Campus Life
Spiritual Life
University ministry is ecumenical in nature and open to all people of faith regardless of practices and denomination.
Amy Sneegas
Assistant, Department of Humanities & University Ministry
University Ministry is open to all people of faith.
Spiritual Life
As a university with close ties to the United Methodist Church, we pride ourselves on the opportunities we provide students to grow in their faith. University ministry is ecumenical in nature, open to all people of faith, regardless of practices and denomination.
Baker University was founded by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1858 and named for the Kansas-Nebraska bishop of the MEC at that time, Osmon C. Baker.
Since its founding, the university has held close ties with the Church, which became the Methodist Church beginning in 1939 and then the United Methodist Church in 1968, and has retained its affiliation. It is one of 196 colleges and universities in the United States with connections to the United Methodist Church.
We seek to continue the tradition established more than 160 years ago—devotion to the Christian faith and academic excellence.
Weekly Chapel
Services are held in the Clarice L. Osborne Memorial Chapel on our Baldwin City campus on Thursdays at 11 a.m. No classes are held at that time to allow people who wish to attend chapel to do so. Throughout the year, University Ministry hosts guest speakers and special events.
Chapel Ambassador Program
Chapel Ambassadors seek to serve as role models and make an impact on the Baker campus. Chapel Ambassadors help lead the weekly chapel service through scripture reading, prayer, and giving the weekly message. Baker Chapel Ambassadors travel to United Methodist Youth events and local churches in the Great Plains United Methodist Conference to participate in worship services and talk with youth.
The Chapel Ambassadors also participate in local service and international mission projects. Recent international mission trips have been to Haiti and Thailand and serving breakfast at LINK in Lawrence. The group, headed by campus minister, Blake Stanwood, meets on Sunday nights at 9 in the chapel basement for a time of fellowship and prayer. All students are welcome to attend.
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Grace
Minister to the University | The Rev. Blake Stanwood
A 2012 Baker graduate, the Rev. Blake Stanwood returned to Baker University July 2025 to serve as minister to the university.
“I am excited and overjoyed to be a part of a legacy of such phenomenal clergy who have guided so many, in such a formational time in their lives. From the moment I set foot on the Baldwin City campus as a potential student I felt at home. It is with great honor and reverence that I am able to return to a place that has always felt like home. I can’t wait to see how the Spirit will continue to move on campus and within the lives of those who call this amazing place home. I am grateful for the opportunity to create a space for sanctuary and spiritual formation for all students, families, faculty, staff, alumni, and community.”
Stanwood brings well-rounded experiences to his new role, including most recently serving southeastern Kansas as senior pastor at Humboldt United Methodist and Big Creek United Methodist churches. His journey includes service as senior pastor at Phillipsburg United Methodist Church, student ministries director and associate licensed local pastor at Aldersgate United Methodist in Olathe, and a member of the Congregational Care Department at the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.
Stanwood earned dual majors in religion and history, graduating cum laude. During his time at Baker, he was on the Wildcat track and field team, participating in javelin and decathlon events, and was a member of several organizations including Delta Tau Delta, Order of Omega Greek Honor Society, Cardinal Key, parMentors, Pi Gamma Mu, Alpha Mu Gamma, and the Honor Society for International Scholars.
Stanwood continued his education at Saint Paul School of Theology earning a Master of Divinity in 2018. He was ordained as an Elder in Full Connection in 2023 by the first Native American bishop in the United Methodist Church, Bishop David Wilson of the Great Plains Conference.