The Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing kicked off with its Alumni Advisory Board walk-through on Friday, roughly two weeks ahead of its soft opening.

The official grand opening will take place on January 22, 2027– which is exactly one year after the groundbreaking of the Center. Students are encouraged to visit the Saunders Center beginning on October 19 within its provisional hours of 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Frederick, director of the Saunders Center, began planning the logistics of the Saunders Center after their groundbreaking back in January, including the stylistic side of it. She was given a renovation budget, but what initially seemed to be a small renovation turned out to require a lot more work, including bringing the bathrooms to ADA standards.

“So when we started looking at that, it’s like, well, we just need to [renovate] the whole wing,” Frederick said.

The first 18 months of this project were spent fundraising to ensure that the entire Mabee wing of the library could be renovated and be ready for this new space. The total amount for the renovations ended up surpassing half a million dollars.

Frederick and Brent Lobstein, the architect, began designing what they wanted the space to look like, more specifically, for it to be designed into zones.

The Saunders Center will include a prayer room, a soundproof listening booth with episodes of the late Landon Saunders’ teachings and other podcasts, napping pods (no shoes allowed), a labyrinth which students may walk, a stereo system for music, a kitchen area for event catering, materials for arts and crafts and more.

Its overall goal is to offer students a place of rest and rejuvenation, Frederick said.

“I want the Saunders Center to be a place of de-stressing, and I’ve intentionally designed it that way, so you feel different when you come in,” Frederick said.

The labyrinth that is placed in the Center of the room is a spiritual and physical practice that is symbolic of a pilgrimage with the intention of meeting with God. Students are encouraged to slow down physically and walk inside of the labyrinth and dwell in its practices of purgation, illumination and union.

“So as you’re exiting [the labyrinth], which is a full body prayer practice, your intention is to take whatever you gained from that practice with you into the week,” Frederick said. “And you’re going to be different, or differently, or listen for an invitation from God about what God may be inviting you into? You know?”

Once in full swing, the Saunders Center will utilize the YouCanBookMe app for students to reserve time slots for the napping pods and the prayer room. Students will check in their phones and technology at the door, with chargers available. There will be a Suitable QR code for them to log their visit, which will potentially turn into a Suitable badge.

Picture of the decorated inside of the Saunders Center (Photo by Amelie Aquino)

“You come in with the intention of being unplugged from technology and from distractions,” Frederick said. “And we want you to reconnect with yourself and with God, and with other people, in face-to-face conversations, analog activities, like puzzles and books and games.”

Richard Beck is a senior fellow for the Saunders Center, and he hopes to host departmental chapels in the Center, while also still upholding the values of the space as a place for rest.

“I do think it’s going to be a learning curve, because I think, I don’t know if the students will know, because I do think the biggest discussion will be a lot of students, I think, are looking at the space currently, and I think it’s going to be like just an overflow space.”

Beck hopes that students understand the purpose of the Center while also enjoying what it has to offer.

“This isn’t just a place to continue study, but to try to disconnect from some screens,” Beck said. “It’ll be interesting to see what kind of appetite there is among the students for the space.”

Beck and Frederick both emphasized how the space will be technology-free and, instead of being a library overflow, it’s a place to take a break from day-to-day life.

Naps pods in the Saunders Center (Photo by Amelie Aquino)

“Part of promoting a flourishing life is promoting these spiritual practices, slowing, Sabbath, contemplation, meditation, prayer, work-life balance, and time management,” Frederick said.

As of now, the capacity for the Center is set for 71 people, but it will be adjusted as needed. Beck believes that the Center will attract event demand but wants students to feel welcome, above all.

“So, demand, I think it’s more an invitation, and we’ll see how many people take us up on the invitation,” Beck said. “We might have to woo people into the space.”

Once the Center is in full swing, Frederick plans on hosting different events for students to maximize the space.

“We’re going to have music nights, writers nights, songwriter nights, poetry nights,” Frederick said. “We’re going to have events where we have speakers and workshops, spiritual discipline workshops.”

Saunders Center windows overlook into campus (Photo by Amelie Aquino)

Aside from being a place to rest, the Center will be a place to remember late Landon Saunders and learn from him while dwelling in the mission of “[promoting] conversation and reflection upon the primacy of joy and human flourishing,” according to the ACU website.

The Saunders Center will also host an open house for the Summit conference on October 8 from noon to 1:30 p.m.

The Saunders Center will expand its hours once the Center is fully staffed. Frederick hopes for it to function six days a week, nine hours a day for a total of 54 hours a week. The hours will expand over time once the Center is adjusted, with its potential hours of operation being from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

While they await the grand opening, students will only be allowed to bring water into the space but are invited to utilize the Center and enjoy its amenities in the meantime.