What’s happening at PSC
Past semesters
Summer 2025
Summer Stories 2025
June 7 and August 9 at 6pm, Hessel Park Shelter 1
Text 815-683-6044 to RSVP.
As the calendar turns to summer, we turn our attention to cultivating a thoughtful Christian faith through reading fiction. These relaxed summer book discussions are a great opportunity to invite a friend to check out what Pascal Study Center is all about. Free dinner provided, though participants are welcome to bring a side or dessert to share.
June 7: Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Cry, the Beloved Country, was an immediate worldwide bestseller when it was published in 1948. Alan Paton’s impassioned novel about a black man’s country under white man’s law is a work of searing beauty.
Cry, the Beloved Country, is the deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, set against the background of a land and a people riven by racial injustice. Remarkable for its lyricism, unforgettable for character and incident, Cry, the Beloved Country is a classic work of love and hope, courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man.
August 9: East of Eden by John Steinbeck
In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.
The masterpiece of Steinbeck’s later years, East of Eden is a work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love’s absence.
Spring 2025
This semester, PSC is pleased to offer a new-to-us program with deep historical roots in many Christian traditions. During the season of Lent, we will gather together on Fridays to listen to the word of God. We will share a light lunch and listen as Scripture is read out loud. We will then have time for silent reflection and an opportunity to share briefly.
This is not a traditional Bible study! Our goal is simply to allow the “living and active” word of God to speak to us directly. All are welcome: university students, faculty, staff, and community members. Come take a pause in the middle of your busy day and make space to hear God’s voice.
Meets Fridays during Lent (March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18) Noon-1:00 p.m. at University Baptist Church.
Dinner Discussions
What could be better than free food? Free food accompanied by good conversation with an intergenerational community. Pascal Study Center invites you to our Second Saturday dinner discussions. Participants read a short essay in advance and then come together for a shared meal and small-group discussion.
Our theme for Spring 2025 is The Beauty of Repair. In the face of the magnitude of social, political, ecological, and spiritual dangers, the work of repair is so slow and so small that it can seem inconsequential. Yet God loves to work in small, slow ways, and invites us to join Him in repairing our lives, relationships, and world.
Our first essay, Just Your Handyman, draws on the experiences of a “part-time autodidact [self-taught] handyman.” Young people often hear that they can be whatever they want, but Kurt Armstrong finds surprising worth in modest jobs that allow him to learn as he goes and provide for his family. Through slow, attentive work, he re-affirms the integrity of both the homes he repairs and the human relationships that give those homes meaning. Register Here.
Our second essay, The Joy of Mending Jeans, turns from the work of a father to that of a mother. By making repairs visible and even beautiful rather than carefully hidden, Grace Russo turns well-loved clothing into wearable works of art. This loving practice brings new life to her daughters’ favorite clothes and helps them learn to notice the skilled labor that initially created those clothes, too. Register Here.
Finally, To Mend a Farm reflects on the complexity and uncertainty of repair. From a mended bowl that retains a small yet permanent hole, to a farm that carries in its landscape many generations of human decisions (good and poor), the past is not erased but retained by repair. Yet this ongoing journey of breaking and repairing, breaking and repairing is not a threat to perfection but an invitation to further belonging. Register Here.
Join us at 6 p.m. on February 8, March 8, and April 12, 2025 to reflect on the different forms that repair can take and consider ways we might take up the call to repair in our own contexts.
Student Book Study
Wednesdays at 4:00 beginning February 5th.
No registration required.
Come explore what thoughtful Christian faithfulness looks like in the life of a university student. Join other students and Director Wenneborg as we read through a book together and seek to apply it to our lives week by week. Books and snacks provided to all who come!
For Spring 2025, we are reading Alan Noble’s You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World. Do you believe that you are your own person, belonging to no one else? Whether this leaves you feeling free from all restraints or anxious and overwhelmed, you are probably used to assuming that you are responsible for making your own identity and your own path through the world. But what if the most life-giving truth is that you are not your own? With self-deprecating humor and all-too-relatable examples, Noble considers the ways we all try to navigate the Responsibilities of Self-Belonging and the unexpected comfort of belonging to God.
