Summer 2026 Newsletter

THE STUDY CENTER SUMMER 2026

IN THIS ISSUE

Holding Fast What Is Good

STAFF LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Bearing Fruit While We Wait

BILL WILDER Executive Director

FITZ GREEN

Senior Director for Education & Programming

MARY ALLISON ANDERSON Foundations Week & Emmaus Fellows Manager

SAGE BESSERT

DEAR FRIENDS, In mid-April, the Study Center hosted its third Living in the Light conference, centered on the theme, “Hold Fast What Is Good” (1 Thess. 5:21).

Paul offers this exhortation near the close of his letter to the Thessalonians, a letter that also echoes many of the teachings and parables of Jesus, including the Parable of the Soils. For Paul, to “hold fast what is good” is to “hold fast the word” in a way that bears fruit (Luke 8:15) as we await the coming of the Lord.

Following this teaching on 1 Thessalonians, conference participants had the opportunity to hear from UVA faculty and Grounds ministers about how this calling is being lived out within the larger university community. Our keynote speaker, Christof Meyer, also shared reflections on the ways this theme has taken shape in his own life and vocation. Some conference participants also enjoyed “Coffee Chats” and the “Geology and Theology Hike” that afternoon. You’ll find a montage of photos later in this newsletter.

Many other examples of “holding fast what is good” appear throughout these pages as well: the Study Center’s longstanding partnership with three graduate fellowship groups; the classic works in our library that continue to root us deeply in the faith; and the quiet service, hospitality, and friendship that characterize our Intern Program. Our Board Chair, Marta McKinnon, who also offers pro bono professional counseling at the Study Center, reflects on the importance of loosening our grip on some things even as we more firmly take hold of God’s truth.

We also pause briefly to remember Jim Houston, a spiritual father to the Study Center, who recently died at the age of 103. His life bore lasting fruit through a lifelong attentiveness to the Word and a steady desire to live in the light of the Lord. May we all hold fast to the word and seek to bear fruit in our own lives just as he did. May he rest in Christ.

YOURS IN OUR LORD,

Hospitality Manager

KATIE BLACK

Director of Undergraduate Ministries

RICK CAMPANELLI

Director of Graduate Ministries

STUART HORNSBY

Director of Development & Parent and Alumni Relations

WILLIAM KUEBLER Ministry Intern

LYDIA MARLIN

Communications & Project Manager

DREW MASTERSON

Director of Undergraduate Ministries

LYDIA MATHAS

Director of Operations

JAN MATHEWS

Administrative Assistant

TRISH OWEN Librarian

DEBBIE RODRIGUEZ Director of Finance

CARRIE ROTH Ministry Intern

DANIELLE WILCOX

Advisor for Strategy & Advancement

Editorial Services

Design Services

MCDOUGALL EDITORIAL

XANDERHOUFF DESIGN

CONTACT US Phone: (434) 817-1050 Email: info@studycenter.net Website: www.studycenter.net EIN: 51-0192618 Find us on social media: @studycenterUVA

Bill Wilder Executive Director

Cover photography by Brittany Fan 2 | THE STUDY CENTER

LYDIA MARLIN

Trish’s Centuries of Books The best books don’t grow old. Don’t forget these classics in the sea of those newly published and currently popular:

Our librarian, Trish, always ready to help students

Notes from the Library

21st

Century THE PRODIGAL GOD: RECOVERING THE HEART OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

Timothy Keller / 2008

Recommendations and reflections from the Study Center library

BY TRISH OWEN

There is a beautiful, spacious library at the Study Center—out of sight unless you come upstairs to discover it. As well as lovely study spaces, a quiet Reading Room for focused study, and two conference rooms, we offer a collection of 14,000 books available to anyone who registers as a patron.

The majority of these books have been collected and cataloged “The Study Center over the last fifteen to twenty years. library in one word Many come from private collectors and friends of the Study Center is light. Sunlight is who wanted to donate to this always reflecting substantial assembly of canonical through the windows, Christian theological books. You light conversation is can find books for scholarly theological research and biblical studies; always infiltrating commentaries and study guides for the rooms” every book of the bible; books on –ASHLEY CRYER ’27 Christian living, Christian history, Christian art, evangelism, biographies, and much more.

We also buy newly published books that might be the latest by a known author or a speaker we invite, or the focus of a small group at the Study Center. Browse our collection online at https://catalog.studycenter.net.

We exist to serve undergraduate students, graduate students, religious studies students, Grounds ministers, local clergy, and the wider community. We love our “public readers,” and our staff (three amazing interns and myself) will always welcome you!

20 th

Century 2 VOLUME INTRODUCTION AND COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS Derek Kidner / 1973

17 th

(A L M O S

Century

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PILGRIM’S PROGRESS: A RETELLING

Gary D. Schmidt / 1994

A retelling of John Bunyan’s 1678 novel, The Pilgrims Progress.

SUMMER 2026 | 3

IN APRIL, we gathered for Living in the Light, a faith and life conference at the Study Center. This year’s theme, “Hold Fast What Is Good” (1 Thess 5:21), invited us to consider what it means to remain rooted in truth amid the complexities of daily life. Through teaching sessions and panel discussions, we were encouraged to pursue holiness and remain rooted in the word—as children of the light who await our Lord’s return.

PHOTOS BY BRIT TANY FAN

4 | THE STUDY CENTER

Grounds Ministers discuss ministry at UVA

Listen to recordings and see more photos from the weekend

Christof testifies to God’s work in his life

Bill shares a scripture study on 1 Thess 5:21

Interns, U Rock!

