Come Through the Red Door
Whether you come to spend a long weekend, a couple weeks, or a whole term with us, your time at Southborough L’Abri will be shaped by the rhythms of study and work, meals shared around a beautiful table, conversation, and cups of tea.
French for “shelter,” L’Abri is a residential study center in the context of a small community of homes. L’Abri grew out of Francis and Edith Schaefer’s vision to open their home to strangers, offering them hospitality and engaging honestly with their most serious questions. There are now branches in 9 different countries, but this original calling has remained the same. Southborough L’Abri has been open for guests since 1979 and is located 30 miles west of Boston, Massachusetts.
L’Abri provides a unique combination of personal study, practical work, group and one-on-one discussions—all in the context of living together. People come for a variety of reasons and from a variety of backgrounds. Some have fundamental questions about the truth of the Christian faith. Others come wanting to better understand how to live as Christians given the many contemporary challenges we face. All our guests come to seek a different kind of ‘space’ from their regular lives. For many years we have seen the Lord work through the rhythms of life together as well as the focused study.
L’Abri staff (called Workers) are committed to living ‘by demonstration.’ This means that the truth of the Christian faith should not just be discussed, but lived out and shown in tangible ways. We attempt (albeit imperfectly) to do this as we invite guests into our lives.
