What are we working on?
You might be familiar with an often-told leadership parable...
The famous 17th century architect, Christopher Wren, is said to have asked three brick-layers what they were working on. One responded that they were laying bricks, another said they were building a wall, and the last said they were building a great cathedral to the Lord.1
Though we are not (yet?) laying bricks for Carmen House Christian Study Center, this parable does serve as a helpful metaphor for the work I (Aaron) am doing these days. There may only be figurative bricks in my hands, but to start a non-profit that intends to one day operate out of a beautiful facility on some of the most valuable land in the state of Ohio, does feel like quite an endeavor. The groundwork of founding a Christian Study Center on the doorstep of OSU may feel tedious at times, but it is not without the big picture in mind.
What is the big picture? What is Carmen House about?
Carmen House Christian Study Center seeks to provide a hospitable place for the OSU community to explore deep questions about the Christian faith in relation to learning, vocation, and human flourishing. We seek to be a greenhouse for Christian spiritual formation, demonstrating the vitality and wisdom of the Christian faith for the life of the university.
We envision Christian and non-Christian students having a judgment-free place to be honest about their questions and doubts. We envision Christian students holistically growing in their faith, including their academic pursuits. We envision Christian faculty at OSU that are actively integrating their faith with their academic work in the university, while being given opportunities outside of the classroom setting to share their lives and perspectives with others in the campus community. We envision non-Christian students and faculty encountering the people and programs of Carmen House, and being welcomed and surprised by the wisdom and beauty of the way of Jesus Christ.
What does it look like?
We are inspired by the Christian Study Center movement, and find the work of Upper House at the University of Wisconsin a beautiful model of a comparable space we hope to someday inhabit.
Where are we in the process?
Carmen House Christian Study Center has applied and been officially approved as a non-profit organization in the state of Ohio!
We have been building a board of directors, and we will host our first board meeting in early December.
I have been ordained through my church's denomination (the EPC) to provide leadership for Carmen House (an independent non-profit) while serving as Spiritual Theologian in Residence at Hope Church.
Where do we go from here?
Carmen House will be seeking tax-exempt status at the federal level, and we hope to have that in place in 2025.
Come February we will be co-sponsoring events for undergrad students, grad students, and faculty featuring guest speaker and Christian psychiatrist (and Buckeye fan!) Curt Thompson, MD.
Come spring, we will be focusing on a capital campaign in order that Carmen House Christian Study Center might secure a location and have the necessary funds to pursue this mission and vision.
In the meantime, we are still in need of additional support through our current sponsoring organization (GSA).
With Christian Study Centers being developed at universities across the country, and now at several Big Ten campuses, the time is ripe for a Christian Study Center for Christian hospitality and programming near the campus of OSU. Like others connected to the Consortium of Christian Study Centers, Carmen House seeks to work in partnership with existing campus ministries, a hub which brings people together and convenes meaningful conversations and formational experiences.
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/five-skills-great-leaders
Can't wait to see this vision become a reality adjacent to OSU's campus! It's desperately needed.