As the end of the semester creeps ever closer towards us and the number of chapels on the iAttended app has dwindled down to one, most students remember chapel as a duty of the past. It’s almost tradition for many students, after Thanksgiving break, chapel is no more. For the speakers assigned to the last couple of chapels the all too predictable remark on the emptiness of that grand space is always at hands reach. For those still scanning the QR codes hoping that the last chapel with its two flex credits will amount to the needed thirty-two, the hope for an entertaining chapel is not often top of mind. However, the final chapel of the fall semester, “Christmas with the Browns,” offers more than just attendance credits. It has become a time to hear a message from Asbury’s president and a platform showcasing a fellow Asbury student’s creative writing abilities.
“Christmas with the Browns” features several staple characteristics since its introduction in 2021: scripture readings in various languages, carol singing and a meaningful yet lighthearted message from President Dr. Kevin Brown and his wife, Maria Brown. In addition to these traditions, a new and much-loved element has been added in recent years: Sam Santrock, a senior film student, having his original books read aloud in chapel.
The idea came from an invitation to a story time in Johnson Hall with Dr. Brown where one of Santrock’s published books was read to the group.
“Little did I know, at that time, Dr. Brown was looking for a new element to add to his “Christmas With The Browns” event on the last day of chapel, as it is difficult to get people into seats when they’ve already completed their chapel credits for the year.” said Santrock, “After reading through those books he asked me if I would consider writing and possibly illustrating a Christmas themed Asbury book. We have now done it three years in-a-row.”
For each of these years, Santrock seeks inspiration from campus as he creatively depicts the inner workings of life on Asbury’s campus. While the books often draw laughter from the crowd, Santrock seeks to accurately capture the essence of what being a student at Asbury is like.
“I have deep love for Christmas, but my primary inspiration is Asbury itself, and while I am depicting a fictional world, I wanted to stay true to its culture,” said Santrock, “A successful Asbury Christmas book requires a deep understanding of Asbury’s culture and being able to make fun of said culture while still elevating the school and its occupants.”
Creating a book that is true to Asbury’s culture, while including a fair dose of comedy, is a large enough task, however, Santrock also illustrates his books which takes the longest amount of time.
“As a film student and an active participant in Res Life, I tend to be extremely busy and this usually causes me to write the books close to their deadline,” said Santrock, “The writing process has taken a few days before, but the biggest chunk is the illustrations. I pulled an all-nighter for ‘An Asbury Christmas,’ and two back-to-back all-nighters for ‘The Great Asbury Blizzard.’”
“An Asbury Christmas” was Santrock’s very first book written for the 2022 Christmas with the Browns chapel and featured failed burnt gingerbread attempts at Glide Crawford’s, lights being hung at Johnson and inflatables placed across Aldersgate in preparation for Christmas day. While Santrock is proud of his first book, he is excited at how these book readings have evolved to include a number of his friends.
“The first year was definitely (in my head at least) a proof of concept above anything else. The creation of that first book was also, more or less, the inception of Dr. Brown and I’s relationship which has now blossomed over multiple years,” said Santrock. “In our meetings following that first book, we discussed the possibility of making the event more interactive and involving more students in the narrative. It’s been one of my great honors to involve my close friends in my projects, and I have had an absolute blast getting to include them in the reading of these books.”
Unfortunately, it will be Santrock’s very last opportunity to provide the Christmas with the Browns chapel with one of his very own stories. Fitting for Santrock’s grand finale, his last book will be his biggest and most collaborative story yet.
“I hope this to be an epic conclusion to the Asbury Christmas Saga,” said Santrock. “Last year’s conflict was a blizzard—this year’s conflict is a person, an evil person. In this year’s book, the students of Asbury will not just be saving Christmas this year, they’ll have to fight for it.”
Through Santrock’s years at Asbury, his outlook on the world has changed, he has made lifelong friendships and gained a strong connection to Asbury’s campus. The opportunity to have his books featured in the last chapel of the semester has become an important part of Santrock’s legacy on campus.
“Considering my deep love for this school and even more so its people, it is a deeply meaningful honor for me to get to share a part in its story and in this specific case, entertain those friends of mine in chapel’s grand finale for the year,” said Santrock.
While most of those who will take their seats for the last chapel of the year will be there out of a need for flex credits, Christmas with the Browns is also a celebration of the hard work and talent of a fellow student. It is a time to hear a story about the aspects of Asbury’s campus that are worth writing about.