For a preview of what to expect, read Director Emily Wenneborg’s review of You Are Not Your Own.
Christian Classics Reading Group
First Tuesdays (January 7, February 4, March 4, April 1) at 7pm, Twin City Bible Church
Deepen your understanding of theology and church history by diving into classic works of the Christian faith! This monthly reading group welcomes participants from any life stage and theological tradition. No advanced training or background knowledge necessary. Contact us to receive a book and reading assignment before the first meeting.
We will spend the 2024-2025 year with Augustine’s Confessions. Listen as Augustine offers praise and repentance to God, a model for us of both doctrine and devotion. Discover how this ancient prayer still speaks to those who want to grow in humility and love for God today.
Fall 2024
Guest Lecture
Christian Higher Education in a Post-Christian America
October 5 at 7pm, University Baptist Church (sanctuary)
Free and open to the public. No registration required.
Historically, Christianity has played a crucial role in the development of higher education in the United States, inspiring churches to found colleges and calling individuals to pursue teaching, learning, and scholarship. But as religious adherence and affiliation drops off sharply in this country, what is the future of Christian higher education? In this free public lecture, historian Chris Gehrz (Bethel University, MN) will consider the challenges and opportunities facing Christians in higher education — from students and their families to those who work at colleges and universities.
College for Christians: A Seminar for Students and Parents
October 4 at 6pm; October 5 at 8:30am, Faith United Methodist
WHY? – Friday
Why do people go to college? We’ll start by looking at different ways that people think about the purpose of college, how those expectations can shape the experience of college, and how Christians might have unique motivations for going to college.
WHICH? – Saturday part 1
How do you decide which college to attend? We’ll consider factors like cost, fit, and reputation, ask if Christians should consider secular options, and compare different types of Christian colleges.
HOW? – Saturday part 2
Once you’ve made your college choice, how do you make the most of the college experience? We’ll close by sharing some advice for how students can thrive in their first year of college.
The Angelus (1857–1859) by Jean-François Millet
Dinner Discussions
Second Saturdays (September 14, October 12, November 9) at 6pm, University Baptist Church (basement)
What could be better than free food? Free food accompanied by good conversation with an intergenerational community. Pascal Study Center invites you to our dinner discussion events. Participants read a short essay in advance and then come together for a shared meal and small-group discussion.
Our theme for Fall 2024 is Making Time Together. Our first essay, Keeping Sacred Time, introduces the question of how we relate to time in the modern world. Living in a secular society trains us to experience time as flattened, monotone “railway time.” Individually, we struggle to resist this flattening. But by working together in community, we can begin to rebuild rhythms that give time meaning and draw us together.
Our second essay, Simple Steps to Combat Smartphone Addiction, continues our consideration of the life-rhythms that support human connection. The author describes her own personal struggles with screens and the micro-changes she has made–including purchasing new technologies–to decrease her reliance on her smartphone. Modern technology may push us toward patterns of dependence, isolation, and consumerism, but we have the power to push back and make new rhythms for our lives.
Finally, Accompaniment in Time takes us to a very different culture and context: a bride-price ceremony in a mountain village of Papua New Guinea. As the author wrestles with his impatience to finish his stay in the village, we discover along with him the surprising reason why the ceremony is not moving as quickly as it could. By witnessing the choices of people far removed from contemporary America, we are invited to reflect on the cost and the beauty of making time for one another.
Student Book Study
Wednesdays at 4:00pm beginning September 4, University Baptist Church (second floor classroom)
No registration required.
Come explore what thoughtful Christian faithfulness looks like in the life of a university student. Join other students and Director Wenneborg as we read through a book together and seek to apply it to our lives week by week. Books and snacks provided to all who come!
For Fall 2024, we are reading Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect. By sharing true-to-life stories from his interactions with students, colleagues, church friends, and family members, law professor John Inazu invites us to begin developing the attitudes and habits that make it possible for us to disagree better.
