Brown University Study Presents Radical Disparity
By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
Teens who engage in same-sex activity may be more than twice as likely as their peers to turn to self-harm, according to research from Brown University.
In June, the study appeared in JAMA Pediatrics, prompting a wave of attention from media outlets, including medical press. Such findings add further weight to existing scholarship that has documented physical and emotional risks associated with alternative sexual behavior, especially during adolescent years. In the study, psychiatrist Richard Liu, Cornell ’02, found that rates of non-suicidal self-injury were elevated among engaging in same-sex or “bisexual” behaviors, when compared to other adolescents. Liu is an assistant professor in psychiatry and human behavior at Brown’s Alpert Medical School.
Strikingly, 38 percent to 53 percent of surveyed “homosexual” and “bisexual” teens acknowledged engaging in personally dangerous behaviors, compared to 10 percent to 20 percent of adolescent youth who said they had cut, hit, or bruised themselves.
We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
— Colossians 1:9-12
The Poulson Family
For every parent, sending a child to college brings pride and excitement, as well as worry for all the unknowns of this new phase. Richard and Anne Poulson were not only able to send their son Hundley (Princeton ’19) to one of the top schools in the nation, but were elated to know that Hundley found rich Christian community on campus through the ministry of Christian Union. “Christian Union provided our son with a warm and nurturing environment as he began his college career. Christian Union serves a very useful purpose in helping students transition to college life.”
Lecture Focuses on Spiritual Intimacy
Christian Union’s ministry in a key urban setting is highlighting the connection between prayer and the supernatural as it offers mentoring and training to young professionals.“We are seeking to draw people into all aspects of the faith,” said Scott Crosby, ministry director of Christian Union New York. “We want to make the supernatural aspects of Christianity a little more natural to engage. The supernatural is very common in other parts of the world.”
Christian Union offers ministry to young professionals in New York City. From his base in Manhattan, Crosby oversees Bible courses, mentoring sessions, industry network gatherings, forums, and other events.
Harvard Alumni Lead Bible Course at Law School
In September, Julian and Kianna Nunally began leading a Christian Union Bible Course for married Harvard Law School students and their spouses. The newlyweds wanted to minister together and connect with other couples.
Julian Nunally, Harvard ’17, is a third-year law student. Kianna Goldsberry Nunally, Harvard ’18, is an aspiring orthopedic surgeon who is spending the current academic year serving as a clinical research fellow in pediatric orthopedics at Boston Children’s Hospital. “I’m really excited for this (Bible course),” said Kianna. “I love discussion and studying Scripture.”
Summer Trip Is a Blessing for Students
Winston Churchill once called the East African nation of Uganda a fairytale, saying, “You climb up a railway instead of a beanstalk, and at the end there is a wonderful new world.” However, with the insurgence of the despotic regime of Idi Amin in the 1970s, the fairytale turned into a nightmare, and decades later, the region is still recovering from the aftermath of war and the devastation of HIV/AIDS.
Christian Union Prayerfully Welcomes New Students
Through hard work, perseverance, prayer, and the grace of God, Christian Union’s faculty members and student leaders at Dartmouth rejoiced after a successful Freshman Welcoming Campaign.
Ministry Fellow Noah Crane was encouraged by the number of first-year students who wanted to be involved. “We’ve seen a strong response from the freshman class and have already seen many people connect with our ministry and with our returning students,” Crane said.
Ministry Fellows, Student Leaders Host Welcoming Campaign
In August, Christian Union at Cornell hosted its annual pre-retreat, a strategic event for students and ministry fellows in preparation of its three-week Freshman Welcoming Campaign at the beginning of the academic year.
At the retreat, students were reminded of the importance of being centered on the Gospel as the motive for all that they do. Ministry Fellow Jordan Cooper spoke on Romans 1:16, emphasizing that Jesus ought to have the highest priority in our lives. Ministry Fellow Liz Thomforde echoed the sentiment, and reiterated the importance of being mindful that Christ’s sacrifice is why we serve in our different roles within the ministry. Through prayer, worship, devotionals, large group discussions, and conversations around the campfire, the focus was on Jesus Christ, and how He is the ultimate reason for reaching out to freshmen and welcoming them to Cornell.
Tehn-Addy ’21 Interns with NYC Department of Health
A Columbia University junior is jumpstarting a career focused on delivering medical services to disadvantaged patients.
