Dear HCFA friends and family,
We are back in full swing here at Harvard! It is just a couple of weeks into the semester and we have already had a retreat, done four weeks of freshman outreach, started Bible courses, had a few Friday night DOXA’s and are planning our fall retreat for the end of the month! The fall is certainly a busy time for students and staff, so we would love your prayers for strength in the Lord and attentiveness to His spirit as we minister on campus.
We went to upstate New York for our annual pre-retreat from August 23-26. This retreat is primarily for our student leaders to come back together after the summer, reorient towards the coming semester and their roles within (Harvard College Faith and Action (HCFA), be encouraged in community and make plans for executing our freshman outreach. Although this retreat is always a rich time away with students, this year felt particularly full. The Spirit was so at work in the lives of our students during worship, in times of sharing and testimonies, in the ways they cared for and ministered to one another—there was a sweetness in our time away that very much prepared us to return to Harvard with a missional mindset.
The first five days after pre-retreat are filled with different events, dinners, picnics and meetings with new freshmen. This is definitely an exhausting and exciting time for students and staff alike, but we had an enormous turn out of incoming freshman! It is so exciting to see a whole new class of Harvard students who are interested in being involved in Christian community during their time here. Now that we have had a few weeks, we have 62 freshmen in Bible courses, which breaks down to three men’s and three women’s courses! Please pray for these students as they get to know one another. Pray that the Lord would bless their friendships and relationships with one another, that they would see the need to be in Christian community, that they would find a sense of belonging in HCFA and that the Spirit would draw them into deeper intimacy with Christ.
Next week we will head to western Massachusetts for our fall retreat. So far we have 90 students signed up to come. Pray for energy and wisdom for staff as we minister to these students. Pray that this retreat would be marked by unity and not exclusivity between classes or friend groups. Pray for spiritual protection over this time away and that we might learn more about our good God.
Some other ongoing prayer requests are for creativity and boldness in reaching out to the broader Harvard community. We would so love to see more non-Christians come to DOXA or Bible courses! Pray for encouragement for our students who consistently face challenges of being a Christian at Harvard. Pray for deep rest and joy in the Lord for our staff as we get further into the semester. We are so grateful for your support and encouragement!
In Him,
Anne Kerhoulas
Christian Union Ministry Fellow
Harvard University
Please note: if you would like to receive regular updates on how to pray for Christian Union's work at Harvard, please email prayer@christianunion.org.
