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Encyclopedia of Lee University History
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Worship and Chapel

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​A Brief History of the Development of Corporate Worship at Lee University

Lee University is committed to the holistic development of students and, therefore, takes seriously the spiritual enrichment of the student’s life. One way of engaging students spiritually is through corporate worship. 

Although there is no detailed history of chapel services during the formative years of Bible Training School (BTS, now Lee University), students’ written and oral testimonies offer a glimpse of the importance of corporate worship. In the earliest years the classes met at the Evangel Publishing House and shared space with publishing house employees and denominational leaders. These groups met together daily for times of devotion and prayer. Some students also attended family prayer at the home of A.J. Tomlinson, the leader of the Church of God at that time who lived across the street from the publishing house. Meeting corporately for a time of scripture reading and prayer was a daily requirement of students and teachers at the Bible school.

Other times of worship for BTS students occurred primarily within the classroom, and sometimes the singing and prayer were rather impromptu and spontaneous. One of the first twelve students, Jesse Danehower, of Arkansas, later reflected about that first term: “We students and Sister Chambers spent many precious and happy hours reading, studying, praying, and shouting the high praise of God. These were some of the happiest hours of our lives.” Mississippi student Grant Williams enrolled in November 1918 and often reflected about Nora Chambers, the teacher, leading students in prayer and worship between their studies. Williams particularly remembered when several students were filled with the Holy Spirit as the class sang “O I Want to See Him,” a recently published hymn at that time. Music enhanced their worship experiences and was an important part of the school from the beginning. Many students brought their own instruments, such as guitars, banjos, mandolins, saxophones, trombones, and accordions. 

Today, Lee students enjoy more structured corporate worship through regular chapel services. For those first students, this was experienced by participating in the weekly services and revivals at nearby North Cleveland Church of God, with some students choosing to attend the South Cleveland Church of God. The school’s Catalog provided clear instructions: “All students will be expected to attend Church and Sunday School regularly and no one will be permitted to be absent without permission.” 

In 1920 BTS relocated to the former sanctuary of North Cleveland Church of God, as the local congregation had occupied a newly constructed building across the street, the Assembly Auditorium. By 1925 the school had outgrown the sanctuary and joined with North Cleveland Church in sharing the spacious Assembly Auditorium. (Once a year Church of God members converged on Cleveland to conduct the official business of the denomination and to enjoy worship and fellowship together. They met at the Assembly Auditorium. During the remainder of the year, the building housed the services for the North Cleveland congregation and served as home to the Bible school.) This is relevant because the spacious auditorium of this building allowed the school to begin more structured worship services as part of the school. However, the frequency at which these services were held is unclear. 

When the Young People’s Endeavor (Y.P.E.) began in 1929, this denominational initiative for training youth was quickly adopted by the Bible school. BTS organized its own Y.P.E. chapter, which held a weekly service and operated very much as a spiritual life club. The student-led Y.P.E. at BTS actively engaged with the spiritual life of the school and assisted with various projects to benefit the school and students.

In 1938 BTS relocated to Sevierville, Tennessee, occupying the property which previously housed the Murphy Collegiate Institute. There, some students attended church services at the local Church of God congregation that met on High Street. However, that local church’s building was too small to accommodate all of the students and its own congregation. The Bible school then conducted its own regular services, including Sunday School, Sunday morning worship, Sunday evening preaching, midweek prayer meeting, and Saturday evening Y.P.E. Revivals were held at various times throughout the term as well. A required chapel service was conducted four mornings each week, and one morning was reserved for club meetings during the usual chapel hour (Monday through Friday). 

It was during the school’s time at Sevierville that the students began reciting the benediction at the close of each chapel service. When Mary Elizabeth Harrison [Green] was hired at BTS in 1942 she suggested the practice of corporately reciting Psalm 19:14 at the close the prayer at each service. This practice continues today and is known as the “university benediction.” For more than 80 years, students and faculty alike have ended each service reciting this verse of scripture as a prayer. It is one of the most enduring traditions at Lee.

When the school returned to Cleveland in 1947 as Lee College, corporate worship continued as a vital part of students’ spiritual life. Chapel and other worship services followed the same structure and format as it had at Sevierville, and the 1948 Catalog offers more detailed information:

Chapel. This service is held four mornings a week and has become an integral part of the institution. Here the entire school meets to seek divine guidance for the day and the faculty and students learn to know each other better; together they are inspired to strive for more efficient service. Students are required to be present at all chapel services.

