As a university focused congregation, UBC wants to be a place where every student feels welcome and wanted! Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome in the UniBap Student Ministry.
Weekly Activities
Sundays @ 9:30 AM | College Bible Study | Collegiate Room (Room G17, ground floor of the church)
@ 11 AM | Worship | Sanctuary (often followed by students going to lunch together!)
@ 5 PM | Jubilate Choir Rehearsal | Sanctuary (dinner provided after)
A Quiet Place to Study
Students are welcome to come study throughout the week in any available room in the church. The collegiate room was newly renovated early in 2021, and provides comfortable couches, a couple study desks, LOTS of snacks, and a tv with streaming services for your study breaks!
Our regular office hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Thursday. Students who need space to study outside of regular office hours can reach out to our Associate Minister for Students, Val Fisk (vfisk@universitybaptist.org), to arrange access to the building.
During finals, we advertise our study space to all of UVA! Volunteers from the congregation are here along with our Student Minister until 9 PM each evening to provide treats, have a chat or play a card game when you need a brain break, and help with your needs here in the building. Policies for study hours can be found here. The study hours schedule for Fall 2021 is as follows:
Wednesday, December 8 – Christmas Movie Marathon on reading day, 12 PM – 8 PM. Pizza provided at dinnertime for anyone present.
Thursday, December 9 – office opens at 8:30 AM; volunteers present to admit students until 9 PM.
Friday, December 10 – volunteers present to admit students from 1-5 PM.
Sunday, December 12 to Thursday, December 16 – office opens at 8:30 AM; volunteers present to admit students until 9 PM.
Student Luncheons
We periodically provide a free lunch after worship on Sundays, as an opportunity for you to get to know other students and families in our congregation.
Jubilate!
Jubilate is our church’s auditioned choir for university students. This group performs on the grounds at the university, in our Sunday morning worship services, and in churches throughout Virginia. Each year during Spring break, Jubilate takes a major concert tour and in previous years has traveled to Boston, New York, St. Louis, Orlando, Indianapolis, and Colorado. On one well-remembered trip, Jubilate traveled to New Orleans and helped rehab houses damaged during Hurricane Katrina. For more information on Jubilate, click here.
What’s new with UniBap Student Ministry?
In 2018, UBC began to dream about what our next phase of student ministry will look like. A College Ministry Task Force was created to evaluate our current ministry opportunities and gather ideas from other churches that serve university communities. This year-long process led University Baptist to create a new position for an Associate Minister for Students and begin searching for an innovative, enthusiastic person to fill that position in 2020.
And we did not let a global pandemic squash that dream! In August of 2020, our new Associate Minister, Val Fisk, moved to Charlottesville to join the UBC family. Val and the rest of the UBC staff are using this time during COVID-19 distancing to continue striving toward the dream that began with the Task Force more than two years ago. Although some of our longstanding traditions like our “Welcome to UVA Students” luncheon each September and our graduate recognition service each May are on hold until we can gather safely, we are finding creative ways to connect with one another in the meantime! Our goal for UniBap Student Ministry is to provide university students with opportunities for study, service, spiritual growth, and fellowship, all year round.
Sunday Morning Transportation for Students to UBC
UBC is located on The Corner and is readily accessible by walking for many. Public transportation is available through Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT), on the free Trolley or on the Route 7 bus (free with UVa identification). Schedules can be found at www.charlottesvilletransit.org. We do provide transportation to and from the church on Sunday mornings upon request. To request transportation, please contact the church office at 293-5106 or office@universitybaptist.org to arrange for pick-up.