September 27, 2018
Friends,
The fall semester has begun here at Brown University and we’re well into our Freshman Welcoming Campaign (our effort to love, serve and welcome freshmen into our community during the first four weeks of the semester). It’s been a flurry of events, conversations and the beginning of our normal rhythms of ministry. There’s so much I could share, but I wanted to briefly share one story.
The fall semester has begun here at Brown University and we’re well into our Freshman Welcoming Campaign (our effort to love, serve and welcome freshmen into our community during the first four weeks of the semester). It’s been a flurry of events, conversations and the beginning of our normal rhythms of ministry. There’s so much I could share, but I wanted to briefly share one story.
September 27, 2018
Greetings!
Christian Union at Columbia has continued to experience God’s goodness this semester. We just finished a successful freshmen welcoming campaign, having reached all our goals for freshmen signups. Our desire is to integrate this freshmen class with the rest of the ministry, forming a loving community of believers on Columbia’s campus. One of the ways we intend on building community is through our upcoming fall conference at Spruce Lake. Fall conference is a great opportunity for students to build relationships with each other through various activities and spiritually refresh themselves before the semester gets crazy. Our staff has decided to teach through the book of Ruth during our time there.
Christian Union at Columbia has continued to experience God’s goodness this semester. We just finished a successful freshmen welcoming campaign, having reached all our goals for freshmen signups. Our desire is to integrate this freshmen class with the rest of the ministry, forming a loving community of believers on Columbia’s campus. One of the ways we intend on building community is through our upcoming fall conference at Spruce Lake. Fall conference is a great opportunity for students to build relationships with each other through various activities and spiritually refresh themselves before the semester gets crazy. Our staff has decided to teach through the book of Ruth during our time there.
September 27, 2018
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Before giving a few updates about what God has been doing here at Cornell, I wanted to just give a brief introduction to myself. My name is Jordan Cooper. I served in pastoral ministry for about six years in the Midwest before receiving God’s call to serve the students here in Ithaca, NY. These past few weeks since I moved in, have been a whirlwind, but I am very excited to be part of God’s work through Christian Union, and specifically here at Cornell.
Before giving a few updates about what God has been doing here at Cornell, I wanted to just give a brief introduction to myself. My name is Jordan Cooper. I served in pastoral ministry for about six years in the Midwest before receiving God’s call to serve the students here in Ithaca, NY. These past few weeks since I moved in, have been a whirlwind, but I am very excited to be part of God’s work through Christian Union, and specifically here at Cornell.
September 27, 2018
Hello from Dartmouth,
Thank you for your prayers for our Freshmen Welcoming Campaign. The Lord has answered them in so many ways! It’s been a wonderfully full few weeks.
September 27, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am writing to you today in the midst of our Freshman Campaign which we have been undertaking for just under two weeks. In this letter, I want to update you on our Pre-Retreat and Freshman Campaign and then share several specific prayer requests with you.
I am writing to you today in the midst of our Freshman Campaign which we have been undertaking for just under two weeks. In this letter, I want to update you on our Pre-Retreat and Freshman Campaign and then share several specific prayer requests with you.
September 27, 2018
Dear Friends and Partners of Christian Union at Penn,
The weather is starting to cool down and a new season is imminent in Philadelphia. For all of us that means finishing our Freshmen Campaign and starting our Bible Courses. This semester we are studying Hebrews, one of the more mysterious books in the Bible. But for all of its seemingly weird Old Testament references and complex logic, Hebrews is ultimately about a very simple theme: what it means to be human in the world that God created and is now redeeming from the curse of sin and death through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
The weather is starting to cool down and a new season is imminent in Philadelphia. For all of us that means finishing our Freshmen Campaign and starting our Bible Courses. This semester we are studying Hebrews, one of the more mysterious books in the Bible. But for all of its seemingly weird Old Testament references and complex logic, Hebrews is ultimately about a very simple theme: what it means to be human in the world that God created and is now redeeming from the curse of sin and death through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
September 27, 2018
Dear Prayer Partners,
We’re in the 4th full week of the semester — classes are in full swing, fall weather is here, and the students are feeling quite harried with all the demands on them! Thank you for each of your remembrances and prayers for us and the ministry here at Yale and thank you for lifting up our students. Someday we’ll all have a better view into how much Christ has truly been holding all things together!
We’re in the 4th full week of the semester — classes are in full swing, fall weather is here, and the students are feeling quite harried with all the demands on them! Thank you for each of your remembrances and prayers for us and the ministry here at Yale and thank you for lifting up our students. Someday we’ll all have a better view into how much Christ has truly been holding all things together!
September 27, 2018
For the past few days ten of us have been participating in a conference on global affairs – geopolitical and economic trends and what they mean. Topics range from China’s Grand Strategy to Cyber Security to the Fintech Revolution - and the people gathered for the conference have been equally fascinating as they range from business and financial executives to academics to government policy makers around the world.
September 27, 2018
Q and A with George Otis
The Christian Union Cities Conference in New York this summer, George Otis, Jr. spoke about the great awakenings in the United States and the ensuing socio-economical impact that followed in various cities and communities that were “overwhelmed by the grace and presence of God.” Christian Union: The Magazine recently interviewed him regarding the role of individual and corporate prayer in these outpourings.Otis is the founder and president of the Sentinel Group, a U.S.-based Christian research, media, and training agency “dedicated to helping revival-hungry communities discover the pathway to societal transformation.”
Best known as the producer of the award-winning Transformations documentaries − a series that has been viewed by an estimated 250 million people in 175 nations − Otis has also authored six books and is a frequent speaker at international conferences and symposia.
September 27, 2018
Hello from Palo Alto!
Today is a big day for students at Stanford, especially for our new freshmen. As I write this, today (Monday) is the first day of the fall quