Village Living: A Glimpse of Life in Emmanuel's On-Campus Housing


The Emmanuel Village, Emmanuel’s on-campus housing consists of 42 English architectural style cottages constructed between 2000 and 2008. Hundreds of Emmanuel students have lived in the Village over the last decade; 60 current students reside there, some single adults sharing units and others married students with their families.

With over 100 total residents, including 25 children, the Village is an exciting place to live. During the winter, sledding parties have become tradition for many Village residents. Ephraim Tshuma (MDiv ’10 and current DMin student), his wife Chipo, and their three children are from Zimbabwe. Chipo enjoys that “the children from the different families play together outside and parents don’t worry about safety. It is also good to have students willing to babysit.”

While providing practical support to parents, residents without children see diversity in the community as an asset as well. Cheryl Johnson, a fourth year MDiv student from Georgia, relishes her role as “Auntie Cheryl” to the children she babysits. Cheryl sees it as a privilege to live and “learn alongside people from other cultural backgrounds. As a non-married adult, the families in the Village embrace me, allowing me to join them as they raise their children.” Liena Libby works in Emmanuel’s Development Department, and her husband, David, is a third year student. Liena, from Oregon, says living in the Village offers “a mix between college and the real world. You aren’t on the same hall like a college dorm, but you know your friends are close by.”

Sharing close proximity enhances the ability to build community on campus. Things like borrowing a cup of sugar, group craft or board game nights, and weekly television viewing parties are ways residents show neighborliness and come together, deepening friendships. First year MAR student Tyler Selby, from Maryland, enjoys sharing meals and social time with other students. Tyler notes, “The campus life is just as nourishing as the class instruction. Some of the specialized information of academia will have difficulty translating into life after seminary. Sharing meals and life together brings balance to the academic side of the seminary experience.”

In addition to deepening community and friendships, the cottages themselves are more than just a place to live. Each cottage has two or three bedrooms, one and a half baths, and a very spacious living area and kitchen. The kitchen and living area are divided by a bar style counter, providing plenty of counter space. Sarah Weaver and her husband Bobby, both first year MDiv students from Atlanta, enjoy their kitchen. Sarah says, “I have more kitchen counter space than all of our relatives. I will never have that kind of counter space again!”

These beautiful cottages, the students and their families who live there, and the relationships and community fostered in and around them truly make the Emmanuel Village home.


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