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Wednesday, March 18, 2020
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”- 2 Chronicles 7:13, 14
Did you notice the word pestilence in verse 13 above? It’s not a word commonly used, but it’s a word of extraordinary current relevance. It’s still unknown whether the coronavirus COVID-19 will be simply as bad as the common flu (taking approximately 50,000 American lives each year), or something far more lethal like the Spanish Flu of 1918 (took 50-100 million lives worldwide). Most believe it will be somewhere in between, on the lower end of the spectrum.
Wed, March 18 - Sun, April 26
Christian Union Day and Night invites you to join us in a 40-day initiative of prayer, fasting and repentance to meet the threat of the Coronavirus.Click here to join the fast.
In times of crises, God desires that His people examine themselves and repent of everything displeasing to Him. We are to repent on behalf of ourselves and American Christianity which is largely self-indulgent and does not seek the Lord in holiness or wholehearted devotion. First-century Christians prayed and read the Scriptures every morning and evening, and fasted twice a week. Meanwhile, American Christians spend little energy seeking God and the church is therefore largely powerless. Most Christians don’t give at least ten percent of their income even though we are the richest country in the history of the world, and we pollute ourselves through movies and our own engagement with sexual immorality.
Pole Vaulter Pursues Christ at Cornell
by grace choi, cornell ’22
Maria Siciliano, a sophomore pole vaulter on the Cornell track and field team, has a deep faith that helps her soar in competition and as a leader on campus with Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Christian Union.
Siciliano, an English major with a concentration in literary theory and a minor in comparative literature, seeks to give God glory each time she competes. In 2019, she entered the Cornell record books with vaults during the indoor and outdoor seasons. She ranks tenth all-time indoors (11-feet-11.75 inches) and seventh all-time outdoors (12-feet-2.5 inches).
The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
— Proverbs 18:10
Jade Thompson ’21 Leads Outreach Team
by tom campisi, managing editor
For Jade Thompson, co-directing a Text-4-Toasties outreach for Christian Union at Columbia this fall was just one of the many ways she has been challenged to grow as a leader.
Thompson, an Economics and Sustainability major from Westchester, New York, called her involvement with Lumine, Christian Union’s ministry at Columbia, “the best part of my college experience.”
Students Warm Locust Walk with Cider Outreach
by eileen scott, contributing writer
Christian Union at the University of Pennsylvania put “campus kindness” into action this fall by giving away hot cider to students on their way to class on Locust Walk, a centrally located pathway. There were no strings attached to receive the hot beverage. Yet, if students chose to sip their drink and discuss faith, leaders were there to engage. The outreach was part of the ministry’s on-going campus kindness effort, which also includes book giveaways and welcoming bags for freshmen.
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
— Matthew 25:49
As we close out Week 7 of the Winter Term, here are a few prayer needs from Dartmouth.
Midterms have begun, student schedules are packed and it’s still winter, but there is an excitement in the air with what God is doing at Columbia University through Christian Union Lumine. We are seeing higher turnout for our Leadership Lecture Series nights, impromptu prayer gatherings among the students and a feeling of community and togetherness even in the midst of all the transitions. Thank you for your continued prayers for the work on this campus. Here are ways you can be praying for us this month:
—Romans 5:1
Greetings from cold Cambridge!
We are about a third of the way through the semester and our students are looking forward to Spring break, which is just a couple of weeks away. This week in our Romans study with the Juniors and Sophomores we were in chapter 5. What a wonderful reminder to all of us of the reality of our new standing before God. We have been justified by faith. We were made right with God by trusting in Jesus. And as a result, we can now have peace with God. A peace that cannot be quenched or conquered by anything life throws our way.
