The Study Center, Winter 2018

A

PUBLICATION

OF

THE

CENTER

FOR

CHRISTIAN

STUDY

|

WINTER

2018

T HE S T UDY C E NT E R

The ANNUAL FUND 2018-19 STEP INSIDE TO SEE THE LORD’S WORK AT THE STUDY CENTER

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THIS ISSUE: WALKING THROUGH OUR MINISTRY Bill Wilder, page 2

THE LORD’S WORK AT THE STUDY CENTER: BUILDING UP STUDENTS IN LOVE

2018-19 Annual Fund Update, page 7

STUDY CENTER STAFF BILL WILDER

Executive Director bill@studycenter.net

RICK CAMPANELLI

On the cover: Andrea and Ashley Youssef and their parents celebrate Family Weekend at the Study Center (photo

by Brittany Fan); Page 3 (clockwise from top): Jackson Howell and Robert Cunningham watch a video from Arrabon Ministries during “Race, Class, and the Kingdom of God” (photo by Rachel Gaffin); Director of Educational Ministries Fitz Green and Resident Daniel Durgavich share dinner together; Katie Hightower prays with small group attendees in the Richman Room (photos by Brittany Fan); Page 4 (from top to bottom): Programs Intern Meg Evett prepares cookies for Friday small groups; Bill Wilder enjoys the reception with Study Center families; Community members listen to Professor Felicia Wu Song at “Reduced to Data” (photos by Brittany Fan); Page 5: Books in the Study Center library; Professor Felicia Wu Song speaks at “Reduced to Data” (photos by Brittany Fan); Page 6: Study Center staff Nikki Flannery, Ethan Hightower, Carly Vanness, Bill Wilder, and Katie Hightower gather at the Study Center Homecomings Tailgate (photo by Eli Benn), Director of Educational Ministries Fitz Green’s office (photo by Lauchlan Davis); DCF students gather during their fall retreat (photo courtesy of Rick Campanelli).

The Study Center newsletter is published for our friends and supporters.

University Christian Ministries, Inc. (dba Center for Christian Study) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation EIN 51-0192618.

Director of Graduate Ministries rick@studycenter.net

NIKKI FLANNERY

Development Manager nikki@studycenter.net

RACHEL GAFFIN

Communications Manager rachel@studycenter.net

FITZ GREEN

Director of Educational Ministries fitz@studycenter.net

ETHAN HIGHTOWER

Director of Undergraduate Ministries for Men ethan@studycenter.net

KATIE HIGHTOWER

WALKING through our MINISTRY

by Bill Wilder Welcome to our Annual Fund newsletter, which features an overview of the Study Center’s ministry through a tour of its building. A tour seems appropriate, since those of us on staff here often give “the grand tour,” a walk through this space that shows and tells what the Lord has been doing here for many years now.

Director of Undergraduate Ministries for Women katie@studycenter.net

STUART HORNSBY Campaign Manager stuart@studycenter.net

JAN MATHEWS

Administrative Assistant jan@studycenter.net

TRISH OWEN

Librarian trish@studycenter.net

DEBBIE RODRIGUEZ

What we do in this house on Chancellor Street is really all about other building projects, though. Love “builds up” as Paul puts it (1 Cor. 8:1) and that includes speaking “the word of [God’s] grace, which is able to build you up” (Acts 20:32), and equipping believers to “encourage one another and build one another up with the gospel (1 Thess 5:10-11).

Our goal is to build students up, which fundamentally includes the communication of biblical truth.

Director of Counseling Resources amy@studycenter.net

We have other core values as well: hospitality and care, the good of the University, and unity with other Grounds ministries. After noting that “not all things build up,” Paul exhorts the Corinthians to “seek the good of [their] neighbor” (1 Cor 10:23-24). Our neighbors at the Study Center are many: the Greek students on our street, the larger Christian community at UVA, and the University community itself. In a whole variety of ways the Study Center seeks to build them up as well.

We are a non-profit education and outreach ministry serving the University of Virginia and Charlottesville since 1976. We seek to serve Jesus Christ by fostering the serious consideration in the university environment of a biblical worldview, and by encouraging and facilitating wise discussion of the Truth in light of the challenges of contemporary culture.

