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Serving Christian Union's Financial Partners
David Cole
Director of Technical Services 
David brings over ten years of fundraising operations experience serving organizations across the religious, social service, and education sectors. David specializes in helping non-profits optimize donor databases, streamline processes, and enhance data-driven strategic planning efforts.David is a native Texan, a devout Catholic, and an Eagle Scout. He lives in Dallas-Ft. Worth area with his wife, Jennifer, and two daughters. He earned a BA in Communications from the University of Texas in San Antonio.
Landon Eckhardt
Director of Development
Landon represents Christian Union in the Northeast Region, working closely with ministry financial partners, including individuals, churches, and foundations. His role is to steward their participation in developing Christian leaders to impact culture across the country.Born and raised in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas metroplex, Landon earned a BSBA in finance from Samford University in 2009, an MDiv from Palmer Theological Seminary in 2014, and an MBA from Eastern University in 2017. Prior to joining Christian Union, Landon worked in development at The Bowery Mission in New York City where he managed a team overseeing donor relations, donation processing and receipting, and various data and reporting mechanisms.
Landon and his wife, Amanda, currently live in New York City and are avid foodies, coffee lovers, and enjoy spending quality time with family and friends.
Patty Fillman
Administrative Assistant
Patty provides crucial administrative support to the development team. She graduated from Mansfield University with a degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked a variety of secretarial and managerial jobs while fulfilling her primary responsibility of raising her children. Patty has three wonderful, grown children: Adam, Rachel, and Hannah. Between them, she and her husband, Jim, have four children and three grandchildren.
Contact the Christian Union development staff by email using: Firstname.Lastname@ChristianUnion.org
Sharing Christian Union's Mission and Vision
Patrick Dennis
Creative Director
Patrick oversees the design and creative direction of Christian Union's brand communications. He has spent more than twenty years helping for-profit companies and non-profit organizations tell their story well. From 1999 to 2009, he served as the president and creative director of a brand strategy and communication design firm that he co-founded in Northern Virginia. During that time, he had the opportunity to consult with and serve a wide range of companies, as well as organizations ranging from well-funded startups to Fortune 500 companies. Upon selling his share of the firm in 2009, he began consulting with Christian Union and a small number of other clients.He and Karey live in Northern Virginia and have three children. They enjoy skiing and diving together, and Patrick has been known to be found on the golf course occasionally.
Erin Conner
Writer and Communications AssociateErin Conner holds two Bachelor’s degrees in English and in Political Science from the Pennsylvania State University, as well as a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Maryland. While attending college, Erin earned the “Outstanding and Value Service Award” from the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General for her work in mediation.
Erin began her educational career as the Director of the Academy at Mindworks Learning Institute near Washington D.C., which received an award for excellence by Johns Hopkins University. Erin, then, taught in both private and public school settings until starting her own educational service business near Bucknell University where she also served as a Board Member for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce to help support the growth of local businesses. Erin founded Telos Educational Ministries, a non-profit organization that empowered under-represented students by providing access to outstanding resources and mentorship in order to create significant and measurable improvements in life.
Erin and her family moved to New Hampshire where she worked as the director of youth and college ministry through her local church. Before working on the communications team at Christian Union, Erin served as a women's Ministry Fellow for Christian Union Vox at Dartmouth.
Erin has published three books: Seek: Principles for Living an Abundant Life, Seeking God, Finding Life: A Graduate’s Guide to Faith, and Know, a Scripture-based children’s book about living in the promises of God. She currently lives near Pittsburgh, PA with her husband, Joe, and three children.
Serving Alumni of Christian Union Universities' Ministries
Christine Foster
Director of Alumni Mentoring
Christine was raised as an Episcopalian and renewed her faith as a young adult by participating in the Alpha Program at St. Bartholomew's in New York City. A native Californian, she earned a BA in history from the University of Pennsylvania.
Susan Brown
Cornerstone Partner CoordinatorSusan grew up in California and can’t imagine living anywhere else. She came to faith at an early age and has sought out opportunities to grow and serve Jesus in her church and local community ever since.
Over the past twenty-five years Susan has served in a wide range of ministry and leadership roles, including the nonprofit sector and the local public schools. She previously served as a volunteer Bible Course leader for Christian Union, helping to launch the very first women’s Bible Course at Stanford. She looks forward to being back on campus, spending time with students.
A graduate of Biola University, Susan enjoys travel, gardening, reading, baking and spending time with her three children and friends.
Contact the Christian Union alumni engagement staff by email using: Firstname.Lastname@ChristianUnion.org
Developing Leaders at Strategic Institutions
Jason Walsh
Vice President, Christian Union Universities
Jason Walsh honorably served 10 years in the United States Marine Corps, 3 years in the 102nd Mounted Infantry Battalion with the Connecticut Army National Guard, and 4 years as a Firefighter/EMT for the City of Stamford Fire Department in Stamford, CT. At the Pentagon, Jason served as a Mission Planner, supporting the highest levels of U.S. leadership, including the resident, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and military generals across all branches. While deployed to Afghanistan, He was a Combat Aviation Operations Chief at Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan, a Forward Operating Base (FOB) to combat insurgent activity in the Helmand Valley, which was a hotbed of terrorist activity and the most dangerous province in Afghanistan at the time. Jason served in and out of combat zones with multiple government agencies, including the CIA, FBI, Secret Service, the U.S. Army’s 20th Special Forces Group, and the British SAS.
