Spiritual Life at Queens

Enhance your personal beliefs while learning from other perspectives.

With Presbyterian roots, it's no surprise that Queens celebrates your interests in spirituality. Our school is home to a variety of groups such as the Chapel Fellows Program, Catholic Fellowship, Hillel, the Muslim Student Association (Salaam), Young Life and the Fellowship for Christian Athletes. The Multi-Faith Council serves as an umbrella for these clubs, ensuring we work together in mutual respect to address the spiritual needs of our campus.

Each year brings new opportunities for student and Chapel-driven programs that inspire our community to explore its spirituality. 

Fellowship and Education

• Weekend trips to Montreat, the famous Black Mountain retreat center of the Presbyterian Church USA. These retreats are a time to relax, rejuvenate and explore issues of faith in the sanctuary of nature.
• The Chapel Fellows are a special group of students who engage in volunteer service at The Grove Church, then come together for fellowship and reflection on what they encountered. Each week they explore what the scriptures say about a specific theme as well as exploring the theme through other authors.
• The Gospel Choir performs at Belk Chapel services and often travels at the invitation of other schools and churches. A student-based volunteer choir, the group sees gospel music as a means for personal expression and fellowship.
• Students who miss a home-cooked meal have enjoyed Mana Mondays. Hosted by the Chapel, it's a chance to join together over a meal and read something new. Each year brings a different theme, from the sermons of Martin Luther King Jr. to "What's on your iPod: Your Music and Your Spirituality."
• Students are also encouraged to participate in programs offered by the College of Arts and Sciences' Center for Ethics and Religion. Its mission is to educate—through dialogue—the Queens and broader communities on the intersection of ethics and religion in our lives.

Worship

Queens' Belk Chapel offers weekly opportunities for non-denominational Christian worship on campus (Thursday mornings and Sunday evenings), as well as special seasonal programs such as the Moravian Love Feast, a community event featuring the Queens' Chorale and "lessons in carols." We also have relationships with many local congregations at which our students are welcomed.

Our campus offers a number of traditions. For instance, the Moravian Love Feast is an annual tradition that kicks off the Christmas season with a special service in Belk Chapel followed by the Lighting of the Tree.

Jewish Life

Charlotte, North Carolina has been home to a vital and growing Jewish community since Abraham Moses and his cousin Solomon Simons settled here in the late 18th century. Over the centuries, that community has grown dramatically, creating a vibrant Jewish life and contributing to the growth of the city in many significant ways.

As one of Charlotte's premiere universities, Queens is also committed to fostering Jewish life on campus and throughout the community. With passionate and involved Jewish faculty and staff in key positions across the university-including professors and deans as well as staff leaders in academic affairs, student life, marketing, athletics and career services-and with Jewish students from a range of backgrounds, Queens offers a warm and inclusive community that's committed to pluralism and multi-cultural understanding. Jewish trustees, donors, alumni and friends support the university in meaningful ways. In fact, our new Levine Center for Wellness and Recreation is named in honor of one of Charlotte's most prominent couples, Leon and Sandra Levine.

Jewish Life Task Force

In 2013, Queens President Pamela Davies convened a special Jewish Life Task Force to develop a long-term plan to support a more vibrant Jewish Life on campus. The group has identified several areas of focus for its work: 

• Increasing multi-cultural awareness and dialog across faith traditions
• Developing an inter-disciplinary Jewish Studies minor
• Securing professional leadership for Hillel
• Broadening Hillel programming
• Building deeper connections with Charlotte's Jewish community
• Recruiting Jewish students
• Assessing long-term space needs 

In 2014, Talli Dippold joined Queens as the Director of Jewish Life. In 2016, Rabbi Judy Schindler joined Queens as Associate Professor of Jewish Studies. Both of them, and many others, are here to nurture your student and provide a supportive environment for your student in their "home away from home." Since that time, Jewish life at Queens has thrived and we would love to have you join us.

Hillel Activities

Our dynamic Hillel group is active and gaining momentum! During this academic year we celebrated the High Holy Days, Hanukah and Passover. We enjoyed events to usher in the Shabbat and explore Jewish culture through student life programs, Soul Food Shabbat, Cinco de Mayo Shabbat, movies and more. Further, Hillel and its advisor work closely with the university Chaplain to sponsor multi-faith activities and speakers that foster an ongoing dialog among people of all faith traditions at Queens.  For more information, and our current Hillel events please contact Talli Dippold, dippoldt@queens.edu.

The Gossett Jewish Leadership Scholarship

The Gossett Jewish Leadership Scholarship offers a unique opportunity for emerging leaders to actively support the growth of a vibrant, dynamic and pluralistic Jewish community at Queens. Awarded to one student per academic year in the amount of $5,000, the scholarship may be renewed on an annual basis. Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to Judaism and successful leadership experience in their Jewish and/or secular communities. Recipients are expected to be actively involved in Queens' Jewish community. This could mean holding a leadership position in Hillel, supporting the admissions team in recruiting Jewish students, advancing Tikkun Olam with social justice programs or actively participating in inter-faith and multi-cultural dialog. Apply now. 

Service and Social Justice

• Each spring a group of students and faculty travel to Guatemala for a ten-day mission trip centered on inter-cultural understanding and strengthening our faith. Students prepare for the trip through a semester-long course that focuses on the religious history, socio-economic conditions, history and culture of Guatemala, as well as helping the group become a truly caring community.  The students participate in a work project defined by our Guatemalan partners, visit social justice groups at work in Guatemala, worship with local congregations, and learn more about life in Guatemala.
• From January through March, Queens opens its doors through The Room at the Inn program to homeless neighbors from the Urban Ministry Center. Different clubs and organizations from across campus join together to help set up the sleeping arrangements, prepare a hot meal, spend time with our guests, and then cook a hearty breakfast.
• In another project with Charlotte's Urban Ministry Center, the Chapel offers members of the Queens community an opportunity to "Walk in My Shoes." This program gives participants insight into what life is like for our homeless neighbors by experiencing life as they experience it—from the street level. After trying to walk in others' shows, out students reflect on the experience. What insights and questions were raised? They also consider how this experience can lead us to new commitments toward a community where all have a roof over their heads, enough food to eat, and meaningful work.
• The Chapel has joined with Myers Park Presbyterian Church to offer their CROSS urban immersion program for entering first-year students. The CROSS week provides incoming freshmen who are interested in developing their spirituality through social justice and local service opportunities the chance to volunteer in eight local service organizations while living in an intentional, reflective, and simple community.