LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
A Faithful Presence STAFF
DEAR FRIENDS,
I love the photo on the cover of this newsletter. It shows two of our hospitality interns, Maggie (at left) and Hannah (far back right), preparing for an event in our new prep kitchen. In the middle: our first-ever ministry fellow, Chloe, who provides care and support on the student ministry side. It’s a nice picture of the way hospitality surrounds and supports our commitment to student ministry at the Study Center.
You’ll find more pictorial evidence of the Study Center’s hospitable ministry presence here on Chancellor Street (and beyond) in the pages that follow. This special Annual Fund issue highlights how our commitment to hospitality, Christian formation, and ministry partnerships are being embodied here. You’ll also get a peek at the new and renovated building the Lord has given us and, especially, the people (students, staff, and long-time friends) who make it all possible.
The Lord also uses each of you to make it possible. As the Study Center approaches its 50th anniversary and the Grand Celebration (on April 4-5), I’m more aware than ever of the faithful foundations that have been laid over the past fifty years. Thank you for your part in that.
Finally, don’t forget to register for the Grand Celebration. See the information on the facing page. You won’t want to miss it, and it won’t be the same without you!
YOURS IN OUR LORD,
BILL WILDER Executive Director
FITZ GREEN Senior Director for Education & Programming
KATIE BLACK Director of Undergraduate Ministries for Women
RICK CAMPANELLI Director of Graduate Ministries
CHLOE CARTER Ministry Intern
HANNAH FRITZEEN Director of Hospitality
STUART HORNSBY Director of Development and Parent & Alumni Relations
DREW MASTERSON
Director of Undergraduate Ministries for Men
JAN MATHEWS Administrative Assistant
LYDIA MARLIN Communications & Project Manager
TRISH OWEN Librarian
DEBBIE RODRIGUEZ Director of Finance
DANIELLE WILCOX Advisor for Strategy & Advancement
Bill Wilder
Executive Director
Phone: (434) 817-1050
Email: info@studycenter.net Website: www.studycenter.net EIN: 51-0192618
us on social media: @studycenterUVA
Grand Celebration
Please join us in celebrating 50 years of ministry at the Center for Christian Study. Together we’ll look back at God’s faithfulness to the Study Center over the decades and hear from past and present friends of the ministry. On Saturday evening our keynote speaker, Andy Crouch, will reflect on the significance of a long-term, faithful, Christian presence at the University of Virginia.
What We’re Reading
STUART’S PICK
THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt
In this book Haidt argues that overprotective parenting, increased smartphone and social media usage, and a loss of traditional childhood play has contributed to the mental health crisis that we see today in young people. He also offers a call to action to support healthier childhood habits.
LYDIA’S PICK
TO LOVE AS GOD LOVES by Roberta C. Bondi
How do we love as God loves? Bondi answers this question by entering into conversation with many of the long-forgotten early church fathers and mothers. These men and women, although from a different age, offer great wisdom as we seek the way of love in our own age.
HANNAH’S PICK
STRONG LIKE WATER by Aundi Kolber
Does strength always have to look like pushing ourselves past our limits and then burning out? Author and therapist Aundi Kolber shares what it might look like to walk with God in a more holistic and sustainable view of strength.
–ALEX SHENG, GRADUATE STUDENT We asked...
has the Study Center influenced your experience as a student at UVA?
“The Study Center is not just a study space; it is a community. Being a graduate student can often feel isolating, but the Study Center provides a space for me to connect with fellow believers and a unique opportunity for me to grow in my studies and faith.”
Hospitality
HOSPITALITY IS AT THE HEART OF THE STUDY CENTER. Our doors are always open for students (who have the after-hours door code). Each day we invite students to grab a cup of coffee or tea from the kitchen and find a comfortable corner in which to study or chat with others. It’s our hope that the Study Center becomes a home away from home for students during their time at UVA.
FDOC Snacks
1. FDOC Snacks
This year we began a new tradition of welcoming students to a meal on the first day of classes called FDOC Snacks. In August over 300 students enjoyed a Chick-fil-A meal to kick off the semester.
This began a students to a first day of classes (FDOC) aptly named FDOC Snacks. In August over 300 students enjoyed a Chick-fil-A meal to kick off the semester.
2. Family Weekend Reception
During Family Weekend we welcome students and their families to enjoy a meal and fellowship together.
3. Rush Hospitality
Since the early 2000s our building has served as a “warming house” during UVA Rush. Every female student participating in Rush is welcomed in to relax and play with our dogs.
4. Homecomings Brunch
During UVA Homecomings, alumni meet at the Study Center to reunite with old friends and make new ones.
5. Exam Snacks
Each semester during finals we host Exam Snacks, where we feed hundreds of students breakfast and dinner every day of finals week.
6. Move-In Day Lunch
As has been our tradition since the 1990s, we begin the year by opening our doors to incoming students and their families for a lunch and Grounds ministry fair on Move-In Day.
7. Graduation Day Lunch
Each May, families of graduating students are invited to enjoy a lunch together, celebrate their students’ accomplishments, and join us in prayer over them as they embark on a new chapter in their lives.
