Christian Union Universities

Greetings from Palo Alto!

Students are gearing up to return, or arrive for the first time, to Stanford’s campus toward the end of September. We would love for them to benefit from your prayers!

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

As the summer has progressed, we have been hard at work preparing for the Fall semester. We are planning events for Freshmen Campaign, and have been meeting with our Exec team through Skype, about our teams and retreats at the beginning of the academic year. Along with this, there have been a lot of transition for us here. Geoff Sackett has moved onto other ministry opportunities, and I am now filling his position as we look for a new Ministry Director. We have also hired two new women’s ministry fellows: Liz Thomforde and Lisa Cooper.

“And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city...” Jonah 4:11.

We’ve been studying the great little book of Jonah this summer in Cambridge. You know Jonah, right? It’s the little, little book between Obadiah and Micah that chronicles a season in the life of a very reluctant prophet by the same name. When you think about the story, it doesn’t reflect well upon its supposed author. But those four short chapters hold great insight into so many great themes: the character of God, justice and mercy, missions, calling, and so on.

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?