UNW Chapel

In our final chapel of the school year, Pastor Chris shares Paul's final statement to the Galatians (6:18).  "The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit brothers.  Amen."  We hope that you have been blessed by this year's chapel content and Christ-inspired grace.  

Anita Cline-Cole is an alum and current leader at the University of Northwestern.  Her story inspires us--even in the midst of grief--to love God and trust what he has in store for us.  

With only a few verses left in Galatians, Pastor Chris leads us towards God's plan for our lives---through grace!  

Randall Wallace is a nationally-recognized storyteller and screenwriter, perhaps best known for writing the screenplay for "Braveheart."  Randall joins the UNW Community at chapel to talk about our "freedom" in Christ.  You need to listen to this episode!  

Pastor Chris uses Galatians 6 to help us see what the Gospel Deployed looks like in our faith.  

Matt is a Northwestern Alum with a great story of redemption and God's unwavering grace.  

Pastor Chris highlights Galatians 5:16-26, reiterating that the Christian life is not about earning or effort...it's about enjoying the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  

Andy Youso is an alum and radio personality at 98.5 KTIS.  Andy joins chapel to tell his story of God's continuous pursuit of him throughout his life.  

Pastor Chris leads us into Chapter 5 of Galatians after spending time Defining the Gospel (ch 1 and 2) and Defending the Gospel (ch 3-4).  Now we are onto Deploying the Gospel!  

Jason Sharp is the Senior VP of Media at Northwestern Media, overseeing the ministry of all of our local radio stations and podcasts.  Jason's passion for Jesus and service comes thorough in his personal testimony shared in chapel today.  

Drew Stevenson is the lead pastor at Redemption Church and also the director of Salt Co.  He leads us through Galatians 4:21-31.  

Pastor Chris shares Galatians 4:8-20 on slavery--and how that we ought not go back to the idols of our pre-Christian selves.  

Savannah is a former RD at Northwestern and she shares her story of how God can take the broken and make it fresh and new.  

Anna Rask Emison is an Assistant Professor of Old Testament Studies at the University of Northwestern, where she has been teaching Old and New Testament studies since 2017.  Passionate about biblical studies and theological education, Professor Emison is dedicated to equipping students with a deeper understanding of Scripture and its relevance for faith and life. She shares her story with the UNW community today!  

Galatians 4 is a powerful chapter.  Pastor Chris encourages UNW with 1. Slavery is behind us, 2. the law is off of us, 3. the spirit is in us, and 4. our inheritance is before us!  

Aaron Pompilio has a story to share about a God that pursued him even though the challenges presented to him in early life.  Enjoy this story and let it encourage you!  

Pastor Ross Tenneson is the lead pastor at All People's Church and also a 2011 UNW Grad.  Ross continues leading us through the book of Galatians.  

Pastor Chris continues walking through Galatians reminding us to read the Bible as a window into Christ...not simply a mirror to reflect on ourselves.

Dr. Sawyer is a beloved, long-time professor and conductor of UNW Choirs.  His decades-long impact on this campus is a testament to God's humor, creativity, and giftedness that he's imparted on Dr. Sawyer.  This is a good listen!  

Pastor Chris kicks off semester 2 in Galatians 3:5-9.  To summarize, "God is not calling us from our badness to our goodness...He is calling us to His Purpose."  

Jon Taylor is the Campus Pastor at Eagle Brook Church in Minneapolis and has a passion for following Jesus and telling stories.  By digging into two questions, "Who am I" and "What am I worth?", Jon encourages us to lean on Jesus as we look for our dignity in the world and purpose in our work.    

Pastor John Sommerville serves as the Chief Financial Officer at UNW.  While serving as a pastor at City Church in Minneapolis, John wrote a series of Christmas stories and shares one of his favorites with our student body today.  Pour some hot chocolate, make a fire, and enjoy John's story.  

Pastor Chris defines the gospel as Galatians 2:16:  "Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ."  And that is great news!  Justification, being the pone time event in which God equips us with Christ's perfect righteousness.  

Jason Peterson has served as a worship pastor for years at Emmanuel Covenant Church in Shoreview, MN.  Jason's life and story are on full display as he unpacks how Christ has--and continues--to work in his life.  

In Galatians Chapter 3, Paul asks a series of questions to the Church:  How did you get saved?  How have you actually grown?  and How have you seen God's power?  The answer?  "By hearing with faith."  Pastor Chris leads UNW through another Galatians reminder about God's grace through faith.  

Matt Swigart is the Head Tennis coach at the University of Northwestern.  He shares his story of God's grace through his father's battle with cancer.  

On this very special Veteran's Day Chapel, Brad Fenske, Associate Registrar at UNW and 20-year Army Veteran, and John Morris, retired Colonel and Chaplain, share their stories of God's incredible provision for them and others in the US Armed Forces.

Pastor Chris unpacks Galatians 2:17-20 which is perhaps the key verse in the entire book.  Being "crucified with Christ" means Jesus has moved into our lives in that one can't tell us apart.  