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Formation
OUR MISSION IS AIMED AT CHRISTIAN FORMATION. We pray that through our ministry, students will be transformed by the Truth—both in their private lives before God and in their public lives as members of society, the family, and the church.
1. Small Groups
Every semester Study Center staff offer engaging small groups that allow students to discuss challenging topics with their peers, study scripture, and build community.
2. Weekly Rhythms
In addition to our small groups, we’ve added opportunities for students to pause in their busy schedules and enjoy scripture, prayer, and fellowship. On Tuesdays we host the Public Reading of Scripture. On Wednesdays we enjoy evening prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. On Thursdays we host Coffee Chats, a time of casual conversation with staff over fresh baked bread and coffee.
3. Library
We designed our newly expanded library with space to hold 20,000 books. All visitors are welcome to register and check out books. In the library we also offer a quiet reading room as well as a circulation room full of comfortable study space.
4. Lectures
Each semester we offer lectures from leaders in our community and beyond to bring thoughtful and informative content to Grounds and the wider Charlottesville community.
5. Foundations Week
The four-day Foundations Week, strategically scheduled the week prior to the start of classes, is designed for incoming firstyear students. There, we help establish students in the foundations of their faith and in the rich Christian community at UVA.
6. Internship Program
Through our Internship Program, students participate in the hands-on ministry of the Study Center. From brewing coffee to designing event posters, our interns turn the building into a welcoming space for their fellow students.
7. Residential Scholars Program
The Residential Scholars Program fosters intentional community for Christian formation. Through every aspect of the program, residents are encouraged to grow in their knowledge of scripture and their faith in God.
Partnerships
ONE OF OUR CORE VALUES IS UNITY with other Grounds ministries. We partner with both local and national organizations to host lectures and share gospel-centered content with the University and the Charlottesville community. The Study Center also provides staff and ministry support for each of the graduate fellowship groups on Grounds (GCF, DCF, LCF).
1. Grounds ministries
Our students are involved in over 20 unique Christian ministries across Grounds. The Study Center acts as a hub for a number of these ministries through co-sponsored events, providing office space, and more.
2. Bearings Journal
The Study Center continues to play a key role in providing staff and funding support for an undergraduate journal of Christian thought at the University titled Bearings. Many of the students published in this journal are interns and residents at the Study Center.
3. Law Christian Fellowship (LCF)
Founded in 1973, Law Christian Fellowship provides a welcoming space for students to learn how to seek first the kingdom during their law school years and beyond.
4. Graduate Christian Fellowship (GCF)
The Graduate Christian Fellowship meets together at the Study Center each week to consider what it means to “think Christianly” in their fields and in their lives.
5. Darden Christian Fellowship (DCF)
Darden Christian Fellowship serves the Darden graduate community by helping students, spouses, and faculty explore the intersection of business and faith in Jesus Christ.
6. Veritas Forum
Throughout the years we have partnered with the Veritas Forum to host conversations that place the Christian faith in dialogue with differing perspectives. (The Study Center co-hosted one of the first-ever Veritas Forum events in the early 1990s, as depicted in the photo at far right.)
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“The Lord has planted His flag in remarkable ways at UVA. It would take up too much space for me to describe how different the University is today from how it was when I first joined the faculty. While the 'fields remain white unto harvest,' the soil is not as hard as it once was. I give God all the glory— but the Center merits much of the credit as His vehicle.”
–KENNETH G. ELZINGA, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS
How to Support the Study Center
It is an exciting time at the Study Center. We are grateful for your part in making our expanded space possible. It’s a joy to see how God is using the larger building to bless students.
This growing ministry relies on hundreds of alumni, parents, community members, and friends. Please consider a year-end gift to continue helping us further the gospel at the University of Virginia.
Our mid-year goal is $456,000. Would you help us reach this amount by December 31st?
Ways to Give
See below for ways to partner with the Study Center. Would you consider setting up a monthly donation to help our ministry throughout the year?
• To give online, visit studycenter.net/give.
• Make use of the enclosed envelope.
• Give to the UVA Fund and designate your gift to the Study Center (and also find matching options) by visiting alumni.virginia.edu/uvafund.
“We give to the Study Center because we know that when someone walks through its doors, they will be welcomed, fed, cared for, and inspired to love God with their whole selves. We’ve experienced this very welcome ourselves, and we are grateful our giving enables others to do so too.”
– JOHN AND NIKKI FLANNERY (COL ’13 AND COL ’14)
Scan the QR code or visit STUDYCENTER.NET/GIVE EIN: 51-0192618
For more information or questions, please email Stuart Hornsby at stuart@studycenter.net.
Center for Christian Study
128 Chancellor Street
Charlottesville, VA 22903
www.studycenter.net
Address service requested
Mark Your Calendar
EXAM SNACKS
December 9-14, 16
RUSH HOSPITALITY
January 10-12, 17-18
Get Connected
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Scan and enjoy listening to our latest classes, talks, and lectures.
Support Our Ministry
We rely on generous support from parents, alumni, and friends of the ministry. Please consider helping us meet our increasing financial needs. Scan the QR code or visit STUDYCENTER.NET/GIVE
EIN: 51-0192618
Student leaders at Grounds ministry meeting
Students at the GCF retreat
Alumni at Homecomings Brunch