Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing

02/24/2026

We are excited to host a public lecture at Abilene Christian University, featuring Dr. Miroslav Volf on March 16! Dr. Volf is the author of Exclusion and Embrace, Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most, and most recently, The Cost of Ambition, which won Christianity Today’s award for Best Book of 2025-26 in the Popular Theology category. Please register by going to this link:

The Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing welcomes Dr. Miroslav Volf, acclaimed author and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, to ACU’s campus. On Monday, March 16, at 6 p.m., we will host a public reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres in the lobby of the Williams P...

01/30/2026

If you're in the vicinity of Abilene Christian University on Monday, March 16, make plans to hear Dr. Miroslav Volf, Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology and Founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. He will be speaking in morning Chapel at 11:00 a.m. on his latest book, The Cost of Ambition. Then at 6:00 p.m. the Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing will host a public reception for Dr. Volf, followed by a lecture at 7:00 p.m. in the Williams Performing Arts Center's Fulks Theatre. His award winning books will be on sale during the event, followed by a book signing afterwards. You may register for the event below:

https://alumniassociation.acu.edu/s/1565/16/interior.aspx?sid=1565&gid=1&pgid=4913

11/06/2025

Join the Saunders Center for our fall retreat on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Refuge Ranch from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

10/28/2025

On Saturday, Nov. 15, ACU students are invited to attend our one-day Saunders Center Retreat: Let it Fall!

This retreat will take place at Refuge Ranch and focus on exploring joy, togetherness, and letting our worries fall away!! We will be meeting from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. for lunch, outdoor games (axe-throwing, anyone?!) thoughtful discussions, prayer, relaxation around the fire pits, hiking in the woods, worship, and a cook-out, including S'mores and other fall favorites!! Please register using this link: https://forms.gle/ion6FcNwZxb5DqTR6

When: Saturday, November 15th (11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.)
Where: Refuge Ranch: 364 Co Rd 154, Tuscola, TX 79562

We are assembling multiple cohorts of faculty mentors and student leaders who want to gather once a month for lunch (or dinner) and to discuss “Things That Really Matter.”

09/14/2025

Free Hug Fridays are now at ACU!! In any season we will choose Joy!

08/05/2025

Stone stories, ancient echoes. At the heart of Ireland, Celtic crosses rise in silent praise, reminding us that joy and human flourishing are rooted in memory, meaning, and the sacred. From stillness, beauty blooms.