Luther Memorial Lutheran Church

The Well Campus Ministry at Virginia Tech

Welcome to a new Fall semester at Tech!

Greetings in Christ,

We hope you have enjoyed your summer break and are as excited as we are to begin another year of service, fellowship, worship, and fun! Our leadership team has put together some amazing opportunities for students this year to grow in their faith, serve our neighbor, and build community together. The focus for this year will be community service and we will be participating in projects around the Blacksburg area.

Our campus center remains open for student use to enjoy the use of our washer/dryer machines, study space, free snacks, or just a quiet place to get away.

I remain available as your campus minister as a listening ear, friend and as an advocate. You can reach me anytime at 540-391-0856 (call or text) or email thewell@lmlc.org.

As a community, we are committed to providing a safe and nourishing space for all of God’s people, embracing students from every walk of life, background, gender, sexuality, race, ability and identity. We believe that we are all created in the image of God and that together we are best equipped to thrive.

As part of our covenant, we abide by Virginia Tech’s motto: "Ut Prosim: That I May Serve, recognizing that service is more than an action; it is a commitment. We support and affirm one another in our faith journeys, and we promote opportunities to grow in faith together.” YOU are welcome here.

Peace and Blessings,

Pastor Libby Pfaff

Let us not love with words or speech but with action and in truth. ~1 John 3:18

About The Well

The Well is a Reconciling in Christ ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Our home congregation while we study at VT is Luther Memorial Lutheran Church and we are incredibly thankful for their continuous support and love. We welcome all to join us in fellowship and service to the community to grow in our own relationships with God as well as in the friendships we have with one another.

During the academic year, students meet in the Pavilion or the Lutheran Campus Center at Luther Memorial for service, fellowship, and worship in Christ. We have many activities planned throughout the year, including service projects, a joint book study with Wesley Campus Ministry, game night, Spring Break service retreat and support groups. All Virginia Tech students are welcome! We are so excited to meet you and welcome you into The Well! Feel free to email us at thewell@lmlc.org and follow us on Facebook and on Instagram

The Well

Community Service

God calls us to mission in the world. Throughout the year we lead service projects around the Blacksburg area. This Fall, we will lend our hearts and hands to Micah’s Closet and Micah’s Backpack, with monthly volunteer “pack days”; a project with Head Start; November Pie Day (expanding last year’s project to include homebound members of other Blacksburg congregations), Football Parking, a Little Big Event and a Blood Drive. This Spring Break, we will join students from Roanoke College for a service retreat to the Outer Banks of North Carolina! We look forward to continuing the tradition of service to our community.

Social Justice

Called to do justice, it is vital for us to be visible advocates for the marginalized, to stand up against oppression and share the liberating love of Christ. This year, The Well will be participating in the World Council of Church’s Thursdays in Black campaign against sexual and gender-based violence. We will also be recruiting for a new student Creation Care team, working for climate justice. This team will learn about how to enact change through public policy and will have the opportunity to travel to Richmond this Fall for the State General Assembly. We are also participants in the Campaign Zero project against police violence and are constant advocates for our LGBTQIA+ neighbors.

Study

Studying the scriptures and wrestling with how faith intersects with the intellectual and emotional challenges of college life is an important part of our ministry. During October, we will host a book study with our friends at Wesley Campus Ministry. Please e-mail thewell@lmlc.org for more information. If there is a particular book, Bible text or spiritual topic you would like to request we study together next Spring, please let Pr. Libby know so that we can include it in our plan for the year.

Gather

During the academic year, students meet in the Pavilion or at the campus center at Luther Memorial for fun, food, and fellowship in Christ. We also provide listening spaces as we support one another, as a community, as we navigate these difficult times in our personal lives and in the deeply divided culture surrounding us. For directions or further information call (540) 391-0856.