Freshman Welcoming Campaign Attracts a Crowd
by tom campisi, managing editor
At the start of the fall semester, Christian Union at Brown’s faculty wanted to extend its Freshman Welcoming Campaign beyond students who would typically attend a Bible course or leadership lecture series.
To reach a “festive” demographic late on a Friday night, Ministry Fellows Justin Doyle and Laurel Copp, Intern Gianna Uson, and student leaders brought grills and burgers to Wayland Arch, which is located between Frat Row and a freshman dorm quad. Christian Union at Brown set up camp in the midst of partying students, handing out about 150 sliders and bottles of water.
Salon with Justin Whitmel Earley
By Matt Allen
Christian Union New York was delighted to host Justin Whitmel Earley on November 13, 2018, for the first of two salons that he is leading this month. Salons can typically accomodate up to 20 participants. This event was hugely popular, with twenty-five in attendance and many more on the waitlist. Graduate students and professionals gathered to learn about the topic, "Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction."
“I became involved with Christian Union during the fall semester of my freshman year. The ministry did an incredible job of reaching out to new students, which was especially meaningful because it took me awhile to feel comfortable on campus, away from my family. I quickly signed up for a Bible course and began meeting weekly with the Ministry Director and fellow freshmen. I made this decision within a few weeks of studying at Princeton; it was one of the best choices I made during my time there.”
-- Hundley Poulson, Princeton ’19
Course Highlights
You can provide the Christian instruction, spiritual development, and leadership training missing from the top universities shaping the nation’s future leaders. At these leading institutions, many students have not read a Bible or heard the Gospel, much less what it means to devote their lives to seeking and serving God. Bible courses are one of the most vital elements of Christian Union’s core program that develops Christian leaders at intellectually rigorous, most influential universities.
Bible course curriculum spans four years and consists primarily of a 10-lesson course each semester/quarter. A course is comprised of 8-10 students of the same sex and class year, meeting for 1.5 hours, with weekly homework. In describing their experience students have shared: “I have waited my whole life for a Bible study like this.” And, “Before attending Christian Union’s Bible courses, I had never encountered the Scriptures in a rigorous, academic way...Now every page is relevant and instructional.” And, “Christian Union Bible courses have given me a deeper understanding of the Gospel and how to live it out.”
Course titles include: 1 John, 2 Timothy, Acts, Colossians, Hebrews, Mark, Philippians, Romans, Seeking God Lifestyle, Sex and Spirituality, Vocational Integration & Financial Stewardship, and more.
Currently, 95 percent of Christian Union faculty has seminary or other graduate degrees; many blend professional and ministry experience which provides students with the high-quality teaching and life experience of adults they can emulate. Faculty lead weekly Bible courses and mentor students toward spiritual and leadership growth. One ministry fellow said: “It is unspeakably rewarding to see students understand and grab hold of the Gospel, apply Scripture to their lives, and grow in their understanding of the story of redemption.”
Become a Bible Course Sponsor
Hundreds of students from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Harvard Law, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, and Yale were enrolled in semester-long Christian Union faculty-led Bible courses. Many students were surprised to find such rich, in-depth Christian curriculum available in such highly secular academic environments.
Over the next several years, thousands more will enter this journey through Christian Union. Together with your support, we can continue and expand this transformative work at these universities, and ensure that every single Bible course is connected to a faithful Christian Union supporter.
A gift of $5,400 underwrites a semester-long Christian Union faculty-led Bible course for 8-10 students, and offers a unique opportunity for sponsors to connect with these future leaders.
As a sponsor, you are invited to visit the course, either in person or via Skype, so that students can meet you and learn from your faith journey. In addition, your faculty member will send you a course update to share the impact of your investment.
If you need assistance, please call a donor representative at: 1-609-688-1700 option 2 or email: giving@christianunion.org.
Remember: gifting securities or real estate, life insurance policies, beneficiary designations of an IRA or other tax-deferred retirement account, and gifts by means of charitable trusts or gift annuities can maximize your giving and provide potential tax advantages for you and those you love.
Students Encounter The Prodigal God
by catherine elvy, staff writer
The parable of the Prodigal Son points to distinct forms of spiritual lostness, one marked by wanton sinfulness and another by self-righteousness, and reveals the lavish grace of God in redeeming them both.
These insights emerged when students involved with Christian Union’s ministry at the University of Pennsylvania spent a portion of their summer probing The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, by Tim Keller. In the 2008 book, Keller highlights how Christ provides the answer to lifestyles ensnared by immorality, as well as the hidden traps of hypocritical religiosity.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
— Isaiah 40:12
Not long ago, I was looking at some photographs by Tony Fouhse. He is an artist from Ottawa, Canada, and he had an exhibit at an Ottawa gallery depicting drug addicts in his native city. The pictures are striking. Matted hair, wrinkled and tired faces, torn clothing, and stories of pain and loss etched in the addicts’ countenances. And yet something is surprising in nearly all of the portraits: the eyes still gleam. There is still a glimmer of hope in these eyes that have, most assuredly, seen so much despair and brokenness.
