Campus Ministry at Lyon College

Holy Grounds is an informal time to meet with Chaplain Maggie. Join her at Morningside Coffee on the first Tuesday of the month for a free cup of coffee. This is a time to hangout, enjoy a time of coloring/ crafts, to relax, to bring your big or small questions about life and faith, or to get away from campus for a moment.

Holy Grounds runs from 10 am – 12 pm on the first Tuesday of the month.

Tomorrow, August 11 is a big day in the life of Lyon. It is our first move-in day for freshmen and transfer students. It is an exciting time and one that carries many emotions for both the student and their support system. As such, Chaplain Maggie offers this prayer for our new students and their support system as the chaos and joy of move-in day commences.

God, our Creator, we ask your blessing as we mark this new chapter in the life of these students and our community. We are grateful they chose Lyon to be their new home. We give you thanks for those who nurtured and cared for them throughout their childhood. May our students be reminded that their support systems uphold them even in this new phase of life and learning. And may they find support in this new home in the coming days.

"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the living of these days."

We know that there are many questions and will be more in the coming hours. What is my roommate like? Does the cafeteria have good food? What if I don't know what to major in? What will class be like? Will I really make lasting friendships? With these questions, we know we are already forming relationships and making choices that will set our course here at Lyon. Grant us all a sense of peace as these choices and relationships shape us.

"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the living of these days."

As we make Lyon our new home, we think of our other home, the place we come from. It was a place we could not wait to leave as we awaited this day. But we have already begun to miss this place and our people. We even miss our anxious sibling who so desperately wants to take over our bedroom. Our parents, who told us they couldn't wait for this day to arrive, are now they are hesitant to say their goodbyes.

"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the living of these days."

God, who calms the storms, calm our anxieties, fears, and doubts as we enter into this new phase of life. We ask for your care and support in these next few days and years that our minds will be stretched and we will find our place at Lyon.

"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the living of these days."

Amen.

This summer we had the help of youth and SLAM programs from First Presbyterian Church, Batesville, AR help organize and sort items to get the Free Store ready for students this fall. From sorting clothes to organizing based on colors to making awesome new signs, we are grateful for the help and can't wait to welcome y'all back this fall.

There are two special members of the Chaplain’s Office: Bear and Smokey

This fall, Bear will begin his 7th year as Chaplain Assistant. He loves welcoming students to campus and enjoys all the treats and love students offer him. You can usually find him on his pillow under Chaplain Maggie’s desk or walking around campus looking for squirrels.

This fall, Smokey will begin his first full year as Chaplain Assistant (in training). He also loves students and enjoys any and all kinds of treats. You can usually find him enjoying his rope toy or chew in Chaplain Maggie’s office.

If you see Bear and Smokey around campus, feel free to say hello and offer a treat or two. Bear’s favorite treats are cheese and fruit snacks, you will win his love with those! Smokey will eat literally anything, he isn’t picky. As long as you offer him a treat, he will be your best friend.

Welcome to the Scots Family!

While Lyon is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., the Chaplain's Office offers a wide variety of opportunities for students to explore their faith.

The person who helps with all our programming needs and service opportunities is Chaplain Maggie. Her office is located in Student Life, where you can find her listening to a podcast or talking to herself as she completes various office tasks.

Chaplain Maggie lives on ice coffee, believes that Disney movies are for all ages, is obsessed with hippos, and hails from the great state of Oklahoma. She loves to cook and try new baking recipes when she isn't traveling and exploring new places. She is convinced that if she could give up her love of bacon, she could become a vegetarian. Maggie has served as a youth director in Arkansas and Alaska, which sparked her love to work with young adults in the church. After earning her Masters of Divinity at Columbia Theological Seminary (2014), she served as the campus ministry intern with college students at Clemson University (2014-2016). She arrived at Lyon to serve as College Chaplain and Director of Service in 2017. Her passion in life is helping empower and equip students for their life and work in God's changing world.

We hope you will stop by and say hello to her in Student Life or wave when you see her walking Assistant Chaplains Bear and Smokey around campus.

Did you know that Lyon College has intentional time set aside for our community for worship and sabbath?

Chapel Hour takes place weekly on Thursdays at 12:15 pm. It is a time when our community stops their activities and work to reflect and reconnect with God and one another. It is a time when no meetings, work, or business take place on campus.

This fall, during Chapel Hour, we will explore the theme: Lies My Pastor Told Me. In our time together, we will take a deeper look at the Old Testament and the stories of our faith that often times are misrepresented or interpreted. We will look at perceptions of God’s personality (the “angry Old Testament God”), the role the Old Testament plays in our lives as Christians, the hyper-violent nature of the Old Testament, and more. We will look how the stories of the Old Testament written thousands of years ago, centuries before Christ, are educational and essential for us as modern-day Christians.

Chapel Hour runs from 12:15-1:00 p.m. every Thursday, except holidays and breaks.

We hope you will join us on Thursdays this fall!

As we prepare for our new year, we want to let you know of TWO important resources for students through the Chaplain’s Office.

First, the Free Store. This resource is located in the Campus Ministry House (corner of 22nd and Highland) and offers a wide variety of clothing from causal to business attire. It is a great place to get that perfect interview outfit of some clothing options for your internship. It also houses a scrubs closet for our nursing students!

Second, the Serve our Students Pantry. This pantry is located in the Student Life Office in Edwards Commons. It offers a variety of perishable and nonperishable food options. There is a gluten free section and an international food section. There is a suggestion box where you can let us know what items you’d like to see or if we are low in stock on an item. The SOS Pantry also houses a cookbook library for students that has books on how to make healthy and delicious food in dorm room settings. This year, thanks to student feedback, we are excited to offer grab and go frozen meal options! In addition to the food offerings, there is a personal hygiene section that contains items like deodorant, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products, and more.

Both the Free Store and the SOS Pantry are supported by donations and gifts from community partners. That means the services of the Free Store and SOS Pantry are completely free to Lyon students.

Hours for the Free Store and SOS Pantry will be set once our student workers are hired for the semester. An email and communication about hours of operation will be shared as soon as hours are set.

We are ONE month away from move-in week! That means that our Residence Life staff will be here soon for training and to get things ready for their residents. It is also a time when faculty and staff are preparing for all the teaching, events, and fun that the fall 2026 semester will bring.

As we get closer to move-in and the start of classes, we will post information on programming, events, and information from the Chaplain’s Office.

We are excited that the countdown clock has started and we look forward to seeing familiar faces and new community members!

Bear and Smokey would like you to know that exams or projects do not dictate your worth or merit in life. You are more than your grades!

If you are needing a break from studying, are completing papers, finishing up exams, or are somewhere in between, Bear and Smokey invite you to join them Tuesday at 3 pm in Student Life for Puppies and Popsicles.

Join Chaplain Maggie at Morningside for Holy Grounds finals edition. Stop by between 10am-1pm on Monday for a free cup of coffee. Stay for a bit to chat or bring your work with you to study.

This coffee break is sponsored by SGA and the Chaplain's Office.