Throughout nearly 20 years of service in military and local agencies combined, Jason’s leadership has been at the forefront! Jason graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Training, Parris Island, SC (Boot Camp), as the Platoon Honor Graduate, #1 out of 96 recruits. He was promoted to Sergeant within his first 4 years of Marine Corps service. He was selected from the top 1% of the Marine Corps globally for recruiting duty. Jason was also a .50 Cal Machine Gunner, becoming proficient in all U.S. Army Infantry weapons systems, criminal profiling, and interrogation. He was selected in the top 10 out of 2000 applicants to be a Firefighter/EMT. He was later selected as an instructor at the Stamford Regional Fire Training School after unanimously being voted platoon leader in his own firefighter recruit class. His service is recognized with numerous military medals and personal awards, including the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, 2 Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, 3 Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Jason is the Vice President of Christian Union Universities, based at Yale University. He is also an associate pastor at The Rock Church in Wallingford, CT. Jason’s passion for Jesus and service is deeply personal. Overcoming homelessness and personal hardship, he attributes his transformation to the love and healing power of Jesus Christ. He is committed to sharing this message and believes that Jesus has a unique plan and message for each individual that can transform their life.
Jason holds a bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Leadership and Ministries from Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, CO, with additional education in Theology and Urban Missions from Alliance Theological Seminary in Manhattan, NY.
Russ Louk
Ministry Operations Director, Christian Union Universities
Born and raised in Farmingdale, New Jersey, Russ earned his MA in Christian Ministry Leadership, MDIV in Christian Leadership & Church Ministries, and DMIN in Expository Preaching and Teaching from Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary. Shortly after graduating high school, Russ decided to serve his country and joined the United States Air Force.Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Russ ended his 27-year career in the military to pursue the call to full-time ministry. He has worked in a variety of ministry roles such as Ministry Internship Director, Leadership Community Teaching Director, and Pastor of Leadership Development in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Russ joined Christian Union in the Spring of 2023..
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Ad occuro, ibidem fere, caecus usitas patria. Velit cui et acsi os, antehabeo facilisi modo hendrerit consequat suscipere delenit feugait vicis te.The Answer to the Lack of Faithful Communities Is to Create Our Own
BioLogos web editor Emily Ruppel recounts the story of one Harvard astronomy student’s brave decision to leave her studies to pursue ministry, which sparked an entire network of Christian scientists to come together in community—men and women who were accustomed to staying quiet about faith in their particular sphere of influence, the hard sciences.
Cherish Connelly '14 Reflects on Her Growth
I'm majoring in psychology with a secondary degree in neurobiology. As a science concentrator, I'm often asked, "How can you believe in God?" I've been involved with Christian Union for four years and in that time I've developed the knowledge needed to answer that question tactfully, respectfully, and in a way that presents the Gospel.Observing neurons in a microscope is an amazing sight; I love seeing how billions of tiny neurons control behavior, emotions, even senses. To me, it gives evidence of God. These tiny cells in our brain control everything the body does. I would argue, only God could design that efficiency.
Jonathan Edwards' Devotion to Bible Study
By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
An article in the latest issue of Jonathan Edwards Studies paused to shed light on the everyday habits and intense biblical study of the famed revivalist preacher and early Yale University alumnus.Jonathan Edwards stands as one of the top figures in the spiritual history of the United States, and his life serves as an inspiration to believers across the globe.In the piece, Douglas Sweeney, a key Edwards' scholar with ties to Yale, reflected on the scriptural fervor behind the theologian's scholarship. Sweeney serves on the editorial board for the online journal, part of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale.
"Edwards devoted most of his waking life to studying the Bible, its extra-biblical contexts, its theological meanings, and its importance for everyday religion," wrote Sweeney, the director of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois.
"Christians need to be much bolder..."
Christian Union: The Magazine interviewed author and renowned speaker Eric Metaxas, Yale '84, on the subject of culture change for its Spring 2014 issue.CU: Regarding culture change and your recent books, did you find a common denominator between William Wilberforce, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or any of the other subjects in Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness?
EM: These were all men who were "in the world, but not of it," who all seemed to understand how to bring their faith into the "real world," as it were, into all spheres, not just the religious sphere.
Columbia Lecture Attracts Christians, Non-Christians
By Luke Foster, Columbia '14
Thursday nights at Columbia University tend to be quiet. Few students have classes on Fridays, so almost everyone prepares for the weekend and tries to recover from the hectic week. The Christian ministries on campus use Thursday evenings as times to worship and reflect.
But Thursday, February 20 was a little different.
For a week, posters and Facebook posts had been proclaiming an exciting event for that evening. Compass Christian Koinonia and Apologetics Café co-hosted a lecture with Dr. Nabeel Qureshi, a Ravi Zacharias International Ministries speaker. Several campus organizations helped publicize the event. Approximately 150 people of all faiths and no faith crowded into a small auditorium to engage with the ideas of Dr. Qureshi.
Dr. Qureshi, who titled his talk after his new book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, challenged students to pursue truth above beauty, and to be willing to submit to the most compelling view of the world, no matter the cost.
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