Dear friends,
As we celebrate our tenth anniversary year, the Davenant Institute has accomplished extraordinary things on a very modest budget, by God’s grace and the aid of our army of friends and donors. We’ve published nearly forty books and a quarterly journal; hosted dozens of conferences and retreats around the US, Canada, and the UK; launched an institute reimagining theological education; and acquired and developed a beautiful retreat and study center in the Carolina Blue Ridge foothills. We’ve built a loyal following of Christian scholars, educators, pastors, and ordinary lay people in myriad vocations thirsting after Christian wisdom and eager to mine the riches of their Reformational heritage.
Many of the books we’ve published, resources we’ve developed, and courses we’ve offered are one of a kind, offering a synthesis of Word and world, past and present, theory and practice that is hard to come by in most Protestant institutions and churches. Davenant scholars such as Alastair Roberts, Michael Lynch, and Joseph Minich have made tremendous contributions to their fields, and we have been honored by the opportunity to help share their insights with our students and readers. Our network of friendship and collaboration, renewed and expanded each year at our Convivia and other events, now includes a host of writers, scholars, and educators at leading evangelical and Reformed institutions as well as entrepreneurs laying the groundwork for a renovation of Christian education and civic leadership.
As we turn our attention to what the Lord has in store for us in our second decade, it is our goal to expand our audience and secure our future, being good stewards of the resources and people that God has given us to have the broadest impact for many years to come. That’s why we’re seeking to raise funds toward three distinct needs in the coming year:
- New Video Lecture Series
While we love old books and want people to read them, we’re not shy of the digital age, and we recognize the need to communicate effectively through the forms of media that can reach the most people. This spring, we launched our first major video series, twenty hours of incredible lectures by our Teaching Fellow Alastair Roberts on “An Introduction to Biblical Wisdom.” And we have another coming out soon from Michael Lynch on “Christ and His Work.” We want to produce a lot more of these video series in the next two years, and we’d like to film them at Davenant House so that we can engage the local Christian community around these ideas. When Alastair spoke, we had dozens of people showing up, some from hours away, to watch the lectures being filmed. The total cost of each of these lecture series is around $10,000 each, and we’re hoping to film at least four more in the next two years. Will you consider making a gift to bring more of Davenant’s resources to a digital audience?
- Residential Teaching Fellow at Davenant House
The filming of new lecture series is only a small part of our plans for Davenant House in the coming years. Davenant House is the hub of Davenant’s growing community, and it is an ideal location not only for lively fellowship but also quiet study, reflection, and contemplation. Our hope is that Davenant House will serve as a place of renewal and retreat for both our friends nationwide and for the Christian community in the Western Carolinas. We’re thus working to bring in a residential teaching fellow who can grow the community of conversation at Davenant House by leading book studies and discussion nights, connecting with local pastors and Christian educators, and delivering both individual lectures and lecture series. Bringing a residential teaching fellow to Davenant House will cost around $50,000 each year, and we will need your support to do it. Will you consider investing in the community at Davenant House by making a donation today?
- Faithful Stewardship of the Davenant House Property
As we seek to grow the community of conversation at Davenant House, we also need to be good stewards of the beautiful property we’ve been gifted there. We’re hoping to make significant investments over the coming years to sustain and grow Davenant House as the focal point for the army of friends that makes Davenant special. There are a number of needs, some urgent and others needing attention within the next couple of years, to improve and maintain the more than 70 acres of property the Lord has blessed Davenant with. Although we do our best to make donations go as far as possible by shopping for used items and using volunteer labor, we will need to raise additional funds to meet the following needs:
- $5,000 for new couches, beds, and deck furniture at Davenant House and Broadus House
- $10,000 to design and begin implementing a master landscaping plan, including creating a beautiful outdoor firepit seating and worship area at Davenant House
- $20,000 within the next couple of years to replace the roof at Broadus House
Will you consider giving a gift today to help steward and sustain the Davenant House property?
Your support of these initiatives will help to renew Christian wisdom in an age of confusion and to revitalize the church by reintroducing her to the treasures of the past. The needs listed above add up to a total of $125,000, and our goal is to raise one quarter of that amount by the end of this fiscal year. We could hit that milestone with fifty $100 gifts, twenty $500 gifts, ten $1,000 gifts, and four $2,500 gifts. Please consider making a contribution of $100, $500, $1,000, or $2,500 before June 30 to help Davenant close this fiscal year strong as we approach our 10th anniversary this fall.
We are incredibly grateful for the faithful support of our donors and for the Lord’s abundant blessings over the past decade. With your continued prayers and support, we trust that the next ten years in the life of the Davenant Institute will prove to be even more fruitful as we seek to expand our audience and secure our future. Thank you for being part of our army of friends and for joining us as we work to retrieve the riches of classical Protestantism to renew and build up the contemporary church.
In Christ,
Brad Littlejohn, President