August 2018

Dear Friends and Partners of Christian Union at Penn,

Praise God! Our students have returned safely to campus after Summer Break and our Freshman Campaign is off to an excellent start. We kicked the school year off with our Pre-retreat, for our returning leaders. I have to say it was one of our best retreats to date. The students reunited and had a wonderful time of teaching and training. We are thankful that God’s Spirit is moving among the students, bringing a sense of unity and hunger for God’s Word. Please pray that our students would have an increasing affection for Jesus and would translate that passion for Christ’s glory to tangible action on Penn’s campus.

One of our action items for this semester is to get freshmen enrolled in Bible courses and encourage them to attend Philia, our Leadership Lecture Series, and our fall retreat. Pray for our action to come where most needed, and that as we serve as the body of Christ, Christ would be glorified and our students’ faith would increase. Please pray that God would guard our students from distractions and the worldly thoughts and actions that permeate our campus. Pray that they would enter into Christian community with fervor and committed to doing the work of the Lord.

We have seen a surge in involvement from our student leaders and they are tackling this campaign season with excitement and vigor. Already we have seen record numbers interested in community and fellowship and they seem ready to hit the ground running. We do ask that you pray for our students and staff, as these first few weeks can be exhausting and difficult.  

Philia begins this Thursday and has been a topic of prayer for our team, and would ask that you join us in praying for increased attendance. Pray that our students would enjoy the unity they experience on Thursday nights, and that they would be confident in inviting friends to hear wonderful speakers, to fellowship, to praise God – our worship team is doing a very good job leading our students – and grow in grace as we hear how faith intersects with the Academy.

Finally, please pray for our evangelism efforts. Pray that our students would own this effort, that their hearts would break for the lost, and that God’s Spirit would convict sinners and edify saints through this ministry. We pray that the gospel goes forward and that God is praised this year!

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Kelly Schaaf
Ministry Fellow
Christian Union at Penn