A Christmas Message from the Dean

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” — John 1:5

As we come to the end of another term at St. Andrew’s Hall, I find myself reflecting on the gift of time — time spent learning, questioning, growing, and supporting one another in this unique community that values hospitality, education, and witness.  Now in my 12th year at St. Andrew’s Hall, I’m amazed how each year God renews, remakes, and refashions the common life of our community with new and returning students, pursuing diverse interests on the UBC campus.  As an intentional Christian community on campus, I love hearing from our students how their studies in the arts, sciences, education, theology, law, and engineering (just to name a few), interact with their own personal growth and understanding of what it means to be a human being and a person of faith.  What a remarkable community we belong to here at St. Andrew’s Hall!

 

 

 

 

St. Andrew’s Hall, then and now

A gathering in the original SAH hall in the 1950s and the new SAH Centre in 2025

This year, as we mark the 70th anniversary of St. Andrew’s Hall, we are especially mindful of the generations who have lived, studied, prayed, and laughed within these walls. Their stories form the foundation on which we now stand.

Christmas, too, is a story about foundations — about God choosing to enter the world not with spectacle, but with simplicity, not in a palace, but in a manger. The birth of Jesus is the reminder that God’s light meets us exactly where we are, offering hope, renewal, and the promise of life made new.

As you complete your final papers or exams and prepare for a well‑earned rest, I pray that the light of Christ will meet you with peace. May this season draw you into gratitude for the past, courage for the present, and joy for the future God is shaping among us.

From all of us at St. Andrew’s Hall, thank you for being part of this community in our 70th year. May the blessings of Christmas surround you and those you love.

The Reverend Ross A. Lockhart, PhD – Dean of St. Andrew’s Hall

A Christmas Prayer

God of grace, in this holy season, shine your light upon our paths. Strengthen us with hope, fill us with peace, and send us into the world as bearers of your love.  We pray this in the marvellous and matchless name of Jesus, who is the light of the world. Amen.