The Study Center, Fall 2022

THE STUDY CENTER

Executive Director Welcome A Letter from Bill Wilder

Dear friends,

As we have completed the first few weeks of the academic year, there is a beautifully familiar rhythm to our days here at the Center for Christian Study. We kicked off the year with some usual welcoming favorites: Resident Re treat, Foundations Week, Move-in Day Lunches, and our Welcome Back Lunch.

With the familiar, we are also embracing the new as we welcomed several new staff members this summer. Drew Masterson, Di rector of Undergraduate Ministries for Men, started in July; Katie Black, Director of Undergraduate Ministries for Women, started in August; and Mark Phillips, Facilities Assistant, started in September. We also have several new Grounds Ministers working in the building.

Also new, our construction crew is ready to start excavating, having cleared brush and debris behind our building (for the addition) and the house next door (for a staging area). So it begins! And as it continues, we hope that you’ll stop by to visit if you’re in the area. (Don’t forget, the Study Center will remain open and active throughout construction and parking is available!)

At a recent student dinner, I gave a charge from Romans 12. The Study Center’s mission statement was inspired by Paul’s exhortation not to “be conformed to this world but [to] be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Later on, Paul instructs the Romans to provide for “the needs of the saints” and to “show hospitality” (Romans 12:13). Indeed, may the Lord enable that kind of ministry in old and new ways for many years to come!

STUDY CENTER STAFF

BILL WILDER Executive Director

FITZ GREEN

Senior Director for Education & Programs

KATIE BLACK

Director of Undergraduate Ministries for Women

RICK CAMPANELLI

Director of Graduate Ministries

HANNAH FRITZEEN

Director of Hospitality

RACHAEL GREEN Librarian

DREW MASTERSON

Director of Undergraduate Ministries for Men

JAN MATHEWS

Administrative Assistant

TRISH OWEN Librarian

MARK PHILLIPS

Facilities Assistant

DEBBIE RODRIGUEZ

Director of Finance

CALLIE WEST

Director of Communications

DANIELLE WILCOX

Director of Development & Parent and Alumni Relations

Summer Fellowship, led by Fitz and Drew, met weekly on Tuesdays for dinner, viewing of a Pixar film, and discussion.

US

Phone: (434) 817-1050

Email: info@studycenter.net

Website: www.studycenter.net

social

Yours in our Lord, Bill

Meet Katie & Drew

Fall Kickoff Events

Drew led the Residential Scholars on a retreat at a farm in Ruckersville.

KATIE BLACK

Director of Undergraduate Ministries for Women

Katie grew up in central Pennsylvania and fell in love with the Bible at a young age. Her love for teaching the Bible led her to earn a Masters in Biblical Studies from Trinity School for Ministry and a Masters in Biblical Exegesis from Wheaton College.

After completing her undergraduate degree at Penn State University, Katie worked as a campus minister where she combined her love of Scripture, teaching, and hospitality, and where she fell deeply in love with college students. Katie went on to work at a Christian high school where she taught classes on doctrine, New Testament theology, and worldview.

Katie loves being in nature, baking, reading, and spending time with her dog, Reepicheep.

DREW MASTERSON

Director of Undergraduate Ministries for Men

Drew was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and remains a Texan at heart. He attended Davidson College, where he majored in Religion and played trumpet in the band.

After college, Drew was a Fellow at The Falls Church Anglican. After working in film and communications, he studied at Duke Divinity School in hopes of one day working in a Christian study center. He moved to Durham with his wife, Ginny, and graduated with a Masters of Theological Studies and Certificate in Theology & the Arts.

After seminary, Drew and Ginny moved back to Northern Virginia, where Drew worked at Coracle, a spiritual formation ministry.

Outside of work, Drew can often be found playing with his (very cute) son, Owen; hosting film discussion nights; and scouting out local hikes, fly fishing rivers, or disc golf courses.

We were delighted to welcome first-year students and their parents to the Study Center for MoveIn Day Lunches!

Foundations Week students took a sunrise hike up Humpback Rock with Bill and Nicolien Wilder.

The Meaning of Success Our Theme for the Year

Fitz Green Senior Director for Education and Programs

I say all the time that the average UVA student is in twenty clubs, and president of ten of them. And this is only half joking; our students, all high achievers in high school, are driven, motivated, and successful young people. But toward what end? Toward what goal? With the help of a grant from the Noble Foundation, we’re delighted to be able to explore answers through a featured series this year on the “Meaning of Success.”

Most worldly definitions of success would center around career advancement. We’re interested in what makes for a full human life in every aspect of life including work, family, friends, and neighbors. Many tend to view failure as a setback. The Study Center is interested in how to pursue faithfulness to God in the ups and the downs of life. Ultimately our desire is to inhabit a biblical vision of success, which Paul describes in Romans 8:29 as being conformed to the image of Jesus, who is the firstborn of the whole family of God. We look forward to exploring these questions with you this year.

THE GOOD LIFE METHOD LECTURE

Join us on October 13th for a lecture from Notre Dame Professor of Philosophy Meghan Sullivan on her recent book The Good Life Method: Reasoning through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning. Drawing on the great philosophers, Sullivan will encourage listeners to ask the big questions about faith and what makes life meaningful.

October 13, 2022 | 7:30 pm St. Thomas Aquinas Hall

Fall Small Groups

Small groups are an integral part of the life and rhythm of the Study Center. This fall, we’re excited to host eight small groups that are available for undergraduate and graduate students as well as community members. Visit our website at www.studycenter.net/small-groups for the full list of our available small groups.

C.S. Lewis Group: The Great Divorce led by Bill Wilder

The Good Life Method book discussion led by Fitz Green L’Abri Tea with RUF with UVA Faculty members including John Owen, Diane Dunn Morris, Wendy Smith, Brad Wilcox, Joe Davis, Rick Campanelli, and Louis Nelson.

