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An Opportunity to Seek the Lord...Together
Christian Union America hosts regular national fasts ranging from week-long to 40-day fasts with the intention of both deepening our own relationship with the Lord and interceding for our nation to return to Him. Fasting is an essential part of Christian life. It is modeled for us throughout the Scriptures and has a unique capacity to draw us closer to the Lord through humble dependence upon Him.Each signed-up participant receives a daily Bible-based devotional by email during the fasting period.
Each participant decides how to abstain from food and/or drink during the fast. The Bible provides different examples of fasting, from eating only one meal per day to forgoing all foods for multiple days in a row. Only rarely and in very exceptional circumstances does someone abstain from both food and drink. Ask God how you should fast, and please consult your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about fasting. If you have never fasted for days in a row, then join for as long as you can. The most important part of fasting is the humbling of our hearts to seek after God.
Learn more about the next fast and how you can join other Christians to seek God through fasting and prayer here.
More on Fasting:
The Life-Changing Power of Fasting
Christian Union Introduced Me to Fasting
Deny Yourself and Take Up Your Cross
Experience God Like Never Before
A CU Fire Retreat is a 1.5-day nationwide simulcast retreat. Experience spiritual rejuvenation and encouragement with your friends or any other Christian community. This can all happen at your church or from the comfort of your own home with your friends.
Watch this 3.5-minute video to witness the power of a CU Fire Retreat:
The Next CU Fire Retreat
America Returning to God
October 4-5, 2024
Learn more at CUFire.org or click the button below to register.
Register Now!
Why CU Fire Retreats?
CU Fire Retreats were created to help believers experience God more deeply and fully. If you long for a closer relationship with the God who loves you, a CU Fire Retreat might be a tremendous next step. Taking more time to seek the Lord and draw close to Him will dramatically impact your closeness to God.
While we can all seek God in our own time, doing so with friends and people you want to get to know helps deepen the bonding and creates powerful camaraderie.
Christian Union founder and president, Matt Bennett, said, "Focused times of drawing near to God have an incredibly positive impact on Christians. Such times provide powerful spiritual strengthening and renewed vision. You can view Matt Bennett’s bio here and an interview with Matt by CBN here (5:21).
As more and more Christians take time to seek God and grow stronger in Him, God draws near to us with His increased power and presence in our churches, communities, and nation. Many are frustrated with the spiritual decline in their communities and the nation, and seeking the Lord is the answer.
As believers grow strong in the Lord, their vibrant faith will bring a supernatural change.
Visit CUFire.org to learn more or to sign up for a CU Fire Retreat today.
Fire Retreat Speakers
The speaker lineup for the October 2024 Fire Retreat is as follows:Matt Bennett
Topic: "Repenting of Worshiping Other Gods"
Matt Bennett is the Founder and President of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization with the mission to bring sweeping spiritual and cultural transformation to our nation and the world by developing and networking Christian leaders to make an impact for Christ. Christian Union focuses on America's most influential universities and professionals in the nation's key cities.
A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned a BS and MBA degree from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He worked for Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) at Princeton University for 12 years and developed the ministry into one of the largest in the history of the Ivy League. In 2002, he founded Christian Union. The ministry has been featured in The New York Times, PBS, NPR, Christianity Today, and World Magazine. Matt currently resides in New York City.
Dimas Salaberrios
Topic: "Power of Prayer in Reviving God's People"
In addition to being a NY pastor and the Ministry Associate for CU New York, he is the author of “Street God: The Explosive True Story of a Former Drug Boss,” and his film “Chicago: America’s Hidden War” was recently nominated for an Oscar for “Best Documentary Feature”! Pastor Dimas Salaberrios is a faith leader, film producer, prayer warrior, and author. He is the founder and former pastor of Infinity Bible Church in New York City, and the President Emeritus of Concerts of Prayer Greater New York. Dimas has been on the frontlines of the earthquakes in Haiti, and Hurricane Harvey in Houston. After the shootings in Saint Paul, Dallas, Charleston, and Paris, Dimas organized believers to infiltrate the protests and pray with hurting people. He has also organized prayer during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis and New York City. His directorial debut is titled “Chicago: America’s Hidden War” (https://www.chicagoshiddenwar.com), and he co-produced the documentary film “Emanuel.”
Dimas is married to Tiffany and has three daughters. Learn more about Dimas by visiting http://thedynamiclifeministry.com/pastor-dimas/
Andy Woodard
Topic: "Cultivating a Lifestyle of Seeking God Wholeheartedly"
Andy is the Executive Director of Christian Union New York.