Anne-Marie Tehn-Addy ’21 spent the summer interning for New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she worked with the Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Unit. As part of her role, Tehn-Addy helped immigrant mothers manage and prevent the spread of the potentially life-threatening infection.
Christian Union Celebrates Five Years at Brown
At the Christian Union Staff Conference this summer, the organization celebrated a major milestone—five years of ministry at Brown University.
A few weeks later, Ministry Director Matt Woodard and Ministry Fellows Laurel Copp and Ben Pascut began earnestly to prepare for year six and the annual Freshmen Welcoming Campaign.
Richmond ’18 Is a 1L at Harvard Law School
A Harvard College and Christian Union alumna plans to integrate her passions for faith and justice by pursuing a career in law. In August, Molly Richmond ’18 entered Harvard Law School with a sense of a calling to become a public interest lawyer.
But first, Richmond paused to share her heart for justice by serving as a keynote speaker for the Christian youth conference she co-founded in 2013. In June, Richmond explained a biblical view of justice during The Micah Conference, an annual student-led event affiliated with her high school, Boston Trinity Academy.
![For the last two years, Isaiah Drummond has served as the vice president of Caritas, Christian Union’s ministry to students at Stanford University. Drummond, a mechanical engineering major, helped build the ministry, along with other students when it launched in the fall of 2016. Now a senior, the Houston, Texas, native is still a key member of Caritas, but also has a heart and vision to serve the entire student body. Last spring, he was elected as Executive Vice President of Associated Students of Stanford University. Drummond and President Erica Scott ’20 oversee a team of cabinet members who are responsible for specific initiatives, and provide leadership to the student senate. Cabinet member Remy Gordon ’20, the Executive Chief of Staff, is also one of Caritas’ core students. Drummond said being exposed to a wide array of aspects of student life—from his role with Caritas and civil service organizations to exploring various majors to living in several dorms—gave him an overview of the concerns at Stanford and a burden to help solve them. More importantly, his time as a residence advisor opened his eyes to issues surrounding mental health on campus. “This campus is yearning for change; you can hear the groans for improvement scattered across every part of the student population, both undergraduate and graduate,” Drummond said. “We have had to cope with tragic student loss in the past year, and I know the main thing on all our minds is mental health and well-being. I feel confident that the president and I have compiled an extraordinary executive cabinet with subject matter experts on topics ranging from academic freedom and political engagement to affordability.” Garrett Brown, Christian Union’s ministry director at Stanford, said Drummond has a great combination of intelligence and graciousness and his character and enthusiasm make him a well-respected leader. He also embodies the vision of Christian Union, which, by God’s grace, seeks a spiritually vibrant nation marked by Christian values permeating every corner of society. “Both in and out of Caritas, his peers follow his lead because they recognize authenticity,” Brown said. “From the beginning, Isaiah was a gatherer, an encourager, and clearly a leader.” Likewise, Drummond is thankful for the leadership development training and teaching he has received through Caritas with various Bible courses, conferences, and one-on-one mentoring. “The [Christian Union faculty] has helped me mature as a Christian and improve my skills in apologetics, outreach, prayer, and spiritual leadership,” he said. “Christian Union provides me with ample opportunities to grow as a leader and a follower of Christ, and I am forever grateful that I have been able to be a part of this organization throughout my entire college career.” More specifically, Drummond credits Christian Union with giving him confidence to exercise his responsibilities in the student government, where he regularly meets with senior-level leadership on behalf of the student body, delegates responsibility to the executive cabinet, and interacts with students across all segments of campus. “Christian Union has played a tremendous role in helping me successfully complete these tasks and has been instrumental in providing me with the skills necessary to thrive as a student body leader,” he said. Drummond, who is also pursuing a minor in Spanish, is seeking to be a voice and role model to his peers. “This position grants me access to senior-level leadership, and I believe it is my duty to speak up for the voiceless and advocate for those oft forgotten when I step into these spaces. While I want to be a champion for the student body in these meetings, I believe it is equally as important to serve as a role model in my public-facing role. I want to ensure that in everything I do, I am a positive example of Christian leadership on this campus.” In addition to student government, Drummond has also been active in the Stanford Gospel Choir, Veritas Forum, and the Stanford Society of Black Scientists and Engineers. This