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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am writing to you today in the midst of our Freshman Campaign which we have been undertaking for just under two weeks. In this letter, I want to update you on our Pre-Retreat and Freshman Campaign and then share several specific prayer requests with you.

Dear Friends and Partners of Christian Union at Penn,

The weather is starting to cool down and a new season is imminent in Philadelphia. For all of us that means finishing our Freshmen Campaign and starting our Bible Courses. This semester we are studying Hebrews, one of the more mysterious books in the Bible.  But for all of its seemingly weird Old Testament references and complex logic, Hebrews is ultimately about a very simple theme: what it means to be human in the world that God created and is now redeeming from the curse of sin and death through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Dear Prayer Partners,

We’re in the 4th full week of the semester — classes are in full swing, fall weather is here, and the students are feeling quite harried with all the demands on them!  Thank you for each of your remembrances and prayers for us and the ministry here at Yale and thank you for lifting up our students.  Someday we’ll all have a better view into how much Christ has truly been holding all things together!

For the past few days ten of us have been participating in a conference on global affairs – geopolitical and economic trends and what they mean.  Topics range from China’s Grand Strategy to Cyber Security to the Fintech Revolution - and the people gathered for the conference have been equally fascinating as they range from business and financial executives to academics to government policy makers around the world.

Q and A with George Otis

The Christian Union Cities Conference in New York this summer, George Otis, Jr.  spoke about the great awakenings in the United States and the ensuing socio-economical impact that followed in various cities and communities that were “overwhelmed by the grace and presence of God.” Christian Union: The Magazine recently interviewed him regarding the role of individual and corporate prayer in these outpourings.

Otis is the founder and president of the Sentinel Group, a U.S.-based Christian research, media, and training agency “dedicated to helping revival-hungry communities discover the pathway to societal transformation.”

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Best known as the producer of the award-winning Transformations documentaries − a series that has been viewed by an estimated 250 million people in 175 nations − Otis has also authored six books and is a frequent speaker at international conferences and symposia.

Hello from Palo Alto!

Today is a big day for students at Stanford, especially for our new freshmen. As I write this, today (Monday) is the first day of the fall quarter. I think about these students stepping into a classroom for the first time, a launch of a four-year journey that started years prior for most of them as they strove hard to enter their top choice schools. As we have prayed and prepared to meet these new students, I also think of the spiritual opportunities ahead of them. For some, unfortunately, their faith will be shaken and they will exit Stanford not walking with Jesus and out of fellowship with His Church. But for some (and we pray for many!) this will be the season they will look back on the rest of their lives and say, “This is where God met me.”

Christ, Culture and Clapham:
 A Discussion of Cobelligerency and Creativity to Seek the Common Good

On September 25, 2018, Christian Union hosted its first DC salon, an evening with Mark Rodgers on the theory of social change pursued by William Wilberforce and Hannah More in their efforts to "reform the manners" of late eighteenth-century England.

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Rodgers is Principal of a company known as the The Clapham Group, which is inspired by the original Clapham Sect, a group made up of Wilberforce, More and like-minded friends. Rodgers discussed how the approach of the original Clapham Sect impacts his work today, and how we ought to engage society should we wish to achieve similar results.

Leadership Lecture Series Exhorts Students to Go Deeper

by tom campisi, managing editor

In the spring semester, a group of students with Christian Union at Brown were hungry to learn more about fasting.

FastingisFeastingJustin Doyle, a Christian Union ministry fellow, responded with a message at the ministry’s weekly Anchor leadership lecture series on April 12. Doyle inspired them to fast and pray and go deeper in their relationships with God. 

The students were interested in fasting in preparation for a National Day of Prayer event on May 2. 

“I was excited to hear that students were eager to learn more about this spiritual discipline and put it into practice,” Doyle said. 

After the lecture at Anchor, the ministry fellow also wrote a related blog post, “Fasting Is Feasting,” to encourage students to follow through.

“Fasting is a powerful spiritual discipline designed to help us draw near to the Lord,” Doyle wrote. “Depriving our bodies of food for a period of time has a way of revealing the idols of our hearts, those things that control our loves and desires—money, power, status, sex, image, etc.—and pull us away from our Creator.”

Naruke ’20 Enjoys Serving on and off Campus

by catherine elvy, staff writer

A Dartmouth College undergraduate is eagerly answering a calling to promote prayer among students and help them connect with vibrant Christians.

PointPersonforPrayerNaruke ’20 serves as the property manager for the Dartmouth community’s prayer facility, student intern for a thriving local church, and community team leader for Christian Union at Dartmouth. The South Carolina native skillfully juggles those responsibilities despite formidable academic, extracurricular, and work obligations.

Boosting the spiritual commitment of collegiate peers is a top priority for Naruke. As a pleasant contrast to Dartmouth’s secular atmosphere, the “Christian community is all the more strong,” she said.

Naruke often witnesses dynamic levels of spiritual engagement among students through her role tending to The Prayer Room, an ecumenical hub in downtown Hanover.


Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
-Psalm 139:23-24

Reflective

I am convinced that one of the primary reasons many of us struggle to draw near to God in an earnest, deeper way is because we know that such a pursuit may initially involve a painful, even excruciating encounter. What misbehaving child seeks out the offended authority figure? How many of us avoid prescribed medical exams and precautionary procedures not only because of the dread of discomfort or humiliation, but also for fear of what the good doctor may find?

 
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