Events

Congratulations, graduates and welcome incoming students!  Regular activities resume on August 23. Check back here for details. In the meantime, friend us on Facebook.  

Weekly Events  

Sunday Night Prayer and Study, 7:00 p.m.
Join us as we read through one of the Gospels together and gear-up for the week ahead.

Tuesday night dinner and discussion, 5:00-7:00 p.m. 
Each Tuesday night during the fall and spring semester we gather for a home-cooked meal. And here’s the best part: it’s free. This fall we begin God Stories: a series of discussions about people of faith that we read about in scripture. We’ll learn about our own stories as well. A group of lovely and talented people facilitate the discussions in both small and large groups.

Afternoon Prayer, TBA this fall. We know we’re ‘supposed’ to pray, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin. Join us each week for a short teaching about prayer and some time spent in prayer for our campus and community. No experience necessary. Contact Spencer Atkinson for more information.

Saturday Night Prayer and Praise, 8:00 p.m. Join us for an evening of music and prayer for the needs of our campus and community.

Wellness Classes, Tired of fighting for a space in Goolrick for Zumba? We hear you. Looking for yoga and pilates? We hear you on that too. We’re creating space for the development of whole people; spiritually, socially, intellectually and physically. Details here.

Voices of Praise, (rehearsal time, TBA)   Heard of pick-up basketball? Well, this is our version of a pick-up choir. Voices of Praise, The UMW Gospel Choir is back with a new vision to help us celebrate and recreate through music. Singers of all skill levels are welcome.

Senior Capstone, TBA Spring Semester.
Getting ready for the real world can be a daunting task. Don’t worry. We’re in it together. Here’s  your chance to start the transition to the world beyond UMW.

Special Events

On display now–Spring Art Exhibition “Beauty in Five Senses” featuring work by UMW Students Melinda Watanabe and Anthony Silver.

Cinema on the Circle,  details coming soon…

About us

Created space for goodness, truth and beauty

In December 1948, Mr. and Mrs. William Chesley gave their home to the Fredericksburg Baptist Church for use as a center for the Baptist students at Mary Washington College.

Over the years, a group known as the Baptist Student Union grew and the house was expanded. In December 1981, the doors of a new student center opened creating more space for events and interaction. The building is many things to many people. It’s a place where students learn to lead for the first time. It’s a place filled with memories of mission projects, study sessions, and home-cooked meals.

At our core, we’re a center for hospitality—a place to call home. But we’re more than that. We’re a center for dialogue. Here it’s okay to wrestle with the deeper truth. We’re a creative center for the visual and performing arts. And we’re a place for still and quiet.

Here at The Center, we’re reaching out. We work in partnership with student and community leaders to meet the needs of the people right here in Fredericksburg and around the world.

What was once a small college in a small town is now a 4000-member university in a megalopolis spanning from Richmond to Boston. The world is changing. The future is uncertain. But we’re creating the future as we believe it will be by following the one at the center of all things; the one who makes all things new.