If I’ve said it once in the last few months, I’ve said it a couple of hundred times: at CBC, Christ is central to everything we do. That truth is never more evident than at 1 p.m. every Wednesday during the semester. At that hour, our students, faculty and staff gather for a time of corporate worship we simply call “Chapel.”
Chapel is my favorite time of the week. Our talented, student-led Chapel Band leads us in worship, and I’ve often felt chills run down my spine as I pause to listen to a room full of college students singing praises to our Lord. It is truly powerful. This year, I asked for Wednesday afternoon classes to be pushed back by 15 minutes. This will give us more time in Chapel and will allow the band to return to the stage for a time of worshipful reflection after the sermon.
Our theme for Chapel this fall will be “Press On: How the Gospel Shapes Our Future,” based on Paul’s words in Phil. 3:12-14. By both the religious and worldly standards of his day, Paul was a very successful man. However, he realized that before he met Christ, he had not truly gained anything. He came to understand that the best God had for him could only be attained by pursuing God’s call on his life.
There is no doubt that the world — and even “religion” — offers our students things that seem attractive or even necessary in the moment but can lead to unforeseen heartache later. Society tells them that following Jesus means missing out on life’s best. We know those messages simply aren’t true, and Paul knew that too. Pressing on — chasing after God’s divine purpose and will — is the only way to find lasting fulfillment. That is the message I hope our students receive this fall.
I will kick things off by preaching from the theme passage during our opening Chapel on Aug. 27, and I will conclude the theme during our final preaching Chapel on Nov. 19. The fall Chapel schedule will wrap up on Dec. 3 with Christmas performances from the CBC Fine Arts Department.
Fall 2025 Chapel Speakers
• Sept. 3 — Dr. Scott Attebery, CBC alumnus and CEO of Kyzer Musical Products
• Sept. 10 — Hudson Turnage, senior Bible major
• Sept. 17 — Michael Treat, associate pastor for College and Young Adults at Central Baptist Church in Conway
• Sept. 24 — Devin DiGuilio, CBC alumnus and youth and family pastor at First Baptist Church in Magnolia
• Oct. 1 — Adam Thomas, CBC alumnus, teaching pastor at Wyatt Baptist Church in El Dorado, and member of the CBC Board of Trustees
• Oct. 8 — Drew Tiner, CBC alumnus and youth and worship pastor at Perryville Baptist Church
• Oct. 15 — Dr. Jason Aultman, lead pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Conway
• Oct. 22 — Jeremy Hambrice, BMA Missionary to Papua New Guinea
• Oct. 29 — Chris Lucy, CBC alumnus, pastor of First Baptist Church of Springhill, La. and member of the CBC Board of Trustees
• Nov. 5 — Jason Prewitt, camp director at Daniel Springs Baptist Camp in Gary, Texas
• Nov. 12 — Dr. Billy Crow, CBC alumnus and pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Greenbrier
Please pray for these men as they prepare to present God’s Word to our students each week. Pray that our students will be receptive as the Word is preached and that we will experience a revival on campus as they follow Him more closely. Some students at CBC have never trusted Christ as their Savior. Would you join me in praying specifically for them? There is nothing I would rather see than a great harvest of souls at CBC!
