The Tuskegee University Chapel has long served as the primary venue for religious, intellectual, and cultural gatherings. Keynote speakers in Chapel events have included: the presidents or presiding bishops of major religious bodies; numerous elected or appointed public officials, including a U.S. President; college/university and seminary presidents; corporate executives; leading researchers in science and technology; highest-ranking military officials; noted scholars; talk show hosts; celebrated artists/entertainers; and civil rights icons - all of whom represent the intent of providing the Tuskegee University community with those voices which most decisively influence the cosmopolitan world in which we live.
Meditations from The Inward Journey by Dr. Howard Thurman read by Dr. Gregory S. Gray, former Dean of the Chapel
God of power and justice, like Jeremiah you weep over those who wander from you, turn aside to other gods, and enter into chaos and destruction. By your tears and through your mercy, teach us your ways and write them on our hearts so that we may follow faithfully the path you show us. Amen.
Contact Us
Tuskegee University Chapel 1 Booker T. Washington Blvd Tuskegee, AL 36088
Phone: 334-727-8322 or 8614 Email: jhileman@tuskegee.edu
Worship
Sunday Worship Services and Tuesday Prayer Nites are held in the Chapel.
CHAPEL WORSHIP SCHEDULE FOR AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2025
Tuesday, Aug. 19
8 pm
Prayer Nite
Sunday, Aug. 24
9:30 am
Worship Service Speaker Rev. Cecil Duffie Dean of the Chapel
Tuesday, Aug. 26
8 pm
Prayer Nite
Sunday, Aug. 31
No Worship Service (Labor Day weekend)
Sunday, Sept. 7
9:30 am
FALL CONVOCATION Guest Speaker TBA
Tuesday, Sept. 9
8 pm
Prayer Nite
Sunday, Sept. 14
9:30 am
Worship Service Speaker Rev. Cecil Duffie Dean of the Chapel
Tuesday, Sept. 16
8 pm
Prayer Nite
Sunday, Sept. 21
10 am
Ecumenical Service, as part of Investiture weekend Guest Speaker Dr. Bill Winston, '67 Senior Pastor, Living Word Christian Center
Tuesday, Sept. 16
8 pm
Prayer Nite
Sunday, Sept. 28
9:30 am
Worship Service / Parent's Weekend Speaker TBA
Tuesday, Sept. 30
8 pm
Prayer Nite
MEDITATIONS --
The Creation
Liturgical Dance: Ms. Najiya Shakir Dramatic Reading: Former Dean of the Chapel, Dr. Gregory S. Gray
Liturgical Dance: Ms. Najiya Shakir Dramatic Reading: Dean Gregory S. Gray
Sunday, February 21st Gospel Music Concert Tuskegee University Golden Voices Concert Choir Directed by Dr. Wayne Barr Accompanied by Mrs. Brenda Shuford
April 19, 2015 Piano Recital -- Dr. Barbara Acker-Mills, Department of Psychology and Sociology Organ Recital -- Dr. Wayne Barr, Department of Fine and Performing Arts
Education
RELIGION AS THE SUBJECT OF ACADEMIC INQUIRY
“Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). The overall mission of the Tuskegee University Chapel continues to be that of providing for the nurturance of that dimension of human experience variously known as spirituality, faith, or religious orientation, in support of the core values of the institution, and with a view toward the attainment of the highest of human possibilities in our contemporary culture and the world.
“The ‘saints above’ and the ‘saints below’ all attest to the experience of a Sacred Reality, even in the midst of human pain and suffering, which renders life meaningful, offers hope, and calls forth the highest possibilities of human ingenuity, compassion, commitment, courage, and resilience.
Indeed, no truly ‘educated’ individual could fully grasp the meaning of human history and culture without discerning the powerful ways in which the great world faiths have impacted the human story, and the quest for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.”
Pastoral Care and Counseling
The Dean of the Tuskegee University Chapel sends out a Daily Meditation to the university community.
The Tuskegee University Chapel provides Spiritual and Pastoral care and counseling for members of the Tuskegee University family. If you need to talk, please schedule an appointment by calling the Office of the Dean of the Chapel - Phone: 334-727-8322. At this time, all appointments are via Zoom.
Tuskegee University Counselors would like new and returning students to know there is support available.
College life is about change, growth, and transition; it can be exciting but not always easy. If you need help with challenges that may arise in your life during this semester whether big or small, Counseling Services offers a “confidential and nonjudgmental” environment in which you can freely express your thoughts, feelings, and concerns.
