Chris Bowen has earned many names and titles since he joined Roanoke College 12 years ago to serve officially as Dean of the Chapel. He is also known as Chaplain Chris, Reverend Bowen, or simply Chap when he’s called affectionately by many students. Since joining the staff in the summer of 2013, Bowen has overseen all spiritual life on campus, culminating each year in his hosting Baccalaureate for our graduates. “It’s an interfaith service of blessing that I’m very proud of. I always enjoy the opportunity to share a message with the senior class. It’s turned into an opportunity to bring fictional characters to life over the course of the last couple of years. Like last year, bringing Ted Lasso to life was a particularly fun memory. The Baccalaureate is always the Friday evening before graduation, so this year it’ll be on May 2 at 4:30 pm in the Cregger Center basketball arena. There will also be live music, the choir, and student religious group leaders sharing a blessing for our seniors. We will also remember a student who started with the class of ‘25 but passed away, Colin Newby.”
“The unique relationship with alumni was not something that I understood very well as I became a Chaplain for the first time in 2013. Most of the job, you think about working with students who are here while they’re students, but the ability to continue to stay connected with our alumni is one of the things that I really treasure. The longer I’ve been here, the more opportunities I’ve had to be a part of important life events of alumni. I absolutely treasure those connections.”
Chaplain Chris likes to relax with Legos and has enjoyed building them since he was a child. He enjoyed showing the Lego X Wing Fighter in his office along with other Star Wars memorabilia.
“Salem, Virginia, is the longest I’ve lived anywhere in my life, so it’s a pretty special place.” Born in Rock Springs, Wyoming, Bowen spent his early years all over the Upper Midwest and went to middle and high school in Raleigh, North Carolina. He attended Roanoke College’s sister school in Hickory, North Carolina, right off Interstate 40, called Lenoir-Rhyne. Chaplain Bowen then went to graduate school at NC State, where he pursued a PhD in genetics, and even got published with a clear route to becoming a professor. His two years at NC State came to an end when something changed. “The call to ministry just got super strong for me, so I resigned my position in the genetics department and stepped away from my PhD work and moved on to go to seminary. While I was in seminary, I got to do a full year of internship in Massachusetts, so I got to live there and experience New England life and culture for a year. After seminary, I was assigned to serve a congregation in northern Wisconsin, where I lived before coming here.”
“I have a lot of experience [with speeches], unfortunately, and that’s actually one of the great ironies. When I was in college, public speaking was the thing that I struggled with the most, especially with the nerves and the anxiety of speaking in front of a group of people. It’s probably one of the things that, at first, kept me from even considering going into Christian ministry: the thought that I’m going to have to talk in front of people at least once a week. So that’s something I’ve had to work really hard on.”
Talking about the origin of Theology On Tap, Chaplain Chris said, “There was a small group of students when I arrived in 2013 who were meeting, most of them majoring in the religion and philosophy department, and they were curious of how they could get more people involved in what they were experiencing: this small conversation, exploring topics and issues and questions that are really important for young adults. We decided early on, one of the ways we could do that is if we made it a little bit more inclusive, instead of making it one religious perspective, we’d allow for there to be multiple religious perspectives and worldviews. Then the conversation diversified and became so rich and rewarding that everybody appreciated the perspectives that were shared and that’s just grown. We’ve found a way of evolving through the years and hopefully staying relevant and giving students a place to really think and learn. With the campus ministry, I also help organize R Daily Bread, one of the ways we stay connected to our Luther roots. Every Wednesday at 9 pm in the chapel, there’s a prayer and communion service. This year, my student staff and I kind of reimagined it. It was an opportunity to think about the bread of life and how bread is an important part of our daily living. So we’ve added fresh-baked bread and tea as part of how we share fellowship and get to talk with one another after the service. It’s been a delightful way of bringing some of the things that I learned from the [Pacific NorthWest] May Term, which I helped Dr Hartman with, back to campus.”
“I absolutely want to thank my family for making this possible. My wife and kids were completely supportive and continue to be of my call to the college. I want to thank the Board of Trustees and the administration for trusting me to be the fourth person ever to be chaplain of Roanoke College, so it’s a huge honor. Also, both my current and first administrative supports, Toni and Kathy, respectively, they’ve been a huge part of my experience here. And the countless faculty, staff, and student leaders whom I’ve worked alongside. Over the last 12 years, we’ve had a really impressive array of students come, and we are always better for the students who come here.”
Juniper Rogers
Folks At Noke Editor
