Lessons in Joy

University establishes Landon Saunders Center to spread longtime minister’s positive message to a new generation

BY JONATHAN SMITH

If the Friends of ACU Library dinner was any indication, there is no shortage of Landon Saunders stories among those in the ACU community.

Whether it was through a sermon, an encounter at a workshop or a radio message from his Heartbeat Inc. nonprofit, Saunders has touched the lives of countless people at ACU, in Abilene, throughout Churches of Christ and across the nation.

The Abilene Christian campus proved to be the perfect place for a tribute to Saunders.

First, it is now the physical home of more than 50 years of personal correspondence, financial records, audio and video recordings, photos and curricular materials, which Saunders and Heartbeat donated to the Brown Library last year.

And second, it will soon be the home of the Landon Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing. At the April event, which honored Saunders as the library’s Friend of the Year, ACU announced the kickoff of a $4.5 million fundraising initiative, as part of the university’s Higher Ground campaign, to establish the center on campus to help spread Saunders’ message of faith and joy.

“We’re confident that Landon’s approach will lead us to touch new generations of ACU students while also elevating an academic conversation about ways in which individuals can find joy, meaning and belonging in their day-to-day lives and flourish more richly in our society,” said James Wiser, dean of library services and educational technology.

Part of the fundraising goal will go toward renovating the Mabee Auditorium wing of the Brown Library to serve as the center’s home. The rest will go toward creating an endowment to help fund the work of the center, which will be staffed by a director and a senior Fellow.

At Saunders’ request, the center will have a strong focus on students, working to instill themes of joy, belonging and flourishing while also building their spiritual, emotional and mental health. Other objectives include hosting and curating conversations through curricular planning, conferences, multimedia content and lecture series for religious and academic groups, and cultivating strategic partnerships between religious and non-religious institutions that promote joy and human flourishing.

“We need to learn how to talk about God,” said Dr. Richard Beck (’89), professor and chair of psychology, during the announcement. “Landon has pioneered how to do that throughout his entire life. We’re excited to take that vision and pass it on to a new generation.”

Wiser said ACU’s library, as the largest archive associated with the Churches of Christ, was an ideal place to preserve Saunders’ and Heartbeat’s collection.

“This collection is a treasure trove of content for researchers of nonprofit management, religious communication and religious history,” Wiser said. “Landon has been one of the most influential ministers in Churches of Christ for the past 60 years, and this collection will allow future researchers to study his life’s work and approach. Moreover, our digitization of his lectures and sermons will give them new life in a digital age, as already we are realizing that his work has been listened to hundreds of times around the world in the short time they’ve been accessible from the library’s Digital Commons site.”

Heartbeat’s connection to Abilene makes this donation a homecoming of sorts for many of these materials.

Saunders founded Heartbeat in 1971 as part of Herald of Truth Ministries and based its work in Abilene during its early days. Later, he relocated Heartbeat to Houston and then to New York City, where he hosted the Heartbeat radio program, which was broadcast on NBC, CBS and Armed Forces radio networks.

A native of West Virginia, Saunders served as a minister in Churches of Christ in Arkansas and Tennessee before moving to Abilene, where he was the minister at Minter Lane Church of Christ for several years. Today, he is a resident of Norwich, Vermont, and in addition to being a frequent lecturer at churches and universities, he also serves on the board of the Yale University Center for Faith and Culture and as a Fellow of the Caris Life Sciences Foundation.

April’s event featured a variety of tributes, including one from bestselling author Max Lucado (’77), teaching minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. He recalled working as a college student for Heartbeat, where his job was to read incoming letters and assess which parts of the country seemed most receptive to the Heartbeat message. He still recalls the conversations with Saunders.

“This aspiring preacher found in you a safe place,” Lucado said.

In addition to being named the library’s Friend of the Year, the university awarded Saunders an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

“Landon, your gifts of time, talent and energy to the church and the Gospel have been extraordinary,” said ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert (’91). “Moreover, your commitment to following Jesus and helping others find light where there is darkness, joy where there is despair and answers where there is wondering leave such an incredible example for the rest of us to live up to.”

Though he worried that he was “overpraised and overhonored,” a deeply moved Saunders nevertheless accepted the honors on behalf of all those present, the staff of Heartbeat and anyone who ever participated in its work. (See page 64.)

“What an inexpressible gift that you’ve given to me,” he said.

As he closed his remarks, Saunders relayed one last story to the captivated audience of friends and admirers. He told of how Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky believed that yellow – the color of every sunrise – represented joy.

And with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes, he reached behind the lectern and donned a yellow fedora to symbolize “all the sunrises that are yet to come.”

A familiar and lasting message of hope and joy that again reminded his listeners to firmly fix their eyes on the horizon. 