Religious Life

Spiritual Life at Capital

College is the time when you really start to define yourself and decide what shape you want your life to take. What inspires you? Where do you turn for support when times get tough? As a Lutheran university, Capital gives you many opportunities to explore your beliefs and live them out in service to others.

Every Capital student is a welcome member of our spiritual community. It doesn’t matter if you’re Catholic, Methodist, Jewish or Muslim instead of Lutheran. If you’re not sure what you believe, or if God just isn’t on your radar screen right now, that’s OK, too.

Capital’s strong Lutheran tradition creates an environment of freedom and community for all of our students.

Learn in an Atmosphere That’s Open to the Spirit

At Capital, we’re willing to grapple with the big questions that give deeper meaning to academic learning. Ethics and values are a part of life, which is why they’re also an essential part of a liberal arts education at Capital.

Every Capital student has religion and ethics course requirements. And if you want to explore these issues further, you can choose from an extensive list of related electives.

Explore Your Beliefs through Our Active Worship Community

Capital’s on-campus worship services are open to everyone, Lutheran and otherwise. We hold four services a week in Kable Chapel in the Kerns Religious Life Center:

• Holy Communion (Sunday at 10:45 a.m.)
  A service in the Lutheran tradition
• Chapel (Wednesday at 10 a.m.)
  A worship opportunity for faculty, staff and students
• Candlelight Worship (Thursday at 9:30 p.m.)
  Contemporary prayer and praise

Live Your Beliefs through Faith-Based Clubs and Activities

There are plenty of opportunities for learning, fellowship and community service at Capital. And you can be as involved as you want to be.

Join with other Christians in:

• The Campus Congregation, Capital’s Sunday morning worshiping community
• FISCh, our student outreach team, which does lock-ins and retreats in area churches
• Lutheran Student Movement, a group for students interested in Lutheranism and in connecting with like-minded students from other colleges and universities
• Catholic Student Organization, the group responsible for Catholic Mass on campus
• Campus Crusade for Christ, a national program for college and university students that focuses on evangelism
• Gospel Choir, a student-led singing group for people interested in the gospel tradition

Explore important faith-related issues through:

• Monday Night Bible Study, a group led by members of a large, local church that is primarily African-American
• Immersion experiences, short but intense retreats that may be held in the city, country or wilderness
• Movie groups that meet to watch and discuss popular films from a spiritual perspective
• Discussion groups on topics such as racism and sexuality
• Lectures by special speakers who share their thoughts about faith, ethics and the Bible

Take your faith on the road with:

• Mission trips devoted to serving a variety of people in and beyond the Columbus area
• Alternative spring break trips, which are extended service-learning experiences to places far from our local area (past destinations have included Belize, Costa Rica, California, Florida and Louisiana)
• Weekend retreats on faith-related topics
• Special events, including the CROP Walk and events centered on social justice

Bond with fellow Crusaders through:

• Concerts on campus by Christian bands such as Lost and Found, Jars of Clay, Third Day and Caedmon’s Call
• Volleyball, bowling and softball games (because sometimes you just have to blow off some steam!)

Our University Pastor Is Always Here for You

Our university pastor, Amy Oehlschlaeger, is available to support you spiritually and answer any questions you have about the Lutheran faith.

Feel free to contact her anytime at (614) 236-6214 or aoehlsch@capital.edu .