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Dear CU Lumine Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,

We praise God for partners like you in supporting the work He is doing through Christian Union Lumine at Columbia. The students have reached the halfway point of the semester and will be gearing up for finals in a month. Due to the pandemic, this is a shorter semester with classes concluding mid-April.

We are encouraged by the students involved in CU Lumine Bible courses, Illumina (Leadership Lecture Series) events, outreach events, or times of prayer. We see God’s transforming hand at work in their lives as He grows them into His image.

Dear CU Lumine Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,

Greetings in the matchless name of Jesus! I am thankful for your love and partnership with Christan Union Lumine at Columbia University. Because of your committed giving and prayers, we are seeing students’ lives transformed by the gospel.

After a very short break, the students started their spring semester on January 11th. You might be encouraged to know that some students have physically returned to campus. Though the majority of classes are still online, it was awesome to see students safely moving back to Wien, Wallach, EC, John Jay, and Hartley. It was so good to see students connecting and getting together on campus to fellowship, pray, and study God’s word all in the first week back!

Dear CU Lumine Cornerstone Partners and other friends of the ministry,

On behalf of all the staff and students at Christian Union Lumine, let me wish you a Happy New Year. We pray you had a restful holiday. At present, Columbia University is on break and the spring 2021 semester begins on Monday, January 11. It’s a very short break — about 2 weeks — but a needed break for the students, nonetheless.

Dear CU Lumine Cornerstone Partners and other friends of the ministry,

With Thanksgiving behind, the Christmas holidays ahead, and the semester coming to a close in a few weeks, we are grateful for the Lord’s hand that has guided CU Lumine this academic semester. As you may remember when the ministry reached out for prayer in September, there were so many unknowns. But in the midst of the unknowns, God proved Himself to be faithful.

Dear CU Lumine Cornerstone Partners and other friends of the ministry,

This is the halfway point for the academic semester at Columbia. Students are still adjusting to a semester unlike any other — instead of grabbing a bite to eat at John Jay and discussing theology with students, our one-on-one’s have been relegated to zoom. I have had the privilege of meeting in person with a handful of students that are staying on or near campus, but the majority of students who are a part of CU Lumine are at home.

Dear CU Lumine Cornerstone Partners and other friends of the ministry,

Though the year started off quite differently with Columbia University switching to completely remote learning, the students are settling into a “new normal” this semester. The ministry did not have the traditional freshmen welcoming, as students weren’t on campus, but CU Lumine got to connect with quite a few incoming freshmen and transfer students. Students are in their fourth week of classes and ministry is in full swing.

Dear CU Lumine Cornerstone Partners and other friends of the ministry,

What a year this has been, particularly for university students. When the pandemic started unfolding in March and Columbia University was forced to go virtual, we were all holding out that Fall 2020 would be the reset we needed. But instead of our students moving into John Jay, Schapiro or Ruggles or connecting with new freshmen during NSOP (New Student Orientation Program), we are mapping out what ministry can look like virtually.

Thank you for your continued prayers for CU Lumine (Columbia University) and for New York City. Columbia University has released plans to re-open for the fall semester in a limited capacity. Incoming freshman and sophomore students will be returning to the campus. There are still a lot of unknowns regarding what ministry and student life will look like. This is truly a trying season and as a ministry, we have greatly depended on the Lord for His wisdom and guidance. We are confident that God will continue to reveal His good purposes. As a staff, we know one-on-one discipleship will be crucial for the students that are returning to campus.

Thank you for your continued prayers for the work on this campus and for New York City. As many of you have been witnessing the racial tensions and protests across the nation and NYC, we are being confronted with so many issues that have plagued our nation. We, along with Christians everywhere, are seeking God’s face in repentance. Our confidence is in the Lord who is still on the throne. The ministry faculty have been spending one-on-one time with many students, guiding them to Christ and the hope we find in Him. This is truly a trying season and, as a ministry, we have greatly depended on the Lord for His wisdom and guidance. We are confident that God will continue to reveal His good purposes.

Thank you for your continued prayers for the work on this campus and for New York City. The semester has officially ended, and students are waiting to hear back from the college regarding what classes will look like in the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. So many dreams have been put on pause due to this pandemic, but we are confident that God will continue to reveal His good purposes through this time. We are finding ourselves still connecting with a few students via online means for one-on-one discipleship and for studying scripture, which has been a blessing. Here are some ways you can be praying for us this month:

 
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