Zack (‘06) and Lauren (Evans ’06) Blair and their three children Noah, 7; Nora, 5; and Judah, 2.

S&E 022, the basement lecture hall in Geneva’s Science and Engineering building, is a memorable place for many Geneva alums. Some remember SCS core science lectures, while others recall Genevans rehearsals or calculus classes. When Zack Blair walks into S&E 022, he has a very different memory.

“I can still see the seat where God began to move in my life,” Zack says.

As a high schooler, Zack’s poor academics left his college prospects doubtful. “I was abused pretty badly as a kid, and I had a lot of shame. I always thought I was stupid.”

To Zack’s surprise, however, Geneva College offered him a football scholarship. Geneva also provided a major he was interested in pursuing: Business Aviation. Unaware of Geneva’s Christian heritage, Zack found himself as a freshman sitting in a football meeting in S&E 022 while Coach Geno DeMarco spoke on Matthew 5.

Caleb Musselman

At that moment, Zack says, “I realized that God would take me back.” Geneva’s football program brought Zack face-to-face with God’s loving claim on his life.

Since rededicating his life to Christ, Zack’s career goal shifted from becoming a pilot to ministering to young people with backgrounds resembling his own. Zack went on to serve for 10 years as the youth and young adult pastor at Victory Family Church in Cranberry Twp. Now he’s working toward planting a new church.

A friend at Geneva introduced Zack to a girl from the cheerleading team. Today, Zack and Lauren (Evans ’06) have been married for 10 years. They have three children, Noah, 7; Nora, 5; and Judah, 2.

Zack and Lauren have a passion for adoption as well, which is how the ministry of One More Loved Tables (http://zackblair.co/category/one-more-loved-tables/) was born. Zack and his team build and sell farmhouse tables made from reclaimed lumber. Someday the profits will fund Zack and Lauren’s hopeful adoption—and other families’ adoptions down the road. The design of the tables emphasizes families as a place of belonging. As Zack says, “There is always room for ‘One More.’”

One More Loved Table

It’s a vision of hospitality that began in S&E 022, when Zack realized there was room at God’s table for him. He reflects, “I don’t know where I would be if Coach weren’t so assertive in leading men to be better men.”

Zack tells current Geneva students, “In 10 years, when you see how God works in your life, you will be blown away. He takes us to places we could never imagine.”