Students may seek counseling for: Academics, anger, anxiety and stress, behavior, college adjustment, dating and domestic violence, depression, grief, loneliness, life decisions, motivation, relationships, sexual assault, sexuality, and suicidal ideation.
TU Counselors value, respect the dignity of, and promote the welfare of their clients as well as others. Call 334.727.8244, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST (telephone consultation) to schedule an appointment, depending on what is deemed appropriate by the counselor and student.
Civic Engagement
Tuskegee University HIV/AIDS Awareness
On Saturday, March 5, 2022, Tuskegee University Chapel represented the University at an HIV/AIDS Awareness Event at the 57th Annual Jubilee Bridge Crossing in Selma, Alabama. The Chapel joined forces with Selma Air and other community partners to make this event possible. The day was filled with presentations, vendors and exhibits, food, and a fashion show.
Reverend Michael Thurman, Assistant Chaplain and Dr. Tracey Shannon, Interim Dean of School of Nursing and Allied Health and Dr. Vivian Carter, Department Chair of Psychology and Sociology, represented Tuskegee University. Tuskegee University’s participation was made possible through a HIV/AIDS Capacity Building Grant provided by Interfaith Youth Core.
Tuskegee University Chapel Helps Combat Food Insecurity
Assistant Chaplain, Reverend Michael Thurman has been actively engaged with the Macon County Minister’s Council Backpack Program. This is a program organized through their Food Pantry Ministry. The Backpack Program was developed to help meet the food insecurity needs of the students in the Macon County Public School system, by providing them with food during the weekend. On Friday mornings Reverend Thurman, Guy Trammell, Food Pantry Ministry Coordinator, along with other volunteers from the community gather in the parking lot of Booker T. Washington High School to load the school buses that deliver the food to various communities throughout Macon County.
Weekly Statistics:
Number of households served 1,049
Number of buses loaded 14
Average Number of volunteers 6
Food Items included in the boxes varied according to the season
June 2021 - Food Distribution to the Warrior Stand and Cotton Valley Communities
Guy Trammell delivering food to Cotton Valley in Macon County, AL
Assistant Chaplain, Rev. Thurman, assisting with deliveries.
Rev. Thurman distributing food to the residents of Warrior Stand in Macon County, AL
October 2021 - Food Distribution at the Cotton Valley Community Center
The Rev. Michael Thurman and Mr. Guy Trammell,
helped the staff at Cotton Valley Center
prepare and distribute food boxes for the Cotton Valley communitty.
World AIDS Day Forum December 2021
A candid discussion about the HIV virus and the AIDS conditions it causes that is ravaging the African American Community. This project is in support of World AIDS Day, a day set aside each year to globally raise awareness and to call for, not just management strategy, but for a cure for HIV/AIDS. Tuskegee University's Assistant Chaplain, Reverend Michael Thurman, serves as host for this dynamic dialogue. This event is sponsored by Tuskegee in conjunction with its partners Interfaith Youth Corps, Gilead Compass Initiative and the Wake Forest University School of Divinity.
RESPONSE TO COVID-19
The Tuskegee University Chapel ministry team, the Tuskegee University Community Engagement Task Force, and Emanuel Solutions team up and present the community with some practical advice on the use of digital technology to stay connected during the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rev. Michael Thurman and Rev. D. J. Manuel discuss COVID-19 as it impacts the church and community.
TU CHAPEL and AMERICA READS AMERICA COUNTS INITIATIVE
The Tuskegee University Chapel is in partnership with the Financial Aid Office, and The Macon County Public Schools System, to assist students in improving proficiency in reading and math skills. This is a part of The Chapel’s Civic Engagement Initiative, which involves the University Chapel in endeavors essential to the broader community. The service that our students provide has been made possible through America Reads America Counts program, which is a federally funded program provided through the Work-Study Program. Students work alongside local educators to provide tutorial services primarily in the areas of reading and math for up to twelve hours each week during the school year.
Tutors participating in America Reads America Counts Civic Engagement Initiative must be awarded Federal Work-Study and have their own transportation. Interested participants should contact Reverend Michael Thurman at 334-727-8614 or via email at mthurman@tuskegee.edu.
Rev. Thurman orienting the new volunteers
Mrs. Minnifield, Afterschool Coordinator, assisting America Reads, America Counts tutor, Ms. A'daisia Shields with tutoring
Ms. Shields tuturing at the elementary school
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY OF SERVICE
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Project is one venue in which Tuskegee University students can participate in the University Chapel’s Civic Engagement Initiative. The Day of Service Project is held each year on the MLK, Jr. Birthday holiday under the banner, “A Day On, Not A Day Off.” Interested participants should contact Reverend Michael Thurman, Assistant Chaplain, at (334) 727-8614 or via email at mthurman@tuskegee.edu.
