A primary way we nurture the spiritual life of our community is through College Hour, a series of weekly gatherings designed to meet the needs of a diverse student body (including those at different places on their faith journey) by providing space to worship, reflect and engage in meaningful spiritual practices.
College Hour includes the following events:
- Chapel – Wednesdays, 10:50 a.m. in the Special Events Center (SEC)/Gym
- Chapel includes elements of worship through music and Bible-centered teaching.
- Capax Dei – Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. in the Warkentine Culture & Arts Center (Black Box Theater)
- Capax Dei (capacity for God) offers a time of contemplative prayer, reflection and spiritual practices.
- Affinity Groups – Various times and locations
- Affinity Groups unite students around a shared identity based on culture, gender and ethnicity. Groups include men’s and women’s athletics, and Catholic students.
- Alpha – Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
- A 10-week film series exploring faith and life’s big questions.
- Spiritual Formation Retreats
- Monthly gatherings on Friday mornings that provide space for rest, reflection and renewal.
Beginning with the freshman class in the fall of 2024, all undergraduate students are required to attend 16 College Hour gatherings per semester. Students must download the Involve app and sign in with their FPU student email address to be added to the Fresno Pacific site. Please reference the College Hour FAQs below for additional information.
Current Chapel Schedule
Our guiding theme for this year is “Dwell” (in Spanish, “Habitar”), which invites us to explore the beautiful truth woven throughout the biblical story: that God is not distant, but dwells among us, with us and within us.
| Chapel Dates | Speaker |
|---|---|
| 8/20/25 | Brian Davis | Campus Chaplain |
| 8/27/25 | André Stephens, Ph.D. | University President |
| 9/3/25 | Chelsea Weber – Bridge to Ministry |
| 9/10/25 | Rev. Meagan Kroeker | First Presbyterian Church, Fresno |
| 9/17/25 | Oscar Merlo, Ph.D. | Association for Hispanic Theological Education |
| 9/24/25 | Joseph Vasquez | Admissions Counselor |
| 10/1/25 | Rev. Angulus Wilson, Ph.D. | Wheaton College |
| 10/8/25 | Joel Kersey | National Association of Evangelicals |
| 10/15/25 | Melly Howard, Ph.D. | Simpson University |
| 10/22/25 | Christen Morrow & Zach Richards | YoungLife |
| 10/29/25 | David Janzen, Ph.D. | Tabor College |
| 11/5/25 | Student Led Chapel |
| 11/12/25 | Pablo & Maricela Chavez | Peru Missionaries |
| 11/19/25 | All Worship Chapel |
| 11/26/25 | No Chapel – Thanksgiving Break |
| 12/3/25 | Brad Isaak | New Life Community |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the College Hour requirement?
All full-time, traditional undergraduate students are required to attend 16 College Hour gatherings per semester (this requirement currently impacts all Freshmen and Sophomores enrolled for the 2025-2026 school year). You can attend Chapel, Capax Dei, Alpha, or an affinity group (Catholic Student Gatherings, Delight Ministries, Fellaship, or Fellowship of Christian Athletes) to receive credit.
Q. Where do College Hour gatherings take place?
Chapel will take place in the Special Events Center (SEC)/Gym on Wednesdays at 10:50 a.m. and Capax Dei will take place in the Warkentine Culture and Arts Center on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. Alpha will take place on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. in the BC Lounge and Affinity Groups are held in various locations and at various times throughout the semester.
Q. I’m not a Christian. Do I still have to go to College Hour?
Yes. We recognize FPU is comprised of diverse faith backgrounds, and we continually strive to be a place of belonging for all. Inclusion is a core component of College Hour gatherings and programming. While some College Hour gatherings are more explicitly connected to the Christian faith (Chapel, Alpha and elements of Capax Dei), others are focused primarily on general student well-being and community building (Affinity Groups).
Q. What happens if I do not attend the required number of College Hour gatherings?
A $20 fine for each number below the requirement will be applied to your student account. If there are financial considerations that make a fine especially challenging, Student Development will work with students to find alternative measures for accountability.
Q. If a student does not fulfill the requirement, is there an appeal process?
Yes. All appeals will be handled by the Vice President of Student Development and/or their designee.
Q. Are there waivers for the College Hour requirement?
Yes. Full or partial waivers for College Hour are available for students who present valid extenuating circumstances. Waivers must be submitted by the end of week 4. Waivers can be accessed using this link.
Q. Who leads College Hour programming?
College Hour is a co-curricular learning program under the Student Life division at FPU and led primarily by the Office of Spiritual Formation (OSF) in collaboration with the Academic Success Center (ASC), the Intercultural Learning Center (ILC), the Pacific Counseling Center (PCC), Faculty, and others.
Q. How do I track College Hour attendance?
Students will download Involve from their mobile app store to scan into College Hour gatherings. After downloading the app, students will sign in with their FPU email address and select Fresno Pacific as their university.
To see a list of attended events, students must visit fpu.presence.io from a laptop or mobile browser to view their attendance. After logging in (select the icon in the top right corner), students will select “View Profile” under their name to see a summary of College Hour Points and timeline of attended events.
Students are responsible for tracking their attendance from week to week. Effective Spring 2025, College Hour credit will not be awarded retroactively. If a student is having trouble with scanning in on the Involve app or feels that their attendance is inaccurate, they must report the discrepancy by emailing taylor.starks@fresno.edu within 24 hours of the missed event. Requests to award credit after this time will not be considered.Q. What if I don’t arrive on time or must leave early?
Students have a 15-minute grace period to scan into College Hour gatherings—10 minutes prior to the gathering start time and five minutes after the gathering has begun. Scanning will not be available after this time and students will not be able to get credit for the College Hour event.
Additionally, students are expected to remain for the duration of the event in order to receive College Hour credit. Students who leave early or do not participate in the event will have the record of their attendance removed and will be expected to attend another event.