WHAT IS THE RESIDENT FELLOWS PROGRAM 

OF THE CHRISTIAN STUDY CENTRE AT HAVEN HOUSE? 

Resident Fellows of the Christian Study Centre at Haven House are committed to following a faithful lifestyle and growing in godliness as defined in the Christian Scriptures. The Christian Study Centre seeks to provide a safe, secure, and nurturing environment so that each resident’s relationship with Christ is actively cultivated by living at Haven House. 

Resident Fellows are expected to be individuals seeking a place to live out their faith and take advantage of the community ministries that YWAM Student Centre offers. Resident Fellows agree to encourage and exhort one another and visitors at Haven House by adhering to the Resident Fellows Program Covenant Commitments.

COVENANT COMMITMENTS

Table Fellowship: I will attend and help host a weekly shared meal and open worship time. 

Worship: I will attend a weekly Bible study/worship gathering with the residents’ church or fellowship group.

Mentorship: I will meet with a personal Mentor bi-monthly to set and review goals.

Advancement: 

• As a student, I will maintain a “B” average or get a tutor. (A “D” average or below is subject to removal at the end of the semester.) 
• As a working adult, I will maintain good performance reviews with my employer.

Cleanliness: I will maintain a clean household & personal living space.

Training & Outreach: I will participate in training events, including a bi-annual orientation retreat, and community outreaches. 

Rent: I will pay my Resident Fellowship Fees (which includes rent, utilities, and basic food requirements) promptly. 

BE-ATTITUDES AT HAVEN HOUSE

BE PRAYERFUL - Be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit does and join Him and others in prayer.

BE ON TIME - Please be on time for all meetings. If you will be late, please inform a staff member.

BE RESPECTFUL—Address each other with their preferred names and always ask before touching someone (both male and female Residents may have emotional wounds that can be triggered by touching without permission). Respect privacy and ask permission to take photos of Residents and Guests.

BE CLEAN AND HELPFUL—Maintain a clean and tidy Room and Common Areas. Volunteer to assist with clean-up whenever possible. After using a Common Area, please remove all personal items and leave the facilities cleaner than when we arrived.

BE SAFE—Watch for safety concerns and notify a Program Director if you see something that needs attention. All Residents must be clean and free of drugs and excessive alcohol consumption at Haven House. Addictive behavior to any kind of substance, activities, including the viewing of pornographic or indecent media, is prohibited, and help should be requested as soon as possible. Participation in sexual relationships outside of heterosexual marriage is cause for dismissal from the Resident Fellows Program. If any illegal drugs are found in the possession of any Resident or Guest, a Program Director should be notified.

BE HONORABLE—Do not speak negatively about anyone, especially when they are not present. The use of abusive, destructive, and vulgar speech is always prohibited. If we do talk dishonorably about a Resident or Program Director, we will ask for forgiveness within 24 hours.

A Christian Community

In a culture that valued homogeneity – where, for example, one only shared meals with persons of the same social strata – the followers of Jesus looked strange. Across racial, religious, and economic barriers, the Early Christians cared for other Christians simply because they had found a common identity following King Jesus. And they understood that their chief testimony to the surrounding culture was not in their answers about the faith (though those are important!) but in how they cared for one another. Participation in this Resident Fellows Program involves relinquishing control of who you live with and intentionally welcoming diversity in our residential community. 

What does a Christian Community look like? We do not merely co-exist, simply sharing the same living space, and we are not merely housemates. Life together in a Christian community requires much more and gives much in return. Resident Fellows at Haven House are students pursuing a degree or young adults starting a career; others may be ministry staff or interns. However, all Residents will welcome student groups and others for prayer, worship, and outreach planning activities at Haven House.

Table Fellowship

You may not have practiced table fellowship in your family of origin or your church community. You may not have experienced a routine of mealtimes lingering around the table to listen to one another’s stories. Why? Because American families rarely sit together for meals. And when they do, they are either scrolling their devices, watching TV, or rushing out the door for a sports activity. 

Why is it important to practice table fellowship? In September 2022, the American Heart Association surveyed 1,000 American adults. They found that 91% of parents notice their family is less stressed when they share family meals, and respondents reported eating alone about half the time. The result is an epidemic of emotional distress. 

Jesus’ evangelism, discipleship, and mission lifestyle begins at a table, a welcoming space where personal stories are shared. Our non-formal lifestyle discipleship at Haven House fosters an environment of trust, vulnerability, and spiritual growth through authentic community connections. But it takes work to break the cycle of isolation and emotional distress.

The Work: Cultivating Christian Community

Sometimes this is the work of giving what you don’t want to give (e.g., an apology, the time it takes to clean the dishes). Sometimes it is the work of not having what you want to have (e.g., the last word, your choice of music). The difficulties raised by this common life can be seen in the pages of the New Testament. The gospels' authors and letters to the early church described how a Jesus-centered life changes everything. We are doing the work of cultivating a Christian Community as described in the New Testament. (See the attached list, ’The One Anothers.’)

Your Resident Fellow’s Covenant Commitment Promise is simple, but profound. Together we endeavor to live in a way that glorifies Jesus and nourishes our lives as his followers. Among other things, it includes working, with God’s help, to care, repent, and forgive in the way that the ‘One Another’ passages describe. It also involves reading, thinking, and talking together about following Jesus as college students and young adults. 

Activities

To get specific about activities, some of the work you should expect to do with the Christian Study Centre includes:

Table Fellowship - A weekly sit-down meal, discussion, and worship gatherings with guests (typically Mondays 6:30 - 8:30 pm)
House meetings - Announcements and personal check-in (day and time to be determined by Residents)
Morning Prayer (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 6:30-7 am)
Move-In Day Lunch - Serving lunch to students (Date and Time TBD)
WHO I AM Weekend Intensive - A two-day orientation retreat for all residents and guests, on the first weekend of the fall and spring semesters.

PROBLEM SOLVING AMONG RESIDENTS

The Resident agrees to solve personal conflict as outlined in the Bible (Matthew 18:15-20, Ephesians 4:15-32, Galatians 6:1, Proverbs 18:13). If the Resident has a conflict with another Resident, they are first encouraged to solve problems between themselves. If they cannot solve the problem independently, they are to seek help from their Mentor, a Program Director, or a Pastor of their Church Fellowship. YWAM Student Centre and/or Program Director(s) may bring in other sources of counsel to help solve any issues. The Resident agrees to solve problems consistent with the Bible and, in the absence of criminal activity, to avoid legal recourse for any dispute.

ABIDING BY THE GUIDELINES

I also agree to abide by all applicable written guidelines or policies that YWAM Student Centre and/or Program Director(s) have established. Any persistent violation of any written community guidelines, commitments, or evaluations of misbehavior is cause for dismissal from the Resident Fellows Program and eviction from Haven House.

COVENANT COMMITMENT PROMISE

As a part of the Resident Fellows Program of the Christian Study Centre at Haven House, I promise to fully participate in the life of the community, with God’s help, submitting myself to self-scrutiny and willing correction, and seeking to love and honor God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I will do my best to maintain close communication and relationships with my fellow residents and the program directors throughout the term of my residence. I recognize that the program directors are tasked with counseling and correcting me for my own sake and the community's sake. I promise to respond to their general direction to the group, or their specific direction to me, with promptness and graciousness.