out the gospel lesson each week in chapel. The goal is to heighten student engagement with the gospel text in a way that is developmentally appropriate. And to have fun! So far it has been a great success. “Christ and his message really do come alive when you see students physically embodying His life before your very eyes,” says Mr. Elliott. 

A third addition is the launch of the Middle School Chapel Instagram (@ccesmschapel). The social media page is run by student chapel team volunteers with oversight by Mr. Elliott. “It is a space devoted to celebrating the religious life of our Middle School community. There, our parents, faculty, and students can find a recap of the Middle School homily, a quick summary of the “Word” from our weekly prayer services, and information about different religious life events happening on campus.” 

So far, Mr. Elliott says the students’ response to these new additions has been overwhelmingly positive. “Student participation and ownership in the liturgy of worship is key to living out our Episcopal identity at CCES. We believe that students leading students will always create a more fun, engaging, and meaningful chapel experience.