Greetings from Princeton!
As I write this, the sun is shining, the weather is warming up, and Princeton students are off enjoying their spring break, having worked hard through midterms the week before. Passion for the gospel among our students is growing! Our February got off to a great start with 98 students attending our first Encounter of the semester! We also have a new group of students who are going out on campus to evangelize every Friday night before Encounter! Another new group is doing intercessory prayer on Tuesday nights for Princeton. And our Noon Prayer attendance has nearly quadrupled every day this semester! It has been powerful to see so many students come to pray for an hour every weekday.
February was a busy season as students adjusted to new classes and we began our Bible courses. In the spring, our Bible course offerings differ according to class year. Freshmen have been going through our Seeking God Lifestyle Bible course. Sophomores and juniors are studying the book of Acts. Seniors, who are in their last semester here at Princeton, are taking our Vocational Preparation Bible course, learning a robust theology of work, finances, and how to participate in the Kingdom of God beyond graduation.
Our football team Bible course is new this year, so we’ve been going through the Seeking God Lifestyle Bible course. Early this semester, one player met with me in order to confess sexual sin and drug abuse. I guided him through prayer and repentance, and he sensed a great weight being lifted off of him and the joy and presence of the Lord filling him! He has since been on fire for the gospel, taking on new spiritual disciplines, and telling his other teammates about the transformation and new freedom in his life. Inspired by this, a second player began to undertake the same spiritual disciplines in his life and has noticed a profound peace in his life as well as a lack of temptations. This second player shared this at our group meeting, which prompted a third player to confess sexual sin to the group, desiring freedom. After praying for him, this third football player texted me later saying, “Thanks Mike! I have felt a weight lifted off since our last meeting. I am continuing to seek Him through His word!” Praise God for his life-transforming power!
We have several exciting outreach opportunities coming up this semester. First, our CU Proclaim! Retreat next week is being held right here at Princeton this year! Students from several of our other ministries will be coming to Princeton during their spring break for evangelism training in the mornings, evangelism on campus in the afternoons, and guest speakers and motivation in the evenings. It’s capped off on the Friday night by the Summit worship team and Pastor Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in NYC putting on a worship night on the South Lawn of Frist Campus Center where students will be encouraged to bring as many friends as possible to hear the gospel preached and given an invitation to receive Christ.
In early April, we will be hosting world-renowned chemist, Dr. James Tour, for a lecture on “Scientific Evidence for the Existence of God” with Q&A to follow. We plan to advertise this heavily across campus and have as many non-Christians there as possible! You can check out Dr. Tour’s YouTube channel here: youtube.com/@DrJamesTour.
Lastly, at the end of April into early May, we will be hosting Cliffe and Stuart Knechtle of the “Give Me An Answer” ministry for some outdoor evangelism. They’re a father and son team, and I went to seminary with Stuart! They have amassed a huge following on YouTube in recent years and nearly all of the Christian students on campus are familiar with their videos as well as many non-Christians, which is already generating lots of excitement! They will be posted up outside on campus for three days, giving talks and answering questions about the Bible and Christianity. You can check out their YouTube channel here: youtube.com/@givemeananswer.
Please pray for more transformation in the lives of our students and please pray for these outreach initiatives! We want Jesus to be the most talked-about subject at Princeton, and for many to profess faith in Him.
Lastly, please pray for our financial support as we undertake these outreaches and are nearing capacity in our Bible courses! If you’d be interested in funding one of these outreaches or sponsoring a Bible course, please respond to this email and let me know!
"Under God's Power, She Flourishes,"
Mike Vincent
Mike.Vincent@ChristianUnion.org
Ministry Director, Christian Union Nova
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