Sunday School. This service is conducted each Sunday morning. The superintendent, other officers, and teachers are elected by the school. All students are required to take an active part in the Sunday School. [By 1951 students were permitted to attend Sunday School at one of the local churches instead of on campus, if they chose. However, the dormitories were checked to be sure students were not sleeping in.]

Sunday Morning Worship. This is an important part of the college religious program. The students regard it as the most sacred service of the week. The Robed Choir or some choral group frequently sings and the president, some member of the faculty, or a visiting minister usually brings the message. [As with Sunday School, by 1951 students were permitted to attend one of the local churches instead of on campus, if they chose.]

Sunday Evening Service. A guest speaker or some ministerial student selected by the program committee usually brings the Sunday evening message. These services afford great inspiration and experience for the individual, as well as an opportunity for the student body to worship together. [Students were expected to attend the Sunday evening services.]

Friday Night Prayer Meeting. This is an informal assembling of the students for the purpose of worship. Students selected by the program committee are in charge.

In 1949 chapel services decreased to only three mornings each week. Club meetings continued on Wednesday mornings and an academic assembly was conducted the other morning, which alternated between Monday and Thursday mornings during various years. Sunday School, Sunday morning services, and Sunday evening services continued. All students were required to attend.

In the 1950s and 1960s it seems Sunday School and Sunday morning services were held on campus some years and not conducted on campus in other years. However, by 1968 on-campus Sunday School and Sunday morning services had returned and continued for another decade. Students had the option of attending on campus or at one of the area churches, However, students were required to attend the weekday chapel services and the Sunday evening services. 

The weekly morning club meeting was discontinued in 1970 and a chapel format of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday was instituted. This continued until the late 1980s, when chapel decreased by two days each week to a Tuesday morning and Thursday morning format. The Sunday evening service remained, and each was required by full-time students.

Today, Lee University remains committed to corporate worship and offers four different chapel services on Tuesday and Thursday mornings each week and one Sunday evening service each month. Full-time students are required to attend 70 percent of chapel services offered during the semester. Lee provides students with diverse expressions of worship (traditional, series, and liturgical) as a reflection of unity in the Body of Christ. 

Spiritual Renewal. Spiritual focus and encounters with our Holy God are embedded into the spiritual DNA of Lee University. Reverend Nora Chambers was the first teacher when the school began in January 1918 and of that very first day of class she later remembered: “I felt such a load settle over me the first morning we opened the school. I didn’t think I could carry it, but as the students prepared their lessons, I prayed. Soon I felt the presence of an unseen Guest. He assured me that He would be with us and help us, and He did.”
 
Grant Williams enrolled as a student in November 1918 (the same year the school was started) and told how the teacher, Nora Chambers, often led students in prayer and worship between their studies. Williams particularly remembered an occasion when the power of God fell upon them in a unique way in the classroom and several students were filled with the Holy Spirit as the class sang the hymn, “O I Want to See Him.”
 
From Lee’s very beginning, we have relied on the presence and power of God to lead, guide, and empower us. That same presence of God that Nora Chambers felt on the first day is with us still.
 
Since the school beginning, students have engaged in a special emphasis week each semester. In earl years this was referred to as Spring and Fall Revival. Today this is Convocation. Some years have been particularly impactful for students. 
 
As an example, in 1935, the week of revival services had an influence on the whole campus. Prayer was key. Students began a prayer chain, by which they took turns praying each day between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. That year, the school had about 170 students enrolled. Of those, 30 students did not profess to have a personal relationship with Christ. As a result of the revival spirit that permeated the campus during the regularly scheduled revival and the weeks following, by the end of the semester all but two of the students had received salvation, and many also professed to being sanctified and filled with the Holy Spirit. One of the students who had accepted Christ that semester testified, “My whole heart’s desire is to become a useful servant of the Master.”
 
In 1962, students began a 24-hour “prayer chain” that stirred revival fires. At the Fall Revival that year, an outpouring of God’s Spirit energized the campus and confirmed callings for many students. A report from the revival noted, “’If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face… then will I hear from Heaven….’ Once again this command and promise was proved to be unfailing as the Lee College faculty and student body banded together in unity, seeking God… [As] God’s glory filled the Temple in the days of David and Solomon, so did He fill the Lee College auditorium from the opening of the revival to the closing night…. Several students were saved, other sanctified, and many baptized with the Holy Ghost; this revival will live forever in the minds and the hearts of many as a time of having received Divine direction from a consistent Christian life.”
 
