What a year it’s been at the Study Center! Last semester found us settling into our new building and celebrating the 50th anniversary of this ministry. This semester we’ve seen students really settling in. In a time marked by steep declines in socializing among young people, we love seeing students here talking face-to-face and studying side-by-side at all hours of the day and night. It’s been a joy, too, to see how the building is blessing the larger Christian community: last week alone we had 34 room reservations from other groups.
The Study Center’s ministries are also growing apace. In the pages that follow, we outline the many ways the Study Center welcomes students into a rich community marked by learning, mentoring, and evangelism. In each of these areas we feel called to move ahead with five new or dramatically expanded ministry initiatives: expanding our annual Foundations Week retreat to welcome more and more incoming students; establishing close-knit learning communities through our new Emmaus Fellows program; hiring ministry interns for more one-to-one mentoring of students; and providing more opportunities to share the gospel in larger events on Grounds.
This is an exciting time at the Study Center and we thank God for it. At the same time, we’re well aware of our dependence on you, our dear friends and partners in ministry. To paraphrase Paul, this ministry is planting, and its many friends and partners are watering, but God is providing the growth. So we praise God for all the growth and thank you all for so faithfully “watering” this ministry over the years. Will you help us again as the calendar year end approaches? Your support will sustain the Study Center’s growth in the coming year and help provide “streams in the desert” (Isa 35:6) for increasing numbers of students at UVA.
YOURS IN OUR LORD,
Bill Wilder, Executive Director
YOUR GIFTS MAKE THIS HAPPEN
Each year we rely on hundreds of alumni, parents, and friends to make the ministry possible. Our Annual Fund covers 61% percent of our operating budget. As we approach December 31st, please consider making a gift to help us reach our mid-year Annual Fund goal of $497,622.
BILL WILDER Executive Director
Streams in the Desert STAFF
FITZ GREEN Senior Director for Education & Programming
MARY ALLISON ANDERSON Foundations Week & Emmaus Fellows Manager
SAGE BESSERT 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
Phone: (434) 817-1050
Email: info@studycenter.net
Website: www.studycenter.net EIN: 51-0192618 Find
@studycenterUVA
Cover photography by Carrie Roth
A Vision for Generations
SINCE OPENING ITS DOORS in 1975, the Center for Christian Study has offered the life-giving water of God’s word to the students and community of the University of Virginia. What began as founder Daryl Richman’s impromptu conversations about Christ in Memorial Gym evolved into Action Ministries and, eventually, into bible studies and fellowship meetings in our home on Chancellor Street. Today, the Study Center continues to provide “streams in the desert” for thousands of students at UVA each year through five core ministries: welcome, community, learning, mentorship, and evangelism.
Our vision of the Center for Christian Study is 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.
WELCOME
The Study Center warmly invites students, their families, and members of the broader Charlottesville community into our home through shared meals and events.
Our four-day FOUNDATIONS WEEK each fall establishes incoming first-year students in the foundations of their faith and in Christian community.
During the chilly January days of SORORITY RECRUITMENT, we offer our building as a “warming house.” Every female student participating is invited in to rest and recharge.
Our annual MOVE-IN DAY LUNCH welcomes incoming students and their families to connect with Christian community and meet a variety of Grounds ministries.
FAMILY WEEKEND RECEPTION and HOMECOMINGS BRUNCH serve as two of the many ways we interact with Study Center families and alumni throughout the year.
“Foundations Week encouraged me to build habits that enable me to become more Christ-like and offered time with classmates that later developed into meaningful friendships.”
–ANNIE BRYANT ’28
1,060 women welcomed during Rush Hospitality
COMMUNITY
A variety of communities at the Study Center allow students to go deeper in their faith through regular meetings, meals together, and discussions of rich biblical content.
Through our RESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM, an intentional community for Christian formation, 20 students learn and grow alongside each other throughout the year.
The INTERNSHIP PROGRAM includes a group of 19 students who gain hands-on ministry experience—from brewing coffee to designing posters— as they help make our building a welcoming home for their peers.
The Study Center supports UVA’s graduate community through the LAW, DARDEN, AND GRADUATE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIPS, which minister to students through weekly gatherings and retreats.
The EMMAUS FELLOWS PROGRAM, a cohort-based discipleship program, equips students for life and leadership. This program will begin in January 2026.
“As I hear each Emmaus Fellow’s story, I grow increasingly excited for them to share how God has worked in their lives. My hope is that this community will shape and challenge them to grow closer to Christ and to one another.”