Maggie (far left) and interns pose with the “U Rock”

BY MAGGIE FERGUSON

OFTEN, things at the Study Center just get done: coffee brewed, library books checked back in, events set up or taken down. The efforts of the eighteen students who perform these tasks usually go unseen—early in the morning, late at night, or tucked away in the kitchen. Most days, if we do our job well, you may not even realize we were there—and that’s part of the goal.

The Internship Program has long offered upperclass students the opportunity to serve the Study Center and their peers day in and day out through a paid internship. Over the course of the year,

What Are You Holding Onto?

BY MARTA MCKINNON

interns also meet weekly for Monday night dinners, building fellowship and learning alongside each other.

In my second year as an intern, we started a tradition whose meaning extends far beyond its silly exterior. Each week a token of recognition is passed from one intern to the next in the form of a small rock with a letter ‘U’ written in Sharpie on one side: the beloved “U rock.” Tradition holds that the giver recognizes the ways the recipient has served that week or semester, giving voice to what may otherwise go unacknowledged. Through many different hands and many different rocks,

the heart of the intern program can be seen in this simple act of honoring service done faithfully each day.

The intern spirit of celebration extends far outside 128 Chancellor Street too.

Whether by supporting musical cointerns at a worship night, rejoicing at the baptism of another, or gathering to send a third out into the mission field, these interns are among the most encouraging people I know. I am grateful for my three years as an intern—for the friendships I’ve built, the ways I’ve grown through serving alongside others, and the radical hospitality I’ve learned to embrace.

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” —Psalm 20:7 It’s easy to hold onto things that feel like security: control, approval, success, or certainty about the future. At first they seem helpful, but over time they can begin to hold onto us, shaping our identity.

The Psalms bring this into the light—showing people who are honest about their fears and willing to consider where they place their trust. What we discover is simple but challenging: holding onto anything in place of God is unstable. Loosening our grip—whether it’s a relationship, a plan, or even an identity—can feel scary and uncertain.

In many ways, the counseling process mirrors the rhythm we see in the Psalms. It begins by honestly examining what we may be clinging to—naming fears, patterns, and misplaced sources of security.

Over time, like the psalmists, we are invited to more firmly take hold of God’s truth, to remember who God is and what he promises. What we hold onto matters—and even more, who we trust to hold us.

JEAN ONUMAH

Graduate Ministry at UVA The Study Center currently partners with three graduate ministry groups: Graduate Christian Fellowship, Law Christian Fellowship, and Darden Christian Fellowship. Some of these partnerships go back to the 1970s. In addition to the gospel-centered ministry of each, we have been encouraged by the growth of “all-grad” gatherings that bring students together across disciplines. This spring the Study Center hosted an evening of fellowship and games led by graduate students, as well as an “all-grad” hike.

With more than 8,000 graduate students at the University of Virginia, we’re mindful of the opportunity before us. Please join us in praying for discernment as we seek to reach more graduate students with the gospel and Christ-centered discipleship.

Kevin Offner (center) and Fitz Green (right) with students at an all-grad gathering.

Both Kevin (on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship) and Fitz meet weekly with graduate students, providing mentorship and building community.

Rick Campanelli (far right) praying over graduating law students at the final LCF bible study of the year. Rick has served as the director of Darden and Law Christian Fellowships since 2016.

DAVID RIMER

Remembering Jim Houston

Jim Houston (left) at Bob Cochran’s wedding. Bob Cochran (right) was discipled at the Study Center's first-ever Law Christian Fellowship group while he was a student and currently serves as a board member at the Study Center.

With gratitude we remember Jim Houston, who passed away on March 15, 2026, at age 103. An inspiration and intellectual father of the Study Center, he exemplified a vision for a Christian faith that engages every aspect of university life.

In 1970 Jim left Oxford, where he knew C.S. Lewis, to found Regent College in Vancouver. He visited Charlottesville many times over the years, deeply influencing the Study Center’s vision. One memorable visit came during an early Study Center board meeting in 1982, when he discussed courses in the morning and prayed at Bob and Denise Cochran’s wedding that afternoon (see image). Jim’s legacy continues to shape the Study Center today.

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

Get Connected FOUNDATIONS WEEK August 17-20 Foundations Week invites incoming first-year students into Christian community at UVA. For more information, scan the QR code or visit www.studycenter.net/foundations-week

MOVE-IN DAY LUNCH

March Madness at the Study Center

August 21 Move-In Day Lunch is an opportunity for first years and their families to connect with Christian community at UVA. For more information, scan the QR code or visit www.studycenter.net/movein-day-lunch

Students at Spring Exam Snacks

FIRST DAY OF CLASS (FDOC) SNACKS August 25 FDOC Snacks is a new Study Center tradition celebrating the First Day of Class with a free meal.

For more information, scan the QR code or visit www.studycenter.net/fdoc-snacks

Join Us to Expand the Gospel at UVA We are grateful to God for how he is using our expanded home and staff to engage with thousands of students for the sake of the gospel.

Hundreds of alumni, parents, and friends are making this ministry possible through their generous provision.

With our fiscal year ending on June 30, would you help us fully fund our growing Annual Fund budget?

We are excited about reaching more and more students with the gospel at UVA.

WWW.STUDYCENTER.NET/GIVE EIN: 51-0192618