Christian Union Universities
and put away your indignation toward us!
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,
and grant us your salvation.” - Psalms 85:4-7 (ESV)
Dear CU Gloria Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Thank you for your continued support and prayer as we minister to the students at Harvard. This summer we have been walking through the book of Exodus. You can watch some of the Exodus teachings on our student ministry’s YouTube channel here. It has been a blessing to all the students who have been attending, as well as a place of weekly gathering as a community to study the Bible.
I am a firm believer that things don’t just happen but they must be planned! And, while this is not a Scriptural quote, there are passages that affirm the same, principally. For instance, God gave Israel a plan of action to possess Jericho! Proverbs 6 presents the wisdom of an ant, as they plan for harvest by gathering in the summer. Proverbs 21:5 admonishes how “the plans of the diligent lead to abundance.” And, we can all be encouraged by the words spoken to Jeremiah—because if God had plans for him, before birth, then God most certainly has a plan for each one of our lives, including each incoming or returning Princeton student.
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
—Philippians 4:10-14
Stanford students are comfortably in the cadence of summer, and of course I’d love to ask you to pray yet again for these cherished image bearers of God. May the Lamb of God rule in and through them, more and more, for his glory and for the joy of His people! But I want to focus this prayer letter on two non-students who are near and dear to our ministry.
This month I was reminded of how God is involved in the little details of our lives. One of our graduating seniors asked for an alumni mentor to walk beside her during this transition. Because she asked later than the mentor/mentee match period, I found myself scrambling to find a good match. At the same time, another young graduate had to step back from her already assigned partnership. Providentially, the mentor who was left without a partner lives in the city where our young graduate looking for a mentor is headed! A new pairing was made and this young woman has someone to walk beside her. God’s timing and plan is perfect!
As our ministries prepare for an exciting back-to-normal fall, please pray fervently for these priorities:
Christian Fellowship
Christian Union Lux, Christian Union's ministry at Yale, hosted a virtual reunion on June 6 from 3:00 - 4:00pm EST. Christian Union Lux invited participants from all classes, all denominations, and all Christian ministries to this annual event. Thanks for joining us!Greetings from Providence! On May 2, Brown held commencement exercises celebrating this year’s graduating class. It’s always hard to say goodbye to the seniors we’ve come to know so well and love so much. This year was certainly no exception, but we praise the Lord that students were able to walk in person with family in attendance. These students have demonstrated remarkable perseverance, maturity beyond their years, and an abundance of grace over the last two years. We’re excited to see where the Lord leads them in the years to come and feel so grateful for the privilege we’ve been given to walk beside them during their time here on campus.
“I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” – Psalm 86.12
Graduating students recently gathered at Franklin Field for the first time in 2 years to participate in Penn’s commencement ceremony. It was a bittersweet ending to our students’ undergraduate tenure. I am thankful for their resilience and grit during these past 15 months. The class of 2021 will be sorely missed! As we celebrate graduation and the end of another school year, please pray for:
Dear CU Lumine Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
“...Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” (John 2:10-11)
We are officially in the Summer A Semester and have restarted in-person and online Bible courses for students. We are studying the Gospel of John and the above passage is from John 2 after Jesus performs His first miracle at a wedding in Cana. This passage led to a fruitful discussion about Jesus bringing overwhelming joy to those who obey and follow Him. In the midst of so many changes and unknowns this past year, it was an encouraging and timely truth for the students to remind their own hearts of how Jesus seeks to bring and give eternal joy to His followers.
Greetings from Ithaca! While we will miss our seniors, we are so happy to know that they are moving on from Cornell mature in Christ, eager to put the glory of God on display in their various fields, and equipped to lead and make an impact for Jesus all over the world. Please pray for them as they transition away from life at Cornell to various careers and graduate schools. Pray that they would know that God has a perfect plan for them and pray that they will find solid Christian fellowship and local churches where they can continue to grow and use their gifts and talents for God’s glory.
How did it get to be the end of the academic year already? The seniors will graduate on June 13th and it will be a few short months until the class of 2025 arrives in Hanover. In a year unlike any other, there is much to praise God for. “Small but mighty” is how I think about the class of 2021. They have shown remarkable endurance, flexibility, leadership, and grace. I am excited to see how God will use them in their new communities, but we are also sad to see them go. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” - Philippians 4:4