Ministries
October CU Fire Retreat
Brief bios of the October 2024 CU Fire Retreat speakers:Matt Bennett
Matt is the founder and CEO 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 its activity 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.
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Dimas Salaberrios
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/
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Third Speaker: TBD
Greetings from Christian Union Lumine!
Students are presently back home, in summer internships, or taking classes, but I have the privilege of connecting with a few students who are still in the NYC area or on campus.
As a ministry, we will be spending the bulk of time this summer planning for our Pre-Retreat. Pre-Retreat is a time for our Freshman Welcomers and Ministry Leaders to get away, reconnect with God, rekindle friendships, and plan our freshmen welcoming events for incoming freshmen.
We hope you are having a wonderful summer. Our students are enjoying all kinds of experiences all over the world during their summer break and it is a joy to know that they are shining the light of Christ and the glory of God wherever they are.
Greetings from Cambridge,
I remember my first experience at pre-retreat in our first month on the job in the Fall of 2017. I was blown away as I witnessed dozens of Harvard students worshiping Jesus passionately and praying with an intensity I had rarely seen. I knew immediately this was a special community and that God was doing something spectacular here. I am grateful as I reflect on how the Lord has continued to sustain this love and zeal and spiritual fervor among the CU Gloria students.
God is blessing Christian Union Nova. It’s my prayer that God will continuously bless you as well, showering you with an abundance of His mercy and grace.
On June 29th, I ended a 40-day, one meal-a-day fast that started on May 21st. Our CEO, Matt Bennett encouraged me to press into a season of deep prayer and fasting as we are committed to seeing revival this fall. It is the longest fast I have ever undertaken. My prayers throughout can be summed up by Psalm 105:3-4: “Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength; seek His presence continually!”
Summer greetings! This July we have been reading and discussing (virtually!) Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic book on Christian community, Life Together. The Lord, through Bonhoeffer, has refreshed, humbled, and refocused us. Here is a taste of what we’ve been considering:
Greetings from Penn!
I’m thankful to say that I just returned from vacation where I was able to spend 10 days hiking 100 miles on the Appalachian Trail while seeking the Lord through the Psalms of Ascents. I found this time particularly refreshing, inspiring, and faith-building. The Lord graciously strengthened my “inner man” (Eph 3:16), and I am spurred on by what God has in store for the upcoming academic year as we diligently seek His face.
Thank you for your partnership by praying for the ministry of CU Lux throughout the summer months. The lives of our students continue to be enriched by our summer prayer meetings on Mondays and Fridays and our weekly intercampus prayer calls with students across different Ivy League universities. The student commitment to prayerful connection with God and each other is encouraging. An online prayer board was created to post prayer requests, intercede for others, and share answered prayers.
What a joy it is to partner with you in the gospel going forward through Christian Union NY! As the prayers of righteous men and women like you continue to uplift Christian Union NY, we are witnessing the power and effectiveness of your prayers, again and again, this year (James 5:16). In direct answer to your faithful prayers, we have seen leaders in NYC brimming with kingdom strategy, spreading the good news of Jesus through their communities!
We are anticipating significant expansion this year as Christian Union NY continues to develop and connect transformative Christian leaders in the nation’s most influential cities, right here in NYC. More, Lord Jesus, we pray!
- Pray for the kingdom to come on earth, right here in NYC, as it is in heaven!
- Pray for the 26 university alumni who are moving to NYC for a new season of life post-graduation. Pray that CU NY would be able to wrap around them to help them form a deep, lasting Christian community.
- Pray that 25 total people within NY will volunteer to host a CU Fire Retreat site for this upcoming October 14-15 retreat, bringing spiritual renewal throughout lives and communities in NYC.
- Pray that the Lord would provide for CU NY’s financial needs through faithful believers who support CU NY’s mission and return their blessings from the Lord to the work of God through CU NY!
May the Lord bless you and your family as you remain steadfast in him! Thank you for your faithful, seasoned prayers on behalf of Christian Union New York!
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
This is a wonderful and sad time of year! We had the bittersweet privilege of saying goodbye to our seniors over commencement weekend, celebrating with their families, and wishing them well as they begin the next chapter of their lives. Over the course of four years, we are blessed to witness firsthand the growth and maturation of these young men and women. We see the Lord work in their lives and walk with them through the ups and downs of their college careers. It’s so rewarding and we’re so thankful that we have the opportunity to work with them, even if it’s just for a few all-too-brief years.
