In 1974, The Way purchased the former site of a United Presbyterian college in Emporia, Kansas, with an opening enrollment of 400 students. Activities during the campus residencies included basic mandatory physical activity (jogging) and other optional activities as desired (weightlifting, team sports, etc.). Days were spent on work assignments, usually involving the needs of each campus (such as painting, food service, construction, building renovation, sanitation, gardening). Other programs included Biblical research and study nights, led by ministry staff, and typically involved in-depth study of various books of the Bible.