Every Moment Holy Worship Night Comes to Baylor
Spiritual Life welcomes “Every Moment Holy” author Douglas Kaine McKelvey for worship with Baylor students, Waco community Sept. 29 at Waco Hall
Baylor University students gather in prayer during the annual Collegiate Day of Prayer held at Baylor in spring 2024. (Matthew Minard/Baylor University)
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Baylor University Spiritual Life will host author Douglas Kaine McKelvey for a night of worship for Baylor students and the Waco community centered around McKelvey's new book, Every Moment Holy: Rites of Passage, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, in Waco Hall. The event is free, and attendees can register here for an online ticket.
The night will feature a worship experience through song and liturgies from McKelvey's Every Moment Holy that focus on young adults and the “unique day-to-day trials, joys, hopes and griefs” they face during this season of life.
“I became familiar with the best-selling prayer book called Every Moment Holy before I ever knew who had worked to bring this beautiful work of art into print,” said Charles Ramsey, Ph.D., University Chaplain and dean of Spiritual Life at Baylor.
“Each of these books contain beautifully crafted prayers for different moments of the day, whether daily like ‘starting a new day’ or ‘for the first cup of coffee’ but also for ‘doing chores’ or ‘having conflict with my roommate,’" Ramsey said. " These prayers remind us that God is with you at all times, and that we can grow in awareness of God’s presence and to voice our dependence upon God. I often don't know how to pray, or what to ask, and a book like Every Moment Holy helps me find words and is a resource to bring prayer into more areas of my community and life.”
McKelvey’s prayer book series has found widespread success, with more than 600,000 copies sold according to the Every Moment Holy website. The books have been translated into a live experience featuring worship, art and prayer. The experience aims to take attendees on a narrative journey from doubt, disappointment and sorrow to a place of renewed hope. As the tour travels across the country, it strives to reach as many young adults as possible.
“I hope that participants will walk away uplifted, encouraged and inspired to be more attentive about the place of prayer in our lives and in our community,” Ramsey said. "I hope participants will be touched by a work of art on the screen or hear scripture in a new way as it is prayed aloud and feel that these were somehow crafted for their situation, their heart, for this very moment. I would love [for them] to be a person of prayer and for Baylor to be a community marked by prayer.”
Campus worship
Every Moment Holy is among the many worship services and prayer gatherings at Baylor and the signature worship event for this fall. In the spring, FM72, an annual 72-hour on-campus prayer and worship event coordinated by Baylor’s Office of Spiritual Life in conjunction with local churches and campus ministries, is held at the center of campus on Fountain Mall to prepare the hearts of students, faculty and staff for the Easter season.
These opportunities to gather together – and alongside the Greater Waco community – underscores the findings of Baylor’s longitudinal Faith and Character Study, including the powerful impact of attending a local place of worship on the spiritual development of Baylor students. Ramsey and his ministry colleagues actively partner with area churches to develop ways for students to connect with a local church family, where they can feel cared for, nurtured and loved while they are here in Waco.
“We celebrate Waco as a ‘city to believe in,’” Ramsey said. “This brings together a hope that our city will prosper with the realization that churches and Christian ministries are vital to the flourishing of our community. We can pray together, worship together and we hope that students will find a local church. I believe that the local church is vital for students to grow in faith and character, and to become mature disciples. Nights like these help students to connect with families from across the city, to form new friendships and to find a church home.”
Bobo After Hours, Author Q&A
Directly following the worship night at 8:30 p.m., Baylor students can attend Bobo After Hours at the Bobo Spiritual Life Center. Hosted by Baylor Pastoral Care, the event will provide students with fellowship, free food and giveaways.
On Sept. 30, Baylor Spiritual Life, the Institute for Faith and Learning and Truett Seminary’s Anglican Episcopal House of Studies will host a Q&A with McKelvey, moderated by Rev. Tish Harrison Warren, C.S. Lewis Theological Writer-in-Residence, at 10 a.m. in Barfield Drawing Room in the Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB). In addition to the discussion, attendees can enjoy a free breakfast. RSVP here.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for nearly 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.