Author to speak during chapel service at Northwestern

Author Hugh Halter will speak during Northwestern College’s chapel service on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 11:05 a.m. in Christ Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

“I’m excited for Hugh Halter to share practically how one allocates a missional vantage point to the context of everyday neighborhood living,” says Mark DeYounge, director of Christian formation at Northwestern. “This is so vital because our continual drift toward a post-Christian culture means we can’t depend on opening the doors of our homes, our Bible studies, and our churches and simply inviting; rather, we must all re-imagine our call to be ‘sent’ ones, missionaries where we already do life.”

Halter has written eight books on the subjects of faith, God, Christianity and church leadership. His works include “Happy Hour: Etiquette and Advice on Holy Merriment,” “Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth,” “BIVO: A Modern-Day Guide for Bi-Vocational Saints,” “AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church,” “Sacrilege: Finding Life in the Unorthodox Ways of Jesus,” “The Tangible Kingdom,” “The Primer” and “A Righteous Brood.” He is also the founder of Missio, a resource website for missionaries and church leaders, and is the U.S. director of Forge America, a missionary training network. He speaks extensively across the country encouraging and equipping pastors in missional leadership.

In addition to his chapel talk, Halter will also speak in the college’s Hub on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 10:05 a.m. on the “Sacrament of Party,” one of the themes in “Happy Hour: Etiquette and Advice on Holy Merriment.” Area pastors and church lay leaders are invited to attend a session with Halter on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. in the college’s Vogel Community Room in the DeWitt Learning Commons. The hourlong session will include guided conversation about reaching our neighbors with a nuanced missional engagement.

“I hope the Northwestern campus community will walk away from hearing Hugh with more invigoration and vision for how to live missionally as Jesus lived missionally in the everyday,” says DeYounge.  

Halter’s daughter, McKenna, is a senior social work major at Northwestern. Another daughter, Alli Piocos, graduated in May and is a teacher in the Ferguson, Mo., school district.