July 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This past month I have been reading the book of Proverbs in the mornings. God has been using the wisdom of this book to strengthen and encourage me in this time. The central conviction of the book of Proverbs is that the thing we need most is the fear of the Lord. Elsewhere in Scripture we see commands to fear God, but also characters who embodied, albeit imperfectly, this fear of God—people like Daniel and Esther who feared God and followed him in the midst of crisis and at great personal costs.

I personally, as well as others in our ministry, sense that the bedrock truth in Proverbs of the fear of the Lord is something Christian Union Nova needs—perhaps now more than ever. Indeed, a different way of describing our mission at Christian Union is to develop and connect transformative Christian leaders who fear God above all. This is the aim of our work and our partnership with you. In these summer months, we are preparing for this work in fresh ways. What our world needs most is Christ-like people who desire to know what He desires and seek to follow Him no matter the personal costs. You and I also need this same godly fear in order to experience the truth of having God as “a secure fortress.”

At this time we ask for your continued prayer in three specific ways:

• Please continue to pray for us as a ministry as we prepare for the coming year. This year is going to bring challenges to our ministry strategy that we have never encountered before. We need God’s wisdom and help, in order to know how to approach the year.

• Please continue to pray for our students. This is a difficult time for them with so many losses and so many unknowns. Please pray that the difficulties they are facing will be used by God to strengthen their faith.

• Please continue to pray for our country and world. Pray for those who are sick with the virus as well as for those who are facing the loss of income and opportunities due to the virus.

• Pray that we will fear God, that our students will fear God, and pray this for yourself and those whom you love.

Let us fear the Lord.

Grace and peace in our Lord Christ Jesus,