Saunders Center for joy and human flourishing

The Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing was established in fall of 2024 to honor the legacy of beloved preacher and friend to this university, Dr. Landon Brady Saunders (1937-2023). Landon reflected joy and the love of Jesus everywhere he went and believed in the value and dignity of each human being. A visionary communicator and radio broadcaster, Landon founded “Heartbeat” radio in 1971 and served for decades as a spiritual mentor to business leaders and Christian ministers throughout the world.

Our Mission

Inspired by his legacy, our mission at the Saunders Center is to embrace joy, foster spaces of rest and renewal, and promote the essential elements of a good and flourishing life for students at ACU and beyond.

Our Approach

At the Saunders Center, we approach joy and human flourishing holistically, taking into account the following domains: happiness and life satisfaction, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships. We want students to learn how to:

Slow down, come together and listen better
Discover their purpose
Learn what animates them, energizes them and gives them joy
So that they can share that joy with others
Find refuge and relationship
And be refueled for thoughtful service to God and the world

Join us as we explore the pathways to a more joyful and flourishing life, building on the legacy of Landon Saunders and the Christian mission of Abilene Christian University.

Our Goals for 2025

GOAL #1

Create a physical space on campus where students can go to connect with God, themselves, and other people.

This space will be screen-free and have zones for rest, prayer, collaborative work, play, spiritual disciplines, and art-making. The space will also feature a listening corner where students can put on a pair of headphones and hear the voice of Landon.

The new Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing will be located in the Mabee Auditorium wing of the Brown Library at ACU. Please click here if you would like to donate to this ongoing construction / renovation project.

GOAL #2

Promote Interdisciplinary Faculty Research in the Areas of Joy and Human Flourishing

We will provide opportunities for faculty to network, collaborate, and present their research in the areas of joy and human flourishing through conference presentations, travel grant opportunities, a Landon Saunders lecture series, and more.

Visit the Faculty Resources page to learn more about ways in which the Saunders Center is supporting ACU faculty and ministry colleagues.

GOAL #3

Create, develop, and promote student-facing curricula and programs that continue the rich legacy of Landon Saunders’ work

Through meals and gatherings with faculty mentors, study abroad opportunities, workshops, undergraduate courses and experiential learning, students will have various opportunities to grow in the areas of joy and human flourishing.

Visit the Student Resources page to learn more about student events and offerings.

Learn more about how the Saunders Center supports students.

Saunders Center Student Resources

Learn more about how the Saunders Center supports faculty.

Saunders Center Faculty Resources

Saunders Center Staff

Headshot of Claire Davidson Frederick

Director

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Dr. Claire Davidson Frederick

Dr. Claire Davidson Frederick is the Director of the Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing at ACU. Before starting this position, she spent eight years at Lipscomb University teaching in the College of Bible and Ministry and serving as Program Director for the ENGAGE Youth Theology Initiative. Claire has degrees from Rutgers University (BA), Lipscomb University (MDiv), and McCormick Theological Seminary (DMin). Her doctoral project, entitled “Gathered with the Saints: Reimagining Worship in the Age of Coronavirus,” won the John Randall Hunt Prize for Outstanding DMin Thesis in 2021. Her writings are also featured in Finding Their Voices: Sermons by Women in the Churches of Christ (ACU Press, 2015); Women Serving God (John Mark Hicks, 2020); and LEAVEN: Journal of Christian Ministry.

Claire co-planted All Saints Church of Christ in 2016 and served as their liturgist and worship minister until her move to Abilene. Before that, she served as a family minister at the Woodmont Hills Church in Nashville and was an accomplished singer / songwriter in the country music industry for fifteen years. Claire is married to musician Kyle Frederick and has two daughters, one son-in-law, and three free-range grandkids.

Headshot of Richard Beck

Senior Fellow

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Dr. Richard Beck

Dr. Richard Beck is Professor of Psychology and Senior Fellow of the Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing at Abilene Christian University. During his teaching career, Richard has been honored twice as ACU Teacher of the Year. Richard has also been recognized as Honors Teacher of the Year and has won the College of Arts and Sciences Classroom Teaching Award and Faith Integration Award.

Outside of the classroom, Richard travels the world as a sought-after speaker and an award-winning blogger and author. Richard’s most recent books are The Shape of Joy: The Transformative Power of Moving Beyond Yourself (Broadleaf Books, 2024), Hunting Magic Eels: Recovering an Enchanted Faith in a Skeptical Age (Broadleaf Books, 2021), Trains, Jesus and Murder: The Gospel According to Johnny Cash (Fortress Press, 2019) and Stranger God: Meeting Jesus in Disguise (Fortress Press, 2017).

Richard is married to Jana Beck, a high school theater teacher, and they have two sons, Brenden and Aidan. He is an elder and adult faith Bible class teacher at Highland Church of Christ and leads a weekly Bible class for fifty inmates at the maximum security French Robertson Unit in Abilene.