Religious and Spiritual Life

The Office of Religious and Spiritual life supports the religious, spiritual, and philosophical exploration of students, faculty, and staff at Oxford. This office is under the direction of the college chaplain, Rev. Brent Huckaby. Through our Student Religious Organizations, interfaith and spiritual wellness programming, and pastoral support, we invite all of Oxford to join us in contemplating the big questions of life. Programs and counseling services are offered by the chaplain, and the resources of this office are available to all members of the college community regardless of race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, or ability.

Students can participate in service, social, and religious programs sponsored by the chaplain’s office, the Interfaith Council, and the chartered religious and spiritual life groups at the college. Throughout the year, many events celebrate a variety of faith traditions and their holidays. 

ORSL is built on three distinct, yet interconnecting, pillars:

Thriving Religious Life

We work to make sure that every student who chooses can practice their faith.  Student groups, Religious Life Affiliates, and local faith communities partner with ORSL to make sure students can participate in group activities (worship/meditation/prayer), religious formation, and important holiday celebrations. 

Student Religious Organizations

Much of the religious life on campus is led by our seven Student Religious Organizations:

• Jewish Student Union
• Muslim Student Association
• Buddhist Club
• Hindu Student Association
• Catholic Student Union
• Bread Coffehouse (Christian Protestant)
• OxFellowship (Christian Protestant)

These groups are resourced and supported by ORSL.  Any student who would like to form a new Student Religious Organization can meet with the Chaplain to explore that opportunity.

Religious Life Affiliates

Religious Life Affiliates are outside organizations authorized by the Oxford College Chaplain to support religious life on campus.  These groups are affiliated with a Student Religious Organization. At Oxford these groups include:

• Chabad (JSU)
• Hillel (JSU)
• Bread Coffeehouse
• Emory Catholic Student Union (CSU)
• Emory Atlanta Interfaith Chaplaincy
  • The Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Chaplains in Atlanta are available to connect with our student groups for holidays, events, and religious support.

Local Faith Communities

Many students engage with local faith communities.  ORSL seeks to keep a list of opportunities to provide to students as well as maintain a relationship with many of the faith communities where students attend.  These communities can also, upon invite from student groups or ORSL, support students on campus.

Inclusive Spiritual Wellness

Spiritual Wellness is vital for the wholistic well-being of all students, regardless of faith association.  Spiritual wellness includes exploring your values and beliefs, engaging in reflection, service, and seeking experiences that offer meaning, connection, or a sense of peace.  Spiritual wellness has been associated with positive outcomes in health, psychological, and emotional well-being.

Oxford ORSL seeks to provide meaningful engagement with students that help them deepen their understanding of their place in the world and find meaning, purpose, and connectedness to self, others, nature, and the significant or sacred.  This includes:

• Engagement with OxWell, Oxford’s well-being intitiative. The Chaplain serves on the Oxwell Implementation Committee, and ORSL participates in OxWell events as a representative of spiritual wellness.
  
  
• Collaboration: ORSL collaborates with campus partners to provide inclusive events that enhance students understanding of spiritual well-being, including a Blessing of the Animals, a meditative walk on National Walking Day, lectures and discussions, lecturing for PE classes, and more.
  
  
• Interfaith Programming – The Interfaith Council, led by the student Interfaith Coordinator, gathers regularly for enlightening discussion around spirituality and religion. They also plan events throughout the year to promote religious understanding and tolerance.
  
  
• Global Connections: Each year the Chaplain leads a trip, in partnership with a faculty or staff member, designed to help students create meaning in their lives and connect their religious and spiritual convictions with justice issues including peace, poverty, human rights, and the environment. This program is generously sponsored by the Pierce Program in Religion.
  
  
• Fall Retreat: Each fall ORSL sponsors an overnight getaway for students, faculty, and staff geared towards community building and meaning making.
  
  
• Reflections: The Chaplain provides reflections at faculty meetings, all-staff meetings, Convocation, and Commencement.
  
  
• MLK Week – The Chaplain serves on the Oxford MLK Week Committee and ORSL organizes the annual Celebration of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Old church in the city of Oxford.
  
  
• Baccalaureate – ORSL organizes this graduation celebration, let by student leaders and the Chaplain, of spiritual and religious life on campus. Each year graduates and their families come together the night before graduation at Old Church.

Intentional Care and Community Building

ORSL has a strong desire to see Oxford become a trusting, caring, deeply engaged community.  Programming throughout the year offers opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to deepen their relationships with each other and find support.

• Pastoral Care: The Chaplain is a confidential pastoral care resource for the community. Anyone at Oxford can schedule a time to speak with the chaplain.
  
  
• Community and Personal support – ORSL works to provide support and processing space for community and one-on-one assistance in times of grief or loss to the campus community. We collaborate with other departments to meet student, faculty, and staff needs.
  
  
• Luke Gregory Memorial Compassion Fund: The Chaplain oversees this financial assistance fund started by the family of Oxford alum Luke Gregory. These funds are available for one-time assistance to faculty, staff, and students at Oxford.
  
  
• Chat with the Chaplain: Each week the Chaplain hangs out on the quad to engage students in a “question of the day” meant to provoke thoughtful discussion and meaningful engagement.
  
  
• Take a Break Tuesday: ORSL partners with a different campus department each Tuesday to give the community a chance to “take a break” and learn about different happenings on campus. This is meant to increase student understanding of resources on campus and engage them in conversation with faculty, staff, and each other.
  
  
• Faith and Academia: These dinners bring students and faculty together over a meal to talk about religious life in academia.

Travel Programs

In partnership with the Pierce Program in Religion, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life sponsors two travel programs that encourage global engagement. 

Global Connections

Global Connections is a travel experience designed to help students create meaning in their lives and connect their religious and spiritual convictions with justice issues including peace, poverty, human rights, and the environment. Seminar activities and service offer reflection and meaningful dialogue with others and help participants become agents of change for healthy living both here and abroad.

Journeys

Journeys is a travel program that originated at Oxford College in 1988. Students, faculty, and staff from both Emory’s Oxford and Atlanta campuses travel with and learn from each other—in addition to the people they encounter during their travels. These trips focus on communities around the world that have a history of conflict, violence, and exploitation. Each Journey carries the hope that participants will be transformed into more thoughtful and caring citizens of the world.

Past trips included El Salvador, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Costa Rica, India, the Middle East, Canada, Cuba, and most recently the Texas/Mexico border to study issues of immigration.

View the Religious Holiday Calendar

Contact

OxORSL@emory.edu