An Invitation to Prayer

By the time I arrived at Babcock Residence Hall as a first-year, I had graduated from a Christian high school that cut textbook pages mentioning Darwin and evolution. This model approached questions from a stance of reactionary fear, rather than intellectual curiosity.

 

Soon I found myself immersed in Dr. Christian Miller’s “Basic Problems of Philosophy” class. Wrestling with the arguments raised in class, I peppered a wise senior named Coleman with questions at a picnic table in Tribble Courtyard: “What has studying philosophy done to your faith?” Coleman calmly replied, “It’s transformed everything.”

 

Wake Forest was where I first grappled with the foundational claims of Christianity and soaked up rich primary literature. Wake Forest was a community where my questions were welcomed, not feared. By the time my four undergraduate years had concluded, my experience reflected President Hatch’s vision for the university: “to educate the whole person.”(1) I was nourished by the Wake Forest community in mind, body, and soul. Dr. Michael Sloan transformed my mind while we translated Cicero, Mrs. Sheresse nourished my body in The Pit when she crafted homemade pre-game meals for my intramural football team, and mentors like Mr. Andy Chan challenged me to think critically about my interests and innate wiring as I looked for my first job. 

 

And although we are in the beginning stages, these are the same genes that build up the DNA of the Wake Forest Christian Study Center.

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The Study Center’s mission—to care for the mind, body, and soul of Wake Forest students—is modeled after L’Abri Fellowship, a community founded by Francis and Edith Schaeffer in 1955.(2) (“L’Abri” is French for “the shelter.”)

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This fall, I was a “student” at L’Abri in Greatham, England. People from every geography and walk of life—skeptics, missionaries, addicts, seminary graduates—come to work with their hands and thoughtfully engage the big questions of life and faith over warm meals. Children play soccer with the students. The Yorkshire black tea is strong. The stories last late into the night. And most of all, your deepest wrestlings are delightfully embraced, not avoided. Equipped with a staff keen to listen, libraries full of books, gardens that need weeding, and a supply of porridge to your heart’s content, L’Abri invites students to explore the difficult “why” questions while immersed in community.(3)

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In Winston-Salem, the Study Center isn’t starting from scratch, because the ecosystem of Wake Forest is fertile ground. The L’Abri culture of hospitality and ethos of intellectual curiosity have been deeply ingrained in this campus for decades—forged by many of you reading this now. Students currently self-initiate weekly Bible studies, lead chapels before taking the field, organize knitting circles, and research virtues of character during the summer. The roots of creative, community-building engagement among students is evident.

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But we must be vigilant. There are real obstacles that threaten to keep students from experiencing the full, flourishing life found in Christ. My generation’s cultural headwinds continue to deteriorate the fabric of rest, relational empathy, and collaborative discussion. And the archetypal “Work Forest” student is no exception. 

 

This is why the Wake Forest Christian Study Center is so well positioned to meet the needs of students on campus. It’s a home to curiously wrestle with questions of calling, vocation, and the outworking of faith—and it’s also a refuge to paint a portrait, write a paper, notice the bluebirds, and break bread in community.

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There’s an eternal opportunity at hand: to care for the heart, mind, and soul of Wake Forest students through radical hospitality and an invitation to discover the depth of the Christian faith.

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“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” We are, truly, at the ground level. I invite you to join us in prayer—for the students, staff, and physical space of the Study Center—from wherever you may reside. And please stop by for a cup of coffee (or Yorkshire black tea) at 1203 Polo Road when you return to our Mother, So Dear.

 

With gratitude and excitement,

Sutton Hardy ’23

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(1) https://hatch.president.wfu.edu/2020/10/a-message-from-president-hatch-10/

(2) For more information on L’Abri’s connection to the Consortium of Christian Study Centers, I invite you to read “To Think Christianly” by Dr. Charles Cotherman: https://www.amazon.com/Think-Christianly-History-Christian-Movement/dp/0830852824

(3) For more information on L’Abri, visit: https://labri.org