Our speaker today is Dr. Melissa Mork.   Her master's and doctoral degrees are in clinical and forensic psychology and she is a professor and former department chair of the Department of Psychology, Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement here at UNW.   When she is not teaching, she provides crisis interventions and post-trauma triage for survivors and families affected by mass shootings. She is a celebrated international keynote speaker and global consultant, a clinical psychotherapist, grief coach, a Certified Humor Professional, and a couple years ago, she competed for Minnesota's Funniest Person at Acme Comedy in Minneapolis.    Dr. Mork has authored a few books on topics of grief and mental health (all available in our bookstore and library). She is the host of the podcast, "Mental Health with Dr. Melissa Mork" and the founder and CEO of Mental Health Matters. She currently has more than 40,000 followers on TikTok.  Her hobbies include SCUBA, throwing ugly pottery, and laughing at her own jokes. 

Good people don't make it to heaven (Gal 2:15).  Only JUSTIFIED people do.  Pastor Chris encourages UNW to have Gospel Confidence in Life and Gospel Comfort in Death.  

Northwestern's aim is to develop Christian leaders in the home, church, community and world.  Jeremiah 24 tells us--as believers--to seek the prosperity of our communities.  This gives a biblical justification for civic engagement.  In this episode, Bret Hyder shares opportunities for Christians to engage on a more meaningful level.  

Pastor Chris speaks from Galatians 2 when Paul speaks out against Peter for being hypocritical about the Gospel that is so freely given through Justification.

Pastor Chris emboldens us to embrace these years of preparation.  Paul prepared 14 years---how much can we learn about Christ when we embrace where we're at!  

To kick off Homecoming week, Heidi Anderson- a 2010 graduate from UNW--shares her story of God's amazing work in her life of healing and thriving.  Heidi is an author, speaker, and today encourages our students with the promise of Romans 8:28, which ensures that "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him."

Dr. Glenny has been a professor at UNW for over 20 years and leads us through Galatians 1:11-24.  He shares how Paul develops credibility by sharing his testimony, which reveals that Jesus shared the Gospel with him--not man. 

President Hoornbeek shares his personal story of coming to faith and how God can redeem people from broken families, broken relationships and sin in the most creative and miraculous ways.  

AJ Swoboda is a nationally-renowned speaker, podcaster and author from Eugene, Oregon.  He claims that Jesus "ruined his life" (in a good way) by getting into all of the facets of his life.  "The sign that grace is working in your life is when you give permission to let Jesus talk to you about the hard stuff." 

Brett Toney--a UNW alum and lead pastor at Westview Church--shares his story of how a tragic accident brought him closer to God's grace.  

Pastor Chris compares Christians living for the approval of man instead of the approval of God, reinforcing God's immense love for us.  

Pastor Chris preaches from Galatians 1:6-9, highlighting Paul's astonishment at the Galatian people.  To add to the Gospel is to weaken the Gospel.  

Welcome to the first chapel of the 2024-25 school year, where Pastor Chris kicks off the season of UNWavering Grace with Galatians Chapter 1.  

Listen in as we celebrate our spring '24 graduates with reflections from President Hoornbeek, Dr. Sommers, and student speaker, Abigail Thelen.  Chapel Date: 5/6/24

Darrin, our Director of Spiritual Formation Programs, wraps up our year-long series on the Kingdom of God, and shares about what the fulfillment of the Kingdom will be like.  Chapel Date: 5/1/24

Pastor Edrin, Lead Pastor of Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis, shares about how God invites us to move out of what's familiar in order to be used by him for the Kingdom. Chapel Date: 4/29/24

Our director of Alumni and Parent Relations, Monte Abeler, welcomes our honored guests for Grandparent Day, and presents the Grammy Award and Grampy Award to two special recipients. Also, it's The Week of Prayer and Service at UNW! Listen in as we are led in a meaningful time of worship and prayer.  Chapel Date: 4/24/24

Sandeep was a child living in poverty in Calcutta India. His life was changed because of a sponsor in the US who provided the funds for him to attend school. He also met Jesus! Today, he is a Global Partnership Manager at the ministry, OneChild, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Chapel Date: 4/22/24

Jon Odom is pastor of The Avenue, a church on the campus of the University of Minnesota. He shares with us what true maturity in Christ looks like.  Chapel Date: 4/17/24

Dayton, our Assistant Director of Worship Arts and Spiritual Formation Programs, shares about the "expansion of the Kingdom" after the life of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Chapel Date: 4/15/24

Dr. Brandon J. O'Brien is back with us again today. Listen in as he shares why it's important to "diversify your discipleship".  Chapel Date: 4/10/24

Dr. Brandon J. O'Brien is senior director for content development and distribution for Redeemer City to City in New York City and the author of several books including "Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes". Today he shares with us how the details of our calling can be a moving target.  Chapel Date: 4/8/24

Listen in as Kayla Hoye, Dean of Students here at UNW, shares a biblical vision of diversity and inclusion for our campus community.  Chapel Date: 4/3/2024