Christian Union Universities

As long as serving God fit into Jonah’s goals for Israel, he was fine with God. As soon as he had to choose between the true God and the god he actually worshiped, he turned on the true God in anger. Jonah’s particular national identity was more foundational to his self-worth than his role as a servant of the God of all nations. The real God had been just a means to an end. He was using God to serve his real god.
-Tim Keller, The Prodigal Prophet

Greetings from Cambridge,

Jonah is a fascinating read to say the least. This summer, over twenty students have immersed themselves in a Wednesday night bible study as staff and alumni have passed the teaching baton and led some interesting and challenging discussions. The prophet’s identity and idolatry issues at first seemed foreign and obtuse to us; but as we have lingered over the text we have begun to see ourselves and recognize our own distorted proclivities. Thankfully, the true protagonist emerges, and God’s very person and character takes center stage.

Dear Friends and Partners of Christian Union at Penn,

“The joy of the Lord is your strength” - Nehemiah 8:10

There is much to be thankful for during these summer months, and many reasons to rejoice. But our greatest joy is the Gospel of grace - God’s Kingdom coming in power through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. July is a sweet season of small group studies with students, professional development, and opportunities for retreat. We have already begun planning for our (fast) approaching Freshmen Welcome at the University of Pennsylvania. Our students have been intentional in developing a strategy for the fall campaign, even as our 4 executive leaders are meeting via Skype from Botswana, San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia! Would you please pray with us for the following:

Dear Friends and Partners of Christian Union at Penn,
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15.13, ESV).

By God’s grace, we are entering a season of rest for our staff. Immediately after Penn’s graduation, I joined with other Christian Union staff in visiting Fiji for a time of learning and fellowship with the Fijian church. Kelly led a team to Uganda to serve with ROWAN (Rural Orphan and Widow Aids Network). We returned to Philadelphia tired but excited about sharing with our students all that we experienced. As we re-convene and begin planning for next fall, would you please pray for the following:

rest (both spiritual and physical) for our team as we return to work and professional development. Pray that Penn’s staff would be further equipped to bring the Gospel to our students with boldness and grace.
wisdom as we plan for NSO (New Student Orientation), which will begin in mid-August.
Penn’s incoming class of 2023. Pray for hearts and minds, that the students would be prepared to meet Jesus Christ in a powerful way upon entering Penn.
Penn’s returning CU students, that they will grow in leadership as they serve in churches this summer. It is incredibly easy for our students to struggle spiritually when they are out of the semester routine. Pray for discipleship, service, and care for them this summer.

Thank you for your continued partnership in the Gospel here at Penn. We are grateful for you!

in Christ our King,

Tucker Else

Ministry Director

Christian Union at Penn

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

We have come to the end of our Spring semester, and our students have mostly departed from campus. Seniors graduated and are preparing for new jobs and graduate school. Underclassmen are at summer internships, jobs, or are remaining on campus for various research projects. The summer is a time to prepare for the next year and is hopefully a time of rest for our students.

The month of May represents the hope of warmer weather, the smell of budding flowers, and a season of newness for many people. If you’re a 3L HLS student, you’re thinking it’s the end of a 3 year-long chapter, and the beginning of the rest of your life. So much has gone into the last three years of law school — so much sacrifice, all the labor and investment into preparing for the life that is now staring back at you squarely. In just a few days, over 500 students will graduate with their degrees from Harvard Law School. Hundreds of young men and women will strive to make their mark and leave a legacy on and in the world in which they will strive to lead. There among them are those who hold a unique understanding of their law degrees as secondary to something of greater value — their call to honor God with their lives.

Greetings from Cambridge,

Two receptions mark the formal end to an academic years’ worth of ministry. This week, we will meet the families, many for the first time, of our seniors at a reception we happily host in HCFA’s office/library. On Saturday, we hope to see some of you at our Reunion Gathering (same venue).

Dear Friends and Partners of Christian Union at Penn,

With classes complete at the University of Pennsylvania, our students are either preparing for graduation festivities or heading to homes and internships around the world. It has been a great year for CU@Penn, as we've seen students continue to grow in faith and leadership on campus and in the community. Our staff is also transitioning, from Bible course preparation and discipleship meetings to professional development and planning for next fall. Would you please join us in praying for the following?

Greetings,

We’re in the final few weeks of what has been, a very productive semester. Earlier in April, we had Vince Vitale, a minister with RZIM, visit campus to make a compelling case for Christianity as a worldview. Vince showed how the Christian faith answers some of life's biggest questions surrounding origin, purpose, morality and destiny. We had both Christians and unbelievers in attendance, and Vince skillfully interacted with students, answering their concerns about Christianity. We received encouraging feedback from students about the event. One student in our ministry, currently wrestling heavily with doubt, remarked that the discussions over Vince's book and his event on campus helped make Christianity seem more believable.

We also have selected new student leaders for the upcoming academic year. We strongly believe that we have a new group of student leaders that are faithfully walking with Christ and are excited to serve Jesus and all of Columbia's campus. We thank God for the service of our leaders currently transitioning out of leadership, many of whom are seniors, getting ready to engage a new season of life after graduation.

Here’s how you can pray for us:

Pray for students as they enter into the final stretch of the semester, and as they prepare for final exams

Pray for our senior students as they near graduation and are feeling a wide range of emotions about what comes next

Pray for our new student leaders as they prepare to lead next year

Pray for staff as we prepare for the fall semester

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Bryant Parsons
Ministry Fellow
Christian Union at Columbia

Please note: if you would like to receive regular updates on how to pray for Christian Union's work at Columbia, please email prayer@christianunion.org.

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

We are coming up on the end of our Spring semester here at Cornell, and there are several important things which are happening in the last weeks of the school year. The seniors are getting ready for their next stage of life, and others are getting into serious study mode as they prepare for finals. We are also preparing for our Grill Me for Grilled Cheese outreach event, as well as our Senior Banquet.

“…And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10b

We’ve been referencing the topic of revival frequently in our study of Nehemiah at HLS lately. Or, should I say, perhaps, I feel like the topic has been speaking to me lately. And it’s appropriate, too, because one of Christian Unions’ missions is to be part of ushering revival into our country through fervent Spirit-led prayer and the study of God’s Word. Then the question came up during one of my mentoring sessions with one of my students, “How does revival happen?”