Dear Friends of the Study Center:
I hope this letter finds you well today, despite the difficult circumstances we are facing. Our hope in Christ will not disappoint, and he has come that we may have life today and forever.
In the midst of these hard times, our mission of offering the welcome, truth, and wisdom of Christ to UNC has never been more urgent, and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve in the future with your help. Thanks to the hard work of our staff and the prayers of friends like you, the North Carolina Study Center has been able to adapt as we have moved educational opportunities and events online and found direct ways of connecting with many individual students. As a supporter, I’d like to update you on how we have carried out our mission in this new season and how we are positioned going forward. This chart sums up our programming shifts, and I discuss some of what will follow in this letter on a podcast here.
Online seminars and events
During the past seven weeks, we operated more than ever as an educational center, equipping people to make sense of the world in light of God’s word. Our seminars on Augustine, Walker Percy, and the arc of scripture all became Zoom classes. In-person studies of scripture similarly moved to Zoom. Our Director of Spiritual Formation Bill Boyd started a daily podcast to help students and supporters create good routines for seeking the Lord. We noticed that a number of students who had been out of touch showed interest in these opportunities.
As the crisis unfolded, we hosted an early webinar with epidemiologist Dr. Nathan Thielman, advocating for students to take social distancing seriously (300 registered). The next week, Associate Dean Dan Bradley Staats talked with students about how to move forward in an economy that is on life support (100 registered). As the coronavirus’ peak loomed and questions about medical ethics predominated, Dr. Farr Curlin and Dr. Patrick Smith talked about how Christians in medicine and beyond should understand their dilemmas (450 registered). Last week, we turned to mental health. Dr. Warren Kinghorn and Dr. Nii Addy dignified those who are facing mental health issues and winsomely described how to walk with Christ through these hard times (420 registered). Directly after the event, one non-Christian student contacted us about how to follow Jesus. And this week, singer-songwriter Sandra McCracken teamed up with Old Testament Professor Dr. Ellen Davis of Duke Divinity for a live concert and conversation (550 registered).
Finally, we co-sponsored a trio of high-quality events with Veritas on understanding these times (with David Brooks and Andy Crouch), facing down the economic factors in play (with Arthur Brooks and others), and how to creatively engage with sadness and lament via the arts (with Lecrae and others). All of these events had very high UNC registration counts.
Continuing relationships
The difficult circumstances of these past few weeks have made relationships with students more important than ever. Graduating seniors have lost jobs, the bulk of our students are now living with their families, and most students have discovered the downside to solely computer-based instruction. Tragically, several Duke students and one UNC student are known to have died by suicide in the last four weeks.
Among our six ministry staff members, we are in direct weekly contact with over 100 student leaders, many of whom are supporting and reaching out to many other students. We have been laughing together in regular online “coffee hours,” learning together in joy-filled virtual discussions of Narnia and continuing to dive into scripture and God’s way of seeing the world in Zoom seminars. Finally, we have facilitated a fruitful online prayer movement called 8@8 where followers of Christ from around the world commit to prayer every evening at 8pm. Almost 15,000 have signed up to receive regular prayer reminders, and we have received strong feedback from participants that their prayer lives have been strengthened.
Operational adjustments
Behind the scenes, we have made a number of adjustments in order to remain fiscally sound. We have sharply cut our operating and programming expenses (by 80%). Staff have taken on administrative work we would have outsourced before. Our ongoing costs are $50,000 per month, as we are continuing to pay off the Battle House mortgage and our staff have remained active. Thankfully, our regular monthly donors have continued to give. And we have been blessed with an opportunity for a $50,000 match for all gifts made between now and the end of May. Finally, we have continued to prepare to renovate the Battle House and hope to have news about that soon.
Going forward
As the tide of the pandemic recedes and UNC makes plans to reopen in the fall, the university will be different in some ways. However, its strategic importance will continue. Many schools have learned that flipped classrooms have their advantages. Thus, as we have noted increased use of our online resources, going forward we will be asking what we should always make available online.
Almost daily, we hear from parents of incoming students of the class of 2024. They are excited that their children will have the chance to be formed as Christians while they are at UNC. Our Carolina Way Camp is still on for the coming fall. Close to 100 current students applied to be counselors this year, and we are excited to help students as they transition into college. We hope CWC will be at Camp Rockbridge, but if group size constraints make traditional camp impossible (we expect at least 250 this year), we will host it in Chapel Hill. And we are considering a number of ways to resource and connect with incoming students beyond camp itself.
Please be in touch with us as you have prayer requests and questions. And, as the Lord leads, please continue to partner with us financially. If you can continue to provide for our critical needs, we will be poised to carry out our mission going forward.
We are with you in prayer and hope to see you very soon!
In Christ,
Madison Perry
Executive Director