Christian Classics Reading Group
First Tuesdays (September 3, October, 1, November 5, and December 3) at 7pm, Twin City Bible Church
Deepen your understanding of theology and church history by diving into classic works of the Christian faith! This monthly reading group welcomes participants from any life stage and theological tradition. No advanced training or background knowledge necessary. Contact us to receive a book and reading assignment before the first meeting.
We will spend the 2024-2025 year with Augustine’s Confessions. Listen as Augustine offers praise and repentance to God, a model for us of both doctrine and devotion. Discover how this ancient prayer still speaks to those who want to grow in humility and love for God today.
Summer 2024
Summer Stories 2024
June 1 and August 3 at 5pm, Hessel Park Shelter 1
Sign up now to participate in either or both events.
As the calendar turns to summer, we turn our attention to cultivating a thoughtful Christian faith through reading fiction. These relaxed summer book discussions are a great opportunity to invite a friend to check out what Pascal Study Center is all about. Free dinner provided.
June 1: Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
“Hannah Coulter is Wendell Berry’s seventh novel and his first to employ the voice of a woman character in its telling. Hannah, the now–elderly narrator, recounts the love she has for the land and for her community. She remembers each of her two husbands, and all places and community connections threatened by twentieth–century technologies. At risk is the whole culture of family farming, hope redeemed when her wayward and once lost grandson, Virgil, returns to his rural home place to work the farm.”
August 3: The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin, Jr.
“Walter Wangerin’s profound fantasy concerns a time when the sun turned around the earth and the animals could speak, when Chauntecleer the Rooster ruled over a more or less peaceful kingdom. What the animals did not know was that they were the Keepers of Wyrm, monster of evil long imprisoned beneath the earth … and Wyrm, sub terra, was breaking free.”
Spring 2024
Dinner discussions
March 2, April 20 at 6pm, University Baptist Church
What could be better than free food? Free food accompanied by good conversation! Pascal Study Center invites you to our dinner discussion events. Participants read a short article in advance and then come together for a shared meal and small-group discussion.
Our theme for Spring 2024 is The Precarious Good Life. Please sign up here to receive the reading and help us know how much food is needed.
Student reading group
Thursdays at 2pm starting February 1, University Baptist Church second-floor classroom
This spring, Pascal Study Center’s student reading group is discussing No Greater Love: A Biblical Vision for Friendship by Rebecca McLaughlin. Free book for all participants!
Paideia reading group
February 15, March 14, April 18 at 7pm, Twin City Bible Church
Do you want to engage with classic Christian texts alongside other believers? Join Pascal Study Center’s Paideia reading group! During 2023-2024, we are reading the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Organized through the Paideia Center for Theological Discipleship, this reading group welcomes participants from a variety of theological traditions and church backgrounds. Space is limited and registration is required. Contact us for a code for free registration.
Fall 2023
Guest lecture: Math and Love
November 11 at 7pm, All Souls Presbyterian Church
What does mathematics have to do with love? Join Dr. James Drimalla (University of Virginia) to uncover the connection between mathematics and flourishing human relationships.
Free and open to all!
Teachers’ luncheon: Math education
November 11 at 12pm, Hessel Park Christian Reformed Church
Calling all teachers! Join Pascal Study Center for a light luncheon with Dr. Drimalla to discuss the relationship between following Jesus and math education. Educators of any grade level, subject, and context (public school, private school, and homeschool) are warmly invited to attend! Please RSVP to confirm your spot.
Faith and film
October 14, November 4, December 2 at 5pm, Twin City Bible Church
Come explore how popular, beloved, and thought-provoking films intersect with the Christian faith! We will watch each movie together and spend some time discussing its themes, while enjoying some tasty snacks.
For Fall 2023, our film lineup is as follows: Arrival (2016), October 14; X-Men (2000), November 4; Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), December 2.
NOTE: Parking is limited in the Twin City Bible Church parking lot. If needed, additional parking is available at McKinley Health Center (across Lincoln Ave) or on side streets in the neighborhood.