–MARY ALLISON ANDERSON EMMAUS FELLOWS & FOUNDATIONS WEEK MANAGER
“The Study Center has been a source of fellowship and a model of sacrifice and stewardship. During my first year, I went to the Study Center to get out of the limited world of first-year dorms; I met with upperclassmen and formed relationships with students in different stages. It’s been foundational in my growth.”
–MAGGIE
FERGUSON ’26
LEARNING
14,000 books and counting in the library
The Study Center offers classes, small groups, and lectures that challenge students and community members to connect life, learning, and faith.
We host leaders from UVA and beyond to offer LECTURES that bring theologically rich and thoughtful content to everyone on Grounds and to the wider Charlottesville community.
Every semester our ministry staff offer engaging SMALL GROUPS that allow students to ask hard questions, study scripture, and build community.
Our NEWLY EXPANDED LIBRARY, now designed to hold 20,000 books, is a resource to students and community members. The library reading room also provides a quiet space for students to study at any hour of the day.
“The Study Center provides an intellectual opportunity to grow in my faith while in community. It is a place to learn more about what it means to be Christian and what it means to be human.”
–DANIELLE KENNY ’28
MENTORING
At its heart, the Study Center is a relational ministry. We desire that all of our activities draw students into a deeper relationship with Christ.
ONE-TO-ONE MENTORSHIP and discipleship are central to our daily work with students. Residential scholars, interns, and many other students meet regularly with staff, who help them mature in their spiritual and vocational development.
Every Thursday afternoon staff and students pause from their work and gather in the living room for COFFEE CHATS, an informal time to enjoy fresh bread and fellowship. Our staff especially enjoy building relationships with new students at this event.
The Study Center offers free, confidential COUNSELING with licensed counselor Marta McKinnon to support students’ mental health and spiritual growth.
“I didn’t grow up with Christian role models, but having Katie Black as a friend and mentor has shown me who I should strive to become as a Christian woman.”
–SIDNEY SEYBOLD ’25
EVANGELISM
A commitment to evangelism ensures that our programming does not lapse into merely an academic study of religion. Rather, our programming inspires and informs students’ personal faith in Christ and encourages them to share it with others.
For years we have partnered with VERITAS FORUM to host conversations that place the Christian faith in dialogue with differing perspectives.
We support an undergraduate journal of Christian thought at the University titled BEARINGS, which provides an open forum for spiritual conversation on Grounds.
While we are open 24/7 for study space, HOSPITALITY EVENTS like Exam Snacks, FDOC (First Day of Class) Snacks, and Rush Hospitality provide key opportunities to meet and welcome students. For many, ours may be the only Christian environment they encounter in college, so we seek to offer a warm, inviting space that reflects Christ’s love.
4,800 meals served at Study Center snack events over the past year
Partner with us to serve more students
You are part of the hundreds of alumni, parents, and friends who make this ministry possible. God is blessing the Study Center. With a larger building and staff team we are serving more and more students. This expanding ministry means a growing budget.
This year 61% of our operating budget is provided by our Annual Fund. As we approach December 31st, our mid-year Annual Fund goal is $497,622. Please consider making a gift to help us reach this amount by the end of year.
Ways to Give
We are grateful for all gifts received. If you have any questions about matching gifts, stock gifts, or other means of giving please email Stuart Hornsby at stuart@studycenter.net
• Give online
• Send a check to 128 Chancellor Street, Charlottesville, VA 22903
“As
• Designate a gift through the UVA Fund For more information, scan the QR code or visit STUDYCENTER.NET/GIVE EIN: 51-0192618
students, we visited the Study Center almost daily. It was a safe, welcoming place that felt like home. We love supporting the ministry of the Study Center as we know we are helping provide that same space for the next generation.”
–AUSTIN
(’15) AND ANNA (’16) MCPHILLIPS
Center for Christian Study
128 Chancellor Street
Charlottesville, VA 22903 www.studycenter.net
Address service requested
Get Connected
EXAM SNACKS
December 11-13, 15-18
For more information on how to get involved, scan the QR code or visit www.studycenter.net/exam-snacks
RUSH HOSPITALITY
January 8-11, 16-18
For more information on how to get involved, scan the QR code or visit www.studycenter.net/rush-hospitality
LIVING IN THE LIGHT
April 17-18
Living in the Light is a two-day event that provides an opportunity for parents, alumni, and friends to experience the faith and fellowship offered through our ministry. For more information scan the QR code or visit www.studycenter.net/living-in-the-light-2026
We rely on generous support from parents, alumni, and friends of the ministry. Please consider helping us meet our increasing financial needs. For more information, scan the QR code or visit