“Whenever God is about to do something truly great, He first sets His people praying!” -- Matthew Henry, 1662-1714
For the 31 days of October, more than 4,000 Christians across America joined in a united effort to seek God in an extraordinary way, through prayer, Bible reading, repentance, listening to and obeying the Holy Spirit, evangelism, and a bold step of faith called “The Joshua Challenge.”
We’re well on our way into the fall semester here at Brown University. Lots of life and ministry have happened so far this semester – Bible courses, community gatherings, service opportunities with local non-profits, and so much more. One highlight from the past month was our annual Fall Retreat to Lakeside Christian Camp and Retreat Center in the beautiful Berkshires of Massachusetts, the weekend of October 5-7. This year’s theme was “Until We Find Our Rest in You,” a theme taken from St. Augustine that focused on exploring what it means to find rest in Jesus in the midst of the busyness of life. The retreat center was the perfect setting to slow down and consider the rest of Jesus in community. There was plenty of time for small-group discussion, apple picking, and even the occasional nap. In all, the short time away proved to be exceptionally restful, encouraging and helpful in solidifying our community as the year begins.
Christian Union at Columbia recently celebrated the grand opening of its ministry center. The opening of this center is the culmination of years of prayer, fasting, and giving. We have begun to use the center for ministry and the difference has been immediately felt. We are one block from campus, right between two fraternities. Our location puts us right where all the action is, and we have already begun to have conversations with curious students wondering who their new neighbors are.
October thus far has been a time of great growth and outreach for the students here at Cornell. Freshman campaign has ended, and the regular school year is in full swing. As things have begun to take on a normal schedule, students are regularly involved in Bible courses, daily prayer, and other events. Along with this, new relationships continue to be formed and grow within our community.
Happy fall from Dartmouth! Last night our student executive team put on a dinner for all our ministry and Bible course leaders to care for them, as well as to give them opportunity to voice how they would like to see CU grow at Dartmouth and to pray for their specific areas of leadership. Will you join us in praying for their following requests?
The annual CU New York Yacht Cruise late last month was spectacular – a cool vintage yacht, gorgeous weather, and a collection of sixty of the most fun people to hang out with. From recent grads to grizzled veterans of the Big Apple it was an afternoon of fun and fellowship, followed by an after-party at The Park.
I was looking back at an old prayer letter from June 2018. In that letter I asked that you would “…pray for fresh vision for this coming fall. Even now as we plan, we are trusting in God’s power to bring divine appointments, to scatter the seed of the Gospel and to see much fruit born.”
As I write to you today, there is a clear cool breeze in the air—a clear indication that Fall has finally arrived. Here in Princeton we are now well into the semester, with midterms right around the corner for our students. In the midst of the busyness here, God has been very faithful—he has helped get us off to a good start with a successful freshman campaign. In this letter, as usual, I wanted to update you on the freshman campaign as well as give you an update of some individual prayer requests that we have.
Thank you for continuing to remember us in prayer before the Lord Jesus Christ! I’m pleased to share that Fall Retreat (Oct 12-14) was the encouraging, faith-building experience that we had hoped it would be! We brought 28 students to the Incarnation Center to reconnect with God and with one another, and evangelist Chris White (Yale ’87) taught richly from God’s Word and his own life. Saturday night was particularly powerful as the Holy Spirit flooded the room during our time of worship, and God’s Spirit helped staff and students pray over and minister to one another. I had a strong impression right before the retreat that the young men and women in our ministry would begin to live more like “brothers and sisters” in Christ as a result of the weekend. Progress towards that end was evident in group times, play times, meal times, and we all agreed that God had graced us with much deeper sense of “openness” as guards had come down in response to His work in hearts.
For You are the LORD Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.
— Psalm 97:9
On Saturday, October 13, 2018, nearly 70 Christian Union leadership, faculty, financial partners, and friends marked a jubilant dedication of the new ministry center at Columbia University in Upper Manhattan. Festivities included a dedication ceremony, brunch, and tours of the new facility.
This joyful day was over five years in the making.
“You are what you love.” Or so claims Christian philosopher James K.A. Smith (in his book by that title).
I don’t mean you are the things that you love, but you are the sum of your loves—your actions of loving and desiring.
Tailored to Grad Students & Professionals
"Standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel." Philippians 1:27
Christian Union New York will be launching new community groups this fall. Community groups will meet together on weekends to study Scripture, serve the city of New York and encourage one another throughout the year.
To learn more, please email us at: CUNewYork@christianunion.org.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
— Peter 2:11-12
