Religious & Spiritual Life
Founded in the Presbyterian tradition, Agnes Scott is an inclusive community that welcomes students of all faith backgrounds. The Office of Religious & Spiritual Life plans community worship and other religious programs, as well as opportunities for study, learning, prayer, pastoral care and outreach.
The Office of Religious & Spiritual Life seeks to support students through the goals of:
- Nurturing the spiritual growth of a diverse student body by providing opportunities for worship, service and dialogue.
- Cultivating a welcoming community that promotes ecumenism, interfaith dialogue and respect for religious diversity
- Celebrating the relationship between faith and learning through events and programs that bring eminent scholars and practitioners of religion to campus.
- Valuing individual inquiry, commitment to the common good, the importance of character formation and engagement with the world.
- Encouraging students’ exploration of faith, spirituality and vocation.
Providing the Scottie Community with a Variety of Resources
At Agnes Scott, you will find a religious community where you will be able to experience spiritual growth through worship, fellowship, service and study. Here you’ll have an opportunity to participate in student-led religious organizations and opportunities for service and/or find a place of worship.
Agnes Scott offers the following student religious organizations. Each organization is student-led and has a constitution, a faculty or staff adviser and may also have an outside sponsor.
The Interfaith Council is a group of committed students dedicated to building relationships across a diversity of perspectives through facilitating respectful and open dialogue. All existing religious and spiritually based student groups are represented on the Council, which also includes interested individual members.
The Catholic Student Organization strives to make known and promote the tenants of Catholicism to all interested persons. CSO is in partnership with the Emory University Catholic Center.
FENNA (Followers of Earth, Nature, and Noble Action) is the student organization on campus for earth-centered spiritualities. We host space for community, education, and awareness regarding the varying paths of Earth-based religious practices.
Hillel serves to provide a welcoming Jewish community for the purposes of uniting Jewish and non-Jewish students and sharing Jewish experiences and culture with the Agnes Scott College Community.
The Muslim Student Association promotes the awareness of Islam and Muslims within the campus community through education of others about the religion and its beliefs and holding related events on campus. Additionally, MSA provides a support system for Agnes Scott students interested in Islam and serves as a liaison between Muslim students and the faculty. There is a designated prayer space for Muslim students in Alston 302.
Pinky Promise is an organization that encourages women of all ages and ethnicities to honor God with their life and body and to live wholeheartedly for Jesus in every way. They promote sisterhood, accountability, and community service. Pinky Promise also is affiliated with Angels of Joy, a praise dance team adjunctive to Joyful Noise (Agnes’s Gospel Choir).
Soon Movement is an interdenominational Christian student-led organization that guides members in understanding the importance of what it means to build and maintain a relationship with God throughout their college careers and beyond. Soon Movement helps to nurture students throughout their walk of faith by providing an opportunity to create a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God through one on one discipleship with missionaries from Korea.
UKirk Atlanta is a spiritual community dedicated to providing a welcoming, open, and affirming space to enjoy authentic discussions about theology and faith. UKirk strives to create an environment of comfort and openness while balancing these values with spiritual growth and the challenging questions that accompany it. UKirk is a ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) but students of all (or no) faith traditions are invited.
About our Chaplain
Rev. Sarah Hooker is an ordained Presbyterian pastor that has worked with college students, including Agnes Scott students, for the last 5 years. She has also worked in a rural upstate New York congregation and done hospital chaplaincy in Philadelphia.
Sarah loves to garden, read fantasy and romance novels, graphic design and will sing all types of music (particularly loudly in her car). Hailing from Minnesota, she will gladly share her favorite "salad" recipes, and will enthusiastically find any excuse to grab a cup of coffee with you.
Sarah is ordained by the Presbyterian Church (USA) as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament. She seeks to fulfill her call to ministry by serving this richly diverse community of students, celebrating their uniquely different beliefs, and creating space for all to grow deeper in their faith and religious practice while learning from one another. Religious life welcomes persons of all faiths.
Julia Thompson Smith Chapel
Dedicated during Alumnae Weekend of 2008, the college’s first free-standing chapel is a Christian chapel welcoming people of all faiths. The chapel seats approximately 110 and include a multi-faith meeting area and meditation room. It is the spiritual center of our campus and affirms the importance of faith in our community of higher learning. It provides a space for prayer, contemplation and worship. Surrounding the chapel is a beautifully landscaped garden that provides vistas and spaces for gathering and meditation. The chapel is primarily used for worship services, meditation and prayer and small religious study groups. Occasional lectures and concerts are also held in the chapel, and it can accommodate small weddings and memorial services.