At the Spring Revival in 1987, a time of outpouring occurred and, according to the reports, “the likes of which had not been seen at Lee in many years.” Several individuals found clarity concerning God’s call on their life to a variety of vocations through which they could be a witness of Christ to the world.
 
Often, during these periods of heightened spiritual awareness and seasons of spiritual renewal, the effects are evident across campus life. There have been all night prayer meetings in dorms and impromptu worship services in campus community spaces, such as the Ped Mall in later years. Students have been drawn to have personal or small group Bible study or prayer gatherings. Authentic spiritual renewal has brought with it the fruit of taking seriously one’s responsibility to be a witness to the world and to the campus, to be engaged in ministry and in course study. At times, the impact has reached into the broader Cleveland community, especially the local churches. 
 
There also have been at least two other spontaneous, student-led prayer gatherings at Lee, in 1950 and again in 1970.
 
The following is the report from such a meeting in 1950: “There have been spiritual showers, sprinkles and drizzle drazzles all along upon Lee College, but Sunday night, February 12, [1950] it reached a spiritual cloudburst, and the fire of the Lord continued to fall through Sunday night, the 19th. In fact, the blessings of the Lord were still upon the School in such a gracious manner that it was with quite a bit of difficulty that classroom work was resumed [after the weekend break] on Monday morning, the 20th, and yet I am sure there is a different atmosphere in every classroom.
 
Although the revival came as the result of prayers by the School and hundreds throughout the Church, yet its actual beginning was not planned. And yet, though the revival was programless (with very little preaching), one could not think of a revival that was more orderly and where things were done more in keeping with the evident will and good pleasure of the Holy Ghost. Every service was different, but in pretty much every service certain things happened that happened in the very first service—confessions, repenting, restitution, singing, testimonies, students saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost, sick bodies healed, and God’s will revealed to students concerning what their work should be in the homeland and in foreign countries.” It was referred to as a revival that gave Lee College a rebirth.
 
Another such gathering occurred in 1970, also soon after a similar gathering at Asbury. The following is the testimony from Gail Solomon: “In 1970 I was a student at Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee, and the same mighty spirit of revival broke out at Lee as did a few weeks earlier at Asbury College. At Lee, it all started with a few students who were praying earnestly and crying out for more of God. This small group of students committed to earnest praying began to grow. The prayer meetings had to be moved to the Lee auditorium because of the growth. The meeting was student led. All day and all night prayer meetings began. The auditorium was filled with hungry students crying out to God. It was intermingled with worship, prayer, testimonies, and repentance. Many were born again and filled with the Holy Spirit. God’s conviction took over. The tangible Presence of God took over the campus. No one wanted to miss the meetings in the auditorium because God’s presence was so strong. It will forever be in my memory. My cry is God do it again, on campuses, in churches, in cities, in states and in nations. Do it in individuals. Do it in me and let your holy fire fall upon us anew. Burn out everything that’s not like you, so that we will reflect Your glory. Amen… so be it Lord!”
 
These are only a sample of the various ways the Holy Spirit has met with the Lee family collectively through the years. What each has in common is the students were impacted personally, but they also received guidance and direction from God concerning various callings for their life. Students realized their encounter with God wasn’t only for them personally, but also as vessels through which the Holy Spirit would minister to others. They surrendered their lives of God and He empowered them to be His witnesses throughout the world. And, in the process, the campus experienced spiritual renewal.
 

Timeline:

1918-1925: 
  • Daily scripture reading and prayer corporately
  • Corporate worship services at a local church
  • Attendance required at each

1925-1938:
  • Scripture reading and prayer offered in each class
  • Corporate worship services at a local church
  • Some corporate worship services at the Auditorium; frequency uncertain
  • Attendance required at each

1938-1948:
  • Chapel services instituted for four mornings each week
  • Sunday School, Sunday morning services, Sunday evening services held on-campus
  • Attendance required at each
  • Reciting the university benediction began

1948-Late 1980s:
  • Chapel services held three mornings each week; attendance required
  • Sunday evening worship services; attendance required
  • At times there was on-campus Sunday School, Sunday morning services, and weekly prayer services; other times students were encouraged to attend these services at a local church

Late 1980s:
  • Chapel services held two mornings each week and Sunday evenings
  • Attendance required at a certain percentage of services

Currently:
  • Chapel services held two mornings each week and one Sunday evening each month
  • Students required to attend 70% of chapel services each semester (unless exempt)

​/ L.F. Morgan
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