Dinner discussions
October 7, November 18 at 6pm, All Souls Presbyterian Church
What could be better than free food? Free food accompanied by good conversation! Pascal Study Center invites you to our dinner discussion events. Participants read a short article in advance and then come together for a shared meal and small-group discussion.
Our theme for Fall 2023 is Unlikely Friendships. Please sign up here to receive the reading and help us know how much food is needed.
Paideia reading group
September 14, October 12, November 9 at 7pm, Twin City Bible Church
Do you want to engage with classic Christian texts alongside other believers? Join Pascal Study Center’s Paideia reading group! During 2023-2024, we are reading the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Organized through the Paideia Center for Theological Discipleship, this reading group welcomes participants from a variety of theological traditions and church backgrounds. Space is limited and registration is required. Contact us for a code for free registration.
Spring 2023
Guest lecture: Why Boredom Matters
February 25 at 7pm, All Souls Presbyterian Church
Hear from Dr. Kevin Gary, Professor of Education at Valparaiso University, as we examine the pervasive problem of distraction and boredom as a hindrance to human flourishing and consider ways to connect to richer moral and spiritual practices.
Free and open to all!
Paideia reading group
February 2, March 9, April 13 at 7pm, All Souls Presbyterian Church
Do you want to engage with classic Christian texts alongside other believers? Join Pascal Study Center’s Paideia reading group! This spring, we are reading On the Cosmic Mystery of Jesus Christ by Maximus the Confessor.
Organized through the Paideia Center for Theological Discipleship, this reading group is open to all Champaign-Urbana community members. Space is limited and registration is required. Contact us for a code for free registration.
Student reading group
Wednesdays at 4pm starting February 8, University Baptist Church second-floor classroom
Do you want to learn not only what to think but also how to think? We can all learn to think better, but improving our thinking requires both practice and community.
This spring, Pascal Study Center’s student reading group is discussing How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds by Alan Jacobs. This reading group is open to all university students. Free book for all participants!
Director’s office hours
Wednesdays 1:30–3:30pm, third floor of University Baptist Church
Have a question about the Christian faith in relation to learning or vocation? Want to suggest a future reading group, speaker event, or other program for PSC? Just want to chat? Come to Director Emily Wenneborg’s office hours! Anyone is welcome to stop by Dr. Wenneborg’s office at Urbana Theological Seminary on Wednesday afternoons. To schedule a meeting with Dr. Wenneborg at another time, please contact us.
Fall 2022
Paideia reading group
September 29, October 27, December 8 at 7pm, All Souls Presbyterian Church
Do you want to engage with classic Christian texts alongside other believers? Join Pascal Study Center’s Paideia reading group! This fall, we are reading Athanasius’ On the Incarnation. Concerning Athanasius, C. S. Lewis wrote, “It is his glory that he did not move with the times; it is his reward that he now remains when those times, as all times do, have moved away.” Come join us in discussing this book that has truly stood the test of time.
Organized through the Paideia Center for Theological Discipleship, this reading group is open to all Champaign-Urbana community members. Space is limited and registration is required. Contact us for a code for free registration.
Student reading group
Wednesdays at 2pm starting September 14, University Baptist Church second-floor classroom
Do you believe that you are your own person, belonging to no one else? Whether this leaves you feeling free from all restraints or anxious and overwhelmed, you are probably used to assuming that you are responsible for making your own identity and your own path through the world. But what if the most life-giving truth is that you are not your own?
This fall, Pascal Study Center’s student reading group is discussing Alan Noble’s You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World. With self-deprecating humor and all-too-relatable examples, Noble considers the ways we all try to navigate the Responsibilities of Self-Belonging and the unexpected comfort of belonging to God.
This reading group is open to all university students. For a preview of what to expect, read Director Emily Wenneborg’s review of You Are Not Your Own.
If we are not our own but belong to Christ, then we are not free to belong wherever and to whomever we choose. We have limits and obligations. But we also can never be lost. No matter how uncertain, disorienting, and alienating the world may become, we can never be lost.
—O. Alan Noble, You Are Not Your Own