Dear CU Gloria Cornerstone Partners and other friends of the ministry,
It is a new season and the weather is getting cooler and cooler as the fall is beginning to engulf New England. First year students are all moved in on Harvard’s campus, which looks very different from the campus freshmen have been arriving to for years. The students are quarantining for their first week, and following that, they will be adhering to strict guidelines within the Harvard bubble. Needless to say, what these new students are facing is unique, and our prayers for them to find community, thrive, and adjust to this new reality are all the more important.
Last week we had our virtual pre-retreat, where our student community gathered to encourage one another and prepare to welcome the new class of 2024. Zoom was our home for the week, and we certainly missed the green hills and wooden cabins of Ottauquechee Farms in Vermont, where we have held pre-retreat for years. Pre-retreat was still a success, thanks to the many efforts of our student exec and student leaders. On Friday of pre-retreat we had first-year students join us, for the first time ever, which was a wonderful opportunity for them to see our community. We also had alumni join us for the last portion, which was a real treat as they shared some of their experiences and prayed for the ministry.
Our hearts are now full and expectant as we enter a new season of ministry. God is indeed doing a new thing. He is making a way in the wilderness by continuing to give us opportunities to minister to these incredible students even during the pandemic. He is making rivers in the wasteland of disappointment and loneliness by refreshing our students with his Word and Spirit through the relationships that will continue to be cultivated this Fall. This was all the more real to me in a meeting I had with a freshman recently who expressed his desire and longing to grow in his relationship with God through the Christian Union community and his excitement to get involved.
Please join us in praying for the following:
That God would bless and work through our student leaders to reach more freshmen and welcome them into Christian community at Harvard.That the efforts of our motivated students to meet freshmen in their loneliness and befriend them would be fruitful.That our Bible Courses would be off to a great start as we begin our study of the Gospel of Mark.
Lastly, we are also grateful and excited to start the Fall with our entire CU Gloria Harvard team intact. While we are in the midst of a challenging season for Christian Union, we want to praise God for being able to hit the ground running with the incredible staff that God has provided.
Fady Ghobrial
Christian Union Ministry Fellow
Harvard College Faith & Action
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.
