June 2018

Dear friends of Christian Union at Cornell,

Where has the time gone?

The school year has ended, our seniors have graduated, and summer is here. God’s grace to his beloved, thankfully, remains the same. Our Lord Jesus Christ reigns now as much as he reigned throughout the school year, whether that’s here in Ithaca, in San Francisco, in Johannesburg, or in Uganda.

Since our last prayer letter, our seniors have graduated and are now scattered throughout the United States and around the globe. How can we be praying for them? Epaphras, who is mentioned briefly only three times in the New Testament (but whose faithful ministry was exemplary enough to be mentioned by Paul), prayed that the believers in Colossae would “stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God” (Col 4:12). Like our fore-minister Epaphras, let’s pray that our seniors would grow in Christ, fully assured of their place and role in His kingdom. Like the Colossians, such growth takes place in the local church, so let’s also pray that our seniors would find local congregations wherever they are.

Our other students are also scattered here and there, taking up internships or travel or much needed rest and relaxation. Some, thankfully, are here in Ithaca this summer, taking up work or an extra class. Do you remember what it was like to be an undergraduate? For some of you that may not have been that long ago, but for some of us that was, well, quite a while ago. Stress seems to go hand in glove with young adulthood. The stress of family life (even for those students whose family life is on the whole good), friendships, dating, work, and even those stretches of summer loneliness can be challenging and frustrating. Would you pray that our students would find solace in Christ, encouragement from his Word and from their fellow believers, and steadfastness in the midst of life’s sometimes sudden and unexpected shifts?

Last time I wrote, we were in the midst of passing the baton from this past year’s student leadership team to next year’s. Take a moment and praise God with me for our student leaders this past year. They gave direction to the overall ministry, large group (Vida Fidei, i.e., Life of Faith) and worship, outreach, socials, communication, Bible course leading, and other important aspects of ministry on campus. Thank you God for their labors! We now have a new leadership team that is already thinking ahead to the fall. Would you join us in praying for fruitful planning this summer and for our efforts to connect with the new freshmen class (of 2022!)? A team of about 30 students are currently reaching out to freshmen, so your prayers for fruitful connections are much appreciated.

Finally, we on staff (Ministry Director Jim Thomforde, Ministry Fellows Carrie Jussely and Geoff Sackett, Intern Hannah Dorpfeld, and Ministry Assistant Liz Thomforde) ask for prayer for rest this summer and solid planning for the year to come. I can’t tell you how pumped we are as we continue to minister (sometimes through technology) to students who are far flung and to students who are with us locally in Ithaca this summer. And we can’t wait to reconnect with old friends and meet new students this fall.

On behalf of the entire team here at Cornell, we are grateful for your prayers, friendship, and interest in the lives of these very special Cornellians.

In the Lamb,

Geoff Sackett
Ministry Fellow
Christian Union at Cornell 

Please note: if you would like to receive regular updates on how to pray for Christian Union's work at Cornell, please email prayer@christianunion.org.