SUFFERING, SUCCESS & CHRIST’S FAITHFULNESS

Featured Alumni: Jeremy Chason, UVA Darden School of Business ‘05

Darden Christian Fellowship was an important part of my faith development in business school. When I left Darden, I had no idea how much my faith would be challenged and relied upon as I faced some unexpected obstacles in my professional life.

Although not surprised, I was disappointed by how much the finance world’s culture is permeated with profanity, vulgar stories, and crass expectations. Swimming against that culture is tough, but more difficult was the strong, indirect pressure to embellish financial situations to clients, owners, and/or boards of directors.

Pressure came to a head when I would not misrepresent financials on a quarterly reporting statement to a bank. The company let me go for refusing to be duplicitous. This was a blow. I burned through my savings as I looked for a new job – a search that lasted almost a year. Although I knew I had done the right thing, the cost to me and my family was great.

I felt at sea — professionally and spiritually. An

entrepreneurial venture had not paid off, I lost this job for doing the right thing, and finally I was waffling in unemployment. Where was God and his provision for my family and me? I was upset not to be pulled supernaturally out of the situation.

I would love to say I maintained a solid faith and kept God at the center of my life during this professional and spiritual winter. However, seeing Christ’s hand in this has been more gradual. I have been struck by how bound I was to the idol (and perceived safety) of money. Through prayer and relationships with good faith-filled mentors, I recognize that God is still working on me, loosening the grip of this idol.

This struggle has drawn me into the mystery of Christ’s suffering and the joy of his resurrection, but makes me humbly ask — “Can this sort of suffering — doing the right thing without the specific notion of taking a step for Christ, be something the New Testament authors reference when they write about ‘suffering for Christ’?” I believe, claiming Romans 8:28, that “yes it can!”

Jeremy’s advice:

1.Determine now what is important to you, what your priorities are, and what lines you simply will not cross. It may be too late if you try to decide as you go.

2. Be careful: careers can easily become whole lives if you let them.

3. Create good habits now to make time for God and other important things. Life does not get less hectic.

4. Don’t compare yourself to others. Be happy and thankful for what you have and make the best of the career positions in which you find yourself.

Pictured: Jeremy and his family exploring the Grand Canyon

“I felt at sea — professionally and spiritually. Where was God and his provision for my family and me?”

Making Our House a Home

HOSPITALITY AS A HAVEN

Hannah Fritzeen Director of Hospitality

“Hannah, where are you?” is a question I get asked frequently by a few beloved interns. It usually comes up when they are looking for me in my office, and I am actually checking our inventory in the basement, or when they are hanging in the kitchen and I am upstairs working in my office.

This Director of Hospitality role is a sort of “dance.” Most days, I come into my office and respond to emails about room reservations or volun teer needs for Exam Snacks. I com pile a grocery list and a list of our bulk needs like coffee beans, toilet paper, and trash bags to acquire from Costco. Later, I may be making phone calls to order food for our next event, or in the kitchen prepping food for Lunch Clubs or our weekly home cooked meal with the interns.

The days are full with this beautiful dance. Each step and detail matters — down to how many sticks of butter are in the fridge for our Friday small groups.

A verse that motivates me in this role is Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” I find myself praying and asking God to bless and nourish his people, not just through the food, but through their experiences here. I want each person who walks into our building to feel the love and joy of the Lord. I want him to bless the work of my hands and of the interns — even if things go wrong (because almost every time, something will!).

With hospitality, I have learned that it is presence, not perfection, that matters most. Certain people are simply expected to be around and to just be. This building acts as my “home” in that I belong here — on my good days and my bad days. And the same goes for our students and guests. We welcome people to come as they are, whether they never stepped foot through our door, or they spend every free hour here. Ultimately, it is the people filling the building who make this place feel like home.

Restocking supplies

Welcome Back Lunch

Small Group snacks

“With hospitality, I have learned that it is presence, not perfection, that matters most.”

MAKING ROOM BUILDING CAMPAIGN UPDATE

building

Safety fencing surrounds the building. We have lost access to our parking spots and many trees were removed by the men’s apartments.

Massive amounts of vines, shrubs and trees were cleared to prepare for excavation behind the building.

A staging area is cleared behind the Canterbury House. We have promised them a nice lawn when construction is complete!

Follow our construction progress on our webpage www.studycenter. net/construction-progress or scan the QR code.

Our Ministry

Center for Christian Study

Center for Christian Study 128 Chancellor Street Charlottesville, VA 22903 www.studycenter.net

Address

READ ALONG WITH THE STUDY CENTER THIS FALL!

The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World by Andy Crouch

Reading Black Books by Claude Atcho Confessions by Augustine and Sarah Ruden (translator)

Why We are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment by Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey

The Secular Creed by Rebecca McLaughlin

The Home of God by Miroslav Volf

How to Inhabit Time by James K.A. Smith

SMALL GROUP TITLES:

Compassion & Conviction by Justin Giboney, Michael Wear, and Chris Butler

The Good Life Method by Meghan Sullivan

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

SAVE THE DATE

October 8

UVA Homecomings Weekend Pre-Tailgate 3 hours before kickoff at the Study Center October 13

Lecture, “The Good Life Method” with Meghan Sullivan, Professor of Philosophy, Notre Dame University

October 25

Two Views on Justice (Should justice ever be retributive?) with Bill Wilder and Sam Heath (EJUSA) October 29

UVA Family Weekend 5:00-7:00pm - Reception at the Study Center

November 1

The Black Intellectual Tradition with Angel Adams Parham and Anika Prather December 8 - 15

Exam Snacks

March 23

Russell Moore as part of our Meaning of Success series