Let’s begin the tour! There’s a lot to see. I hope that this walk through this ministry will encourage you to join in the good building work the Lord continues to do at UVA through the Study Center.

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Director of Finance debbie@studycenter.net

CARLY VANNESS Programs Manager carly@studycenter.net

AMY ZELL

WHO WE ARE

CONTACT US Phone: (434) 817-1050 Email: info@studycenter.net Website: www.studycenter.net Find us on Facebook and Instagram: @studycenterUVA

The LORD’S WORK at THE STUDY CENTER: BUILDING UP STUDENTS in LOVE FRONT ROOM This fall Reformed University Fellowship’s Campus Minister Robert Cunningham reserved our Front Room each Friday morning for “Race, Class, and the Kingdom of God”.

For Jackson Howell, a current third year, the class has taught him that neglecting to welcome others from different racial and socio-economic backgrounds into one’s life “diminishes your own relationship with God, as all people are made in his image. The class has been very productive in stimulating conversations about how to make RUF more diverse and welcoming.”

A MONTHLY GIFT OF $850 KEEPS THE LIGHTS ON IN OUR BUILDING

www.studycenter.net/grounds-ministries

RICHMAN ROOM Each Thursday night in the fall the Study Center residents gather for a class on living out our Biblical calling in the world taught by Bill Wilder, followed by discussion with ministry staff.

Resident Aaron Terrasa finds that “unpacking with Fitz, Ethan, and Katie is very helpful, since we have a space to come together and ask questions.”

4 GIFTS OF $100 FUNDS ONE MONTH OF RESIDENTIAL DINNERS

www.studycenter.net/ERSP PAG E 3 S T H E ST U DY C E N T E R N E W S L E T T E R W I N T E R 2018

KITCHEN REFLECTING ON FAMILY WEEKEND RECEPTION

Christy Ochs Programs Intern, Batten ‘19

Leading Family Weekend Reception, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen the day of the reception (I think every intern has improved their cooking skills during their time here!).

[Working in the kitchen leads to] some of my favorite moments, as we ask questions, listen to music, and get to know everybody a little bit more while we work.

Family Weekend Reception is a beautiful event because we see the faithfulness of God in so many ways—families lovingly surrounding their students, friendships formed and deepened between students and parents, donors making the event possible, and of course, the Study Center staff ministering to students. In retrospect, it’s a bit like our very early Thanksgiving.

A MONTHLY GIFT OF $200 FUNDS THE WAGES FOR ONE INTERN

www.studycenter.net/internships

MAIN ME

MAIN MEETING ROOM

With its stackable gray chairs, working sound system, and removable wooden tables, the Main Meeting Room is one of the most versatile spaces in the Study Center. Located at the back of the building, the room can serve on any given day as a study space for students, a gathering place for a Grounds Ministry event, or a lecture hall for a visiting speaker.

This October students and community members alike gathered to listen to Professor Felicia Wu Song of Westmont College give a talk called “Reduced to Data: The Implicit Theology of our Digitally-Driven World.”

Through her research, Professor Song illustrated how we allow social media to have a formative influence over ourselves, our world, and our relationships with one another and God.

ANNUAL FUND

“Even our offline behavior is being morphed by social media,” said Jake Hardison, a third-year Commerce student who attended the lecture. “It’s scary because you can shut off your phone to try and get away from social media, but it’s still influencing your offline, ‘real’ relationships.”

A GIFT OF $1,000 FUNDS 1 LECTURER TO TRAVEL TO AND SPEAK AT THE STUDY CENTER PAG E 4 S T H E ST U DY C E N T E R N E W S L E T T E R W I N T E R 2018

LIBRARY

“Did you know? ...You can check out these books!”

The Study Center library is home to an impressive collection of theological works from St. Augustine to Ruth Haley Barton, all carefully curated by librarian Trish Owen.

In an effort to make our library more available to community members, the Study Center will partner with Trinity Presbyterian Church’s library in a book delivery program that allows Study Center patrons to pick up their books on Sunday morning from Trinity.

Come in and browse the shelves—all are welcome!