year with Caritas he is the ministry’s Assistant Seeking God Director and Senior Men’s Assistant Bible Course Leader. Drummond is thankful for being part of a fledgling ministry as a freshman and credits Caritas with helping him mature spiritually. “Throughout our entire academic careers, we have invested thousands of hours into learning more about the world around us and pushing the limits of human understanding,” he said. “Yet, all too regularly, we fail to spend sufficient time growing spiritually.” “I have never felt so spiritually filled and intellectually engaged with the Word as when I am engaging in debate and dialogue during our weekly Bible courses. Whether I was studying the Gospel of Mark, reading through Philippians, or diving into Romans, I have thoroughly enjoyed being challenged to align my life around God’s instructions.” This fall, the Caritas team is reaching out to freshmen with a variety of initiatives and outreaches, such as “Waffles at Wilbur (Hall)” and weekly frosh dinners. The first Venture, the ministry’s Leadership Lecture Series, focused on Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and Christian community. Drummond is one of many key leaders who are helping first-year students and upperclassmen engage with opportunities to hear the Gospel and grow deeper in their faith. “Christian Union has continually challenged me to actively and unashamedly seek to fulfill the tenets of the Great Commission,” he said. “Going into my fourth year, I am able to see clearly the truth in Jesus’ words when He told His disciples that, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” (Matt 9:37 NIV) “Stanford is replete with believers, both those deeply involved in ministries across campus and those who are not. However, I now believe more than ever that we must not timidly sit aside while our peers are crying out for a panacea that can solve their problems.”](/images/content/photos/magazine/2019-Fall/ServingMagSmall.jpg)
Drummond ’20 Is Executive Vice President at Stanford
by tom campisi, managing editor
For the last two years, Isaiah Drummond has served as the vice president of Caritas, Christian Union’s ministry to students at Stanford University. Drummond, a mechanical engineering major, helped build the ministry, along with other students when it launched in the fall of 2016.
The Gift of Prophecy
By Matt Bennett, CU Founder and CEO
Harriet, a movie about the life of the famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman, was recently released in theaters, giving many a chance to know this remarkable woman for the first time. The movie highlights not only her sacrificial heroism and her Christian faith, but her dependence on God for the supernatural, helping her to evade capture and lead slaves to freedom. Many times in her life, God gave her supernatural, or prophetic revelation, to guide her to her destination.
Q and A with Ken Fish
Ken Fish, Princeton ’82, is the founder of Kingdom Fire Ministries. He is the featured speaker at Christian Union’s Gospel of the Kingdom Conferences, which are hosted biannually in New York City. The conferences are known for focusing on physical and emotional healing, deliverance, and prophesy, and other supernatural aspects of ministry.
Faith and Finance
Parker (Henritze) Morse '09 S'10 is vice president of the Sycamore Partners investment team. Sycamore Partners is a private equity firm based in New York specializing in consumer and retail investments. Parker has been involved in several consumer retail transactions including the take-private acquisition of The Jones Group Inc. in the Spring of 2014. The firm has more than $3.5 billion in capital under management.Parker sat down with Christian Union to share her story, and she reflects on Christian engagement and leadership in industries such as finance.
Christian Union Fall Conference Energizes Yale Students
Students involved with Christian Union’s ministry at Yale College displayed a penchant for prayer and a sensitivity to promptings of the Holy Spirit in the fall semester.
“There is a corporate sense of expectation for God to move in more profound ways,” said Clay Cromer, ministry director of Christian Union Lux.
By Dr. Craig S. Keener
Some kinds of church bodies accept only particular kinds of gifts, hence they amputate certain kinds of members. Other kinds of churches pile together the amputated members and celebrate that they are an ideal body. Yet ideally, a body that is whole welcomes all its members.
Some value teaching but disregard prophecy (1 Thess 5:20); some exalt tongues but resent teaching; and so forth. We need to appreciate all the gifts. By definition, gifts given by God’s grace are good. We just need to make sure that we use them in the right ways!
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
— 2 Corinthians 4:8-10
It is hard to believe how much of this semester has gone by already. We have had a very productive year so far, as our new ministry team has settled into their positions. Bible courses are going very well, and we have had far more freshmen men involved this year than in previous classes, which has been an immense blessing for our ministry. As students get busier leading up to finals, we pray that they would stay focused and continue to be involved in Bible courses even as it becomes more difficult with time constraints.