Additional Civic Engagements Activities in which the Chapel has participated:
Provided support and assistance to Tuskegee University’s Community Engagement Task Force, which was tasked with coordinating the University’s response to the Coronavirus in the Macon County Community.
Provided support and assistance for Active Minds Student Organization’s Suicide Prevention Grant through the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Assisted with the delivery of 682 vials of VTM (Coronavirus Testing Media) to the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Provided support and assistance to the Macon County Minister’s Council Food Pantry Ministry to coordinate delivery of food to 750 households within the Macon County Public School District.
History of the Chapel
The centrality of religious life at Tuskegee University has been evident since its founding, and remains a vital focus of the University's vision of service to humankind. Indeed, the Tuskegee University Chapel has played a significant role in the spiritual development of generation after generation of Tuskegee students.
The original chapel was built between 1896 and 1898, through the generosity of the Phelps Stokes family. It was designed by Robert R. Taylor, director of Tuskegee Institute's Department of Mechanical Industries and the first African-American graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Chapel was constructed almost entirely of student labor, using 1,200,000 bricks made in the Institute brickyard of Alabama clay. Upon completion, it was the first building in Macon County, Alabama to contain interior electrical lights, which were installed by the instructor and students of the Institute's electrical division.
A writer for the New York Sun referred to the Tuskegee Chapel as "A Cathedral in the Black Belt." Indeed it was an imposing structure. However, on the night of January 23, 1957, the historic chapel was destroyed by fire.
The present chapel, with its awe-inspiring sanctuary, was constructed between 1967 and 1969, on the same location as the first edifice. It represents a gift to the University of thousands of grateful alumni. The architects were Paul Rudolph of New York and the African-American firm of John A. Welch and Louis Fry (both Welch and Fry were former Tuskegee Institute Faculty members).
The present chapel is studied by students of architecture throughout the United States because of its unique and distinguish design, having no right angles. The "Singing Windows" from the original chapel were reproduced and installed in the current chapel. It has been described as "one of the remarkable structures designed for any college in the United States and abroad."
The Chapel has long served as the center of campus for religious, cultural and intellectual gatherings. Guest speakers for both the original as well as the present chapel have ranged from U.S. Presidents, foreign heads of the state, and other persons of note, such as Mary McLeod Bethune and Martin Luther King , Jr. Currently, the Chapel serves as the home of the famed Tuskegee University "Golden Voices" Concert Choir.
THE SINGING WINDOWS
In the original chapel, the stained glass windows were located in the "chancel" (the area where the choir sits). In our present facility, they are located in the narthex.
These windows, now known as the "Singing Windows," designed by J & R Lamb of New York and installed in the 1932 chapel renovation, portrayed eleven beloved Negro spirituals.
Pryce
THE MURAL
The mural is located on the lower level of the Chapel, it was designed by Edward Lyons Pryce. Mr. Pryce was an accompshed Tuskegee Institute artist, who moved to Tuskegee to study with George Washington Carver. Edward Pryce earned his degree in agriculture in 1937. He later studied landscape architecture becoming Alabama's first licensed African American Landscape Architect.
According to Mr. Pryce, the mural expresses the powerful influence of Africa on Christianity.
THE FIRST PANEL depicts the highest form of plant life - the Tree of Life, and Adam and Eve, the highest form of animal life. THE CENTER PANEL depicts a Christmas card version of the flight of Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus into Egypt. THE THIRD PANEL shows free souls apparently happy, then come the slave ships under heavy clouds. What follows next is centuries of slavery. Finally, "emancipation" the beginning of the industrial and agricultural society. Because Tuskege Institute had been a leader in this struggle, two of its landmark building, White Hall and Tompkins Hall, are depicted.
CHAPEL ARCHITECTS
Interview with architects Mr. Major Holland and Mr. Roderick Fluker
Rev. Dr. Cecil A. Duffie, Dean of the Chapel Office: Chapel, Room G17 cduffie@tuskegee.edu Office Phone: 334-727-8322
Wayne A. Barr, D.M.A. Chair, Department of Fine and Performing Arts Director of Choral Activities Office: Chapel, Suite 2 wbarr@tuskegee.edu 334--727-8394
Jennifer L. Hileman Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the Chapel Office: Chapel, Room G17 jhileman@tuskegee.edu 334-727-8322
Dr. Yi Chang, Music and Piano Instructor Choir Accompanist Office: Chapel, Room M19 ychang@tuskegee.edu 334-727-8295
