Ministries

Physical & Spiritual Refreshment

Christian Union alumni, friends, and ministry partners and their families, plus several Christian Union staff members and leaders, recently gathered at the beautiful CAMP-of-the-WOODS, in Upstate New York, for the week-long 2017 Christian Union Summer Getaway.

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Guests enjoyed CAMP-of-the-WOODS' daily chapel services that featured worship led by a tremendously talented orchestra and vocal ensemble, as well as powerful teaching from Ravi Zacharias and Abdu Murray.

Zacharias, the founder of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), is a world-renowned speaker and brilliant defender of the Christian faith. Murray is part of the RZIM speaking team, has authored two books, and serves as the North American director of RZIM.

Summer Getaway attendees also took part in hikes, special teaching times, socials, and meals together — all designed to help the group connect. Guests enjoyed access to the full range of CAMP-the-WOODS activities, including swimming, water skiing, sailing, kayaking, canoeing and other water sports, hiking, rock climbing, zip line, golf, mini golf, tennis, basketball, volleyball, and more.

CAMP-of-the-WOODS offered something for everyone, including special programs for children and teens.

The feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive.

One family said, “we’ve had an absolutely amazing week — of course we love everything CAMP-of-the-WOODS has to offer from a recreational perspective, but the spiritual component is what really made it special. We will leave both physically and spiritually refreshed.”

Another commented, “it is remarkable to be at such a gorgeous place, with so much to do, yet to feel totally safe letting our kids run around without us having to know where they are every second of the day.”

“It was an absolutely fantastic week. We particularly enjoyed getting to know others taking part in the Christian Union activities — we feel like we’ve made a lot of new friends,” observed another participant. “We would love to come back next year.”

To stay up-to-date on news related to future Summer Getaways, please visit www.CUSummerGetaway.org.

Greetings from Princeton!

My name is James Fields and it is with great joy and humility that I bring you greetings as Christian Union’s Interim Ministry Director at Princeton University. If my name sounds familiar, it is because I have been working as a ministry fellow at Princeton University for the past four years. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the Princeton community, at-large, and the students & staff at Princeton, specifically, by assuming this new role.

Greetings from Palo Alto!

Summer starts late for Stanford students, but it is finally here. Our pace of life will be a bit different between now and September 19 when the incoming freshman arrive on campus. Please pray that the intervening months are refreshing and productive for us!

The National Intelligence Council produces a report every five years which looks at global trends and how they will shape the following decade. This report makes for fascinating reading for those interested in causes and effects on a global scale – determining trends, assessing their causes, and extrapolating their probable outcomes.

September is a funny month; while working professionals no longer have summer breaks we nevertheless continue to lean toward the academic calendar. For those older with children, the September ritual of school starting remains a family focal point. For those just out of college, well, old habits die hard and September remains the month of new beginnings. This is true as well of Christian Union New York.

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Christian Union Lumine Enjoys Close-to-Campus Space

On October 13, 2018, ministry faculty, staff, and financial partners celebrated the debut of the Columbia Ministry Center with a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The celebration came after the purchase of the facility in February.

Properties near Columbia are challenging to secure as the university owns much of the surrounding neighborhood. Given the competitive nature of Manhattan’s real estate market, Christian Union leadership lionized the extraordinary acquisition, just a block from Columbia University’s massive Butler Library.

Since then, the ideally located space has functioned as a hub for Bible courses, discipleship, and meetings, providing a secure, cozy hangout for students.

The center is a visible sign that God is alive and working in the heart of NYC!

ColumbiaMinCent2021

The map above illustrates the rarity of finding a property adjacent to Columbia that is not already owned by the University.

“This new Ministry Center, located so unbelievably close to campus, will bless generations of students, faculty, and administrators. The precious word of God will go forth from the Center, powerfully transforming this great university and our nation.” -- Former Columbia Ministry Director Lane Young

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Pictured to the left is the Christian Union ministry team at Columbia, joyfully holding up the keys to the newly aquired property.

The address is: 529 West 113th Street, just one block from Columbia University’s Butler Library.

The building is comprised of a basement and five floors, divided into three units. Christian Union will be using the first unit: the basement and the first floor.

The unit provides much needed room for Bible courses, prayer meetings, freshman outreach dinners, social events, and faculty preparation.

An Extraordinary Outpouring of Support

In October 2017, Christian Union urgently needed to raise a considerable sum to move forward with the purchase of a Christian Union Ministry Center at Columbia University. The Lord moved the hearts of 220 ministry partners to give a total of $503K for the Ministry Center, $11K more than was needed to move forward with the seller.

Heartfelt thanks go out to all who gave in response to the ministry’s urgent request for help. The generosity shown by so many is deeply encouraging and will make a difference for generations to come at Columbia.

All praise goes to our wonderful God, a gracious provider, for this outcome.

A Ministry Center is a game changer for sharing the Gospel at Columbia. The challenge of meeting and office space has been acute for Christian Union’s team already working with more than 200 students at Columbia. This is an enormous provision.

Columbia Ministry Team Explains the Need (1:18)

Additional Gifts Move the Ministry Forward

In the near term, the ministry will rent units 2 and 3 to offset the mortgage. Christian Union plans to use the whole building in the future; the project requires another $3 million of investments from God’s people. You can support this effort here.

Naming Opportunities are Available

Christian Union offers naming rights to the building and key rooms in the center.

Gifts of Appreciated Securities Make a Difference

Gifts of appreciated securities can be made toward this campaign. Please contact the ministry by calling (609) 688-1700 Option 2 to alert us to the gift, so that it is counted toward the total today. Learn more here.

Christian Union Ministry at Columbia

Christian Union's ministry at Columbia is engaging nearly 200 students, an extraordinary number for this secular institution. Meeting space has been exceedingly difficult to come by at Columbia. Christian Union urgently needed room to minister to students and office its faculty.

Christian Union ministry fellows open their homes to students, but these are small spaces. It is not uncommon for the Columbia ministry director and his family to host an outreach in their very small apartment that is attended by more than 100 students over the course of the evening.

Additionally, a ministry center establishes a permanent Christian presence at Columbia. Crucially, in a time when Christian ministries can face discrimination on campus, ministry centers reduce Christian Union’s dependency on the universities’ administrations for securing space.

Please give generously to see God glorified at and through Columbia.

To Learn More

If you would like to learn more about making a strategic impact through a ministry center at Columbia, contact Dave Magnuson: David.Magnuson@christianunion.org.