Before giving a few updates about what God has been doing here at Cornell, I wanted to just give a brief introduction to myself. My name is Jordan Cooper. I served in pastoral ministry for about six years in the Midwest before receiving God’s call to serve the students here in Ithaca, NY. These past few weeks since I moved in, have been a whirlwind, but I am very excited to be part of God’s work through Christian Union, and specifically here at Cornell.
We have just gotten through our freshman campaign, and the Spirit has been at work through the lives of the students here, and ministry opportunities continue to present themselves. There were 30 returning students welcomed at pre-retreat from August 15-17, and freshmen campaign began on August 17. We hosted several events during this time, which included: a midnight picnic with close to 70 students, a hike, s’mores and games at the Mott house, a frisbee and hammock hang out, and an outdoor movie night.
It has been about three weeks since our Bible courses began, along with our weekly group meeting Vita Fidei. Some freshmen have begun to show leadership potential, and this will be developed in the future. Along with freshmen, we have also had some other students show interest in Bible courses who had not done so in previous years.
We recently finished our fall retreat. Jay Harvey came to speak to our students from Reformed Theological Seminary in New York City. He spoke on St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians on the topics of joy, hope, humility, and resilience. Along with these talks and worship, the retreat was a time of fellowship and discussion. I was able to spend quite a long time talking to students about important spiritual and personal issues. Some people who were there confessed wrongdoings to one another and came to a place of reconciliation. The freshmen who attended were welcomed into the group and showed a lot of interest in being involved with Christian Union.
There are some items in need of prayer as we move into the rest of the semester:
- We will be hosting a book giveaway with the text A Case for Christ on campus in mid-October. Pray that this will lead some to see the truth of the Gospel.
- Students are trying to find more organic ways to enrich fellowship and bonds with each other beyond the regular social events. Ask that God would strengthen these relationships.
- Ask that opportunities for outreach would arise, and that the students would come to a place that they feel comfortable sharing their faith with others in a bold way.
I am looking forward to the work God has for us in the future as the kingdom spreads on this campus. Take this journey with us through your prayers.
Jordan Cooper
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.
