University Church in Yale

People: 

Rev. Ian Oliver is the Pastor, and Rev. Jenny Peek is the Associate Pastor of the University Church in Yale. Catherine Amy Kropp is our Liturgical Assistant, Chase Loomer is our Organist, and Hannah Goodwillie and Jasmine Gelber are our 2018-19 Choir Directors. If you have a question and/or would like to meet, please e-mail ian.oliver@yale.edu and jennifer.peek@yale.edu.

Faith Community: 

The University Church (UCY) is the historic student church at Yale, tracing its ancestry back to the original student church founded in 1757.   Today, we are a Christian congregation of Yale students, faculty, staff, and many friends from the New Haven area.   We come from many Christian and non-Christian backgrounds.  We have wonderful traditional and contemporary music, a global Christian worship style, preaching fit for an academic community, lots of service in New Haven, and, we hope, a warm and truly welcoming community.

Our Mission Statement says:

God calls us together be an ecumenical Christian community in the midst of Yale University, extending an authentic and inclusive welcome to all Yale students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and all of the New Haven community.   We are called to worship the Triune God with joy and in beauty, to bring together lived faith, moral perspective and critical thought, and to serve our neighbors in the New Haven area and around the world.   As we remind ourselves each week, we are being formed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ into leaders and disciples who will do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

Worship Schedule: 

Sunday (10:30 a.m.) – Worship service held in Battell Chapel.

Wednesday (6:00 p.m.) – Katekesis dinner and discussion on tough questions of faith in the Chaplain’s Office lounge. 

Programs: 

Student Deacons - The UCY Student Deacons at the Yale church date back to the 1920’s, when becoming a deacon was senior honor.  Today, the student deacons are both undergrad and grad students.  They serve the church by being its “eyes and ears” on campus, helping the church understand how best to serve Yale students today.  Deacons also take leadership roles in worship, community service, and all UCY programs.  Student Deacons are selected through a process of prayerful discernment each Fall Semester and serve renewable one-year terms from January-January.

Liturgical Ministries Group (LMG) - The LMG was founded by YDS Intern Emily Scott in 2005 as a way for UCY members to get more involved in worship.  LMG members sign up and are assigned specific Sundays when they will come early and help prepare the chapel and lead parts of the service.  The LMG also meets for dinner once a month to learn about liturgy and discuss creative plans for future services. Contact the Rev. Ian Oliver for more information.

University Church in Yale Choir – The UCY Choir is an auditioned ensemble of Yale undergraduates, School of Music, Institute of Sacred Music, and other graduate school students, as well as other singers from the area.  The choir is a key part of the educational mission of the University Church, leading our congregation in a broad exposure to the very best Christian music from across the globe and across the centuries.  The University Church Choir is led by Choral Conducting graduate students of Marguerite Brooks at the Institute of Sacred Music.   

Church Council – The University is governed on behalf of the university by a Church Council made up of the Secretary of the University, the Deans of the Divinity School and the School of Music, the Director of the Institute of Sacred Music, a Head of College, faculty members, student deacons, and representatives of the church’s congregation.  

You can learn more on the Church in Yale Website