Who We Are

Arbor Vitae is a Christian student journal on the campus of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Members from all disciplines and of diverse ages produce an article, testimony, or creative piece each semester for inclusion in our publication. During the school year, members meet biweekly to discuss ideas, edit drafts, and listen to outside speakers. Though members hail from various denominations of Christianity and sometimes hold different convictions, we are united by the love of Christ and our desire to glorify him with the gift of writing. Arbor Vitae is a member of the Augustine Collective, a network of Christian student journals across the United States that provides us with resources and knowledge to improve our club.

 History

Arbor Vitae was founded in the fall of 2022 as the Michigan Christian Journal by Ethan Wilmot, then a sophomore at the University. The first edition was published online that semester, totaling forty-seven pages and featuring contributions from seven different authors. The Winter 2023 edition featured eight authors, three of whom published their first pieces as part of the Michigan Christian Journal. In Fall 2023, the Journal became part of the Augustine Collective through the Veritas Forum and published five articles on topics like grief, leaving home, and feminism, among others. Winter 2024 saw a short break in production from the organization. The fall of 2024 brought a name change, with members voting for Arbor Vitae, meaning "tree of life" in Latin, as their preferred choice. It also brought new leadership, with Hannah Young stepping up as Social Media Chair and Brady Nichols taking over for Wilmot as Editor-in-Chief.