CU Fire Retreat Schedule
(Subject to Change)Friday Evening :: 6-9pm Local Time
| Welcome and Orientation |
| Start / Group Sharing or Testimonies |
| Zoom Message (Streamed) |
| Group Prayer / Response to Message |
Saturday :: 8am - 8pm Local Time
Saturday Morning
| Arrival / Prayers of Adoration and Praise |
| Bible Reading |
| Zoom Worship and Message |
| Live Q&A |
Saturday Afternoon
| Group Discussion (Response to Message) |
| Bible Reading followed by Group Discussion: What is God Like? |
| Group (Streamed) Worship + Video followed by Group Discussion |
| Prayer |
Saturday Evening
| Meal |
| Zoom Message |
| Group Discussion (Response to Message) |
| Group Wrap Up (Testimonies, Discussion, and Prayer) |
Perspectives:
“CU Fire was amazing. The way I was able to meet with God and connect to others has broken some chains off of my heart!! The experience was invaluable.”
– Kimberly
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
– Hebrews 10:24
My first experience as a participant of a CU fire retreat connected me with like minded believers seeking the Lord for revival. Our time praying together and seeking God in the scriptures was powerful. When given the opportunity to host during the next CU fire retreat I was all in.
– Guy
The Next Christian Union Bible Study
Christian Union is pleased to announce, as a f0llow up to its three-volume series on the book of Psalms, a new study that will be published in 2024, on the book of Job.
New information will be published here as the publication date nears.
. . .
Learn more about the Psalms studies (shown below), or order them today >
A Series on the Psalms, Available Now!
Christian Union's Bible Study Series on the Psalms will empower you to dive into this wonderful book as never before.These guides are more exegetically focused and academic than devotional books, yet more accessible and application-oriented than commentaries. Proven on the campuses of the nation’s most academically intense and influential universities, CU Bible studies provide a deep understanding of biblical texts through explanations about translations, historical background, literary genres, and the meanings of Hebrew and Greek words.
They draw from the best biblical scholarship available, presenting it in an accessible and concise format. This three-volume series is perfect for people who want to grow in their faith through in-depth studies of Scripture that supplement their regular Bible reading. Bible studies are typically ten lessons, helping you dive deeply into the Scriptures on your own or in a group context.
Buy the first of the three studies, Psalms 1-41, from Amazon.com >
Buy the second in the series, Psalms 42-89 from Amazon.com >
Buy the third in the series, Psalms 90-150 from Amazon.com >
ALSO, DON'T MISS
Coming in late 2024: A new Bible study from Christian Union, on the Book of Job!
Spiritual Strengthening for Christians
CU America is Christian Union’s ministry to adults across the nation. The values of Christian Union shape and direct the particular offerings that CU America currently provides and is planning for the future. Christian Union develops leaders for the promotion of national revival and reformation.
When CU began in 2002, its first strategic program started at Princeton University and quickly spread to other academically intense, influential undergraduate and graduate schools. Even though CU Universities led the way for the organization, the overall mission of the ministry has always been to influence the entire nation directly.
Find out about CU America’s Fire Retreats, National Fasts, Cities ministry, Resources, and Alumni ministry to see which ones may strengthen and connect you with other like-minded Christians until the Lord’s ways mark every corner of society.
DONATE TO CU AMERICA
Thank you for your faithful, seasoned prayers for the work of God through Christian Union New York! The purpose of our prayers may be best summarized by Elisabeth Elliot: “Prayer lays hold of God’s plan and becomes the link between his will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit’s prayer.”
In this confidence, Christian Union NY asks you to please pray that His will may be done right here in NYC, as we all expectantly hope for amazing things to continue happening in the lives of leaders who are on fire for Christ!
Rivalry in the Body of Christ Dishonors the Lord
By Chuck Hetzler, PhD, Director, CU Day and Night
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? – 1 Corinthians 3:1-4
All jealousy, pride, rivalry, and division must be repented of and put at the foot of the cross or Christian Unity will not be achieved.
The American Church Needs Revival More Than Ever
By Anne Kerhoulas
The American church needs revival. It’s fragmented and fractured, limping past scandal and hypocrisy, and lacking in zeal for the Lord. But as Russell Moore argues in his article for Christianity Today, revival does not simply mean church attendance rising without radical reformation of the ways the church has veered off course. The revival we need is one of repentance, reformation, and a powerful work of the Holy Spirit.
What The Fall of Ancient Rome Teaches Us About the Future of the Church
By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff WRITER
Much of the modern world operates with a total disregard for history. Where previous generations would look to the rich history of those who had gone before them and their collective wisdom to learn from them, our culture today operates as if we have no intellectual or historical inheritance. We believe, as Marx argued, that history is merely the story of oppressed vs oppressor, and rather than the past being a source of knowledge and insight, the future is where human good lies.
The Transition Into College Life Eased As Newcomers Are Welcomed Into A Thriving Community Of Faith
By Anne Kerhoulas
The transition to college comes with many unknowns. How will classes go? Who will your friends be? What will you end up studying? But for rising sophomore Amaya Allen, the biggest question was wondering how she would sustain and grow her faith in a non-Christian environment.