A MONTHLY GIFT OF $100 FUNDS 10 BOOKS TO ADD TO OUR LIBRARY EACH MONTH

www.studycenter.net/library

EETING ROOM Felicia’s talk ended on a note of hope, offering a way forward for Christians in an age of distraction. She spoke of the importance of spiritual disciplines, including prayer, reading of Scripture, and practicing silence and solitude. One of the ways Felicia draws near to the Lord in her daily life, as she shared during the Q&A portion of the night, is by “unitasking”: driving or doing laundry and other household chores in prayerful silence, unaccompanied by podcasts, music, or Netflix.

CATCH UP ON ALL OUR STUDY CENTER LECTURES! ANNUAL FUND JULY 2018–JUNE 2019

Find audio and video from visiting lecturers dating back to 1999 at

www.studycenter.net/ media/lectures PAG E 5 S T H E ST U DY C E N T E R N E W S L E T T E R W I N T E R 2018

STAFF OFFICES Our staff offices provide valuable space for the intimate details of ministry to unfold. “I can close my door and allow my students to feel safe opening up about the reality of their lives, with no listening ears except mine,” says Katie Hightower, Director of Undergraduate Ministries for Women.

Ethan, her husband and counterpart for Men’s Ministry, concurs: “Even in my few months of ministry here, I have already had hard conversations that would be tough to have in a coffee shop or dining hall. I’d like to think my office is a space where students know they are safe to be open, honest, and vulnerable.”

A MONTHLY GIFT OF $25 FUNDS ONE LUNCH A MONTH BETWEEN A STAFF MEMBER AND STUDENT

www.studycenter.net/our-people

ON-GROUNDS Most Study Center ministry takes place in our building, but not all. Every week Director of Graduate Ministries Rick Campanelli helps guide the Darden and Law Christian Fellowships (DCF and LCF) through Bible studies, large groups, and retreat planning.

In a letter addressed to alumni, DCF President Derek Debruhl reflects on this fall’s DCF retreat:

ANNUAL FUND JULY 2018–JUNE 2019

4 GIFTS OF $50 FUNDS BAGELS FOR ONE MONTH OF DARDEN CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP’S WEEKLY BREAKFAST MEETINGS

www.studycenter.net/ graduate-fellowships

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We had about 30 believers for the weekend, which included an evening of worship; a dinner and bonfire with s’mores; a morning of reflection and prayer; and a very insightful guest speaker, Justin Earley, who led a workshop on intentionally scheduleing God into hectic schedules. Many DCF members have put his recommendations into action, including reading scripture before using the cell phone each morning and taking a Sabbath day to rest each week. These small habits have brought calm amidst the by Darden schedule and are helping the DCF family grow closer to Christ.

YOU The most common way our parents, alumni, and friends give to our Annual Fund is online through the UVA Fund. To support us in this way, visit www.studycenter.net and click the “give” button at the top of the webpage. The giving form allows you to customize your gift by setting up monthly giving, matching gifts with your company, or giving in honor of a particular person or program. You can also give by mailing a check to the Study Center using the attached remittance envelope.

WILL YOU CONSIDER ....

1

Setting up monthly recurring gifts through the UVA Fund for $25? $100? $250?

2

Supporting a specific program, like our upcoming Exam Snacks event?

3

Giving a one-time gift by check or through the UVA Fund at the end of 2018?

33% Undergraduate Outreach 21% Educational Programs 14% General and Administrative 10% Fundraising 10% Alumni and Parent Relations 8% Graduate Outreach 4% Educational Resources (Library)

These numbers were provided by our accounting firm Hantzmon-Wiebel LLP as part of our annual financial review.

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ANNUAL FUND JULY 2017–JUNE 2018

For giving-related inquiries, please contact our Development Manager, Nikki Flannery: nikki@studycenter.net | (4 34) 817-1050 | www.studycenter.net

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Charlottesville, Virginia Permit No. 144

Center for Christian Study 128 C H A N C E L LO R ST R E E T, C H A R LOT T E S V I L L E , VA 22903 (434) 817 - 10 5 0 W W W. ST U DYC E N T E R . N E T A D D R E SS S E R V I C E R E Q U E ST E D

EXAM SNACKS ‘Tis the season for food& fellowship-filled study breaks! We’ll serve meals at 10:00 a.m. & 5:00 p.m. during finals season, December 10-15, 17.

Questions?

Contact Carly Vanness. carly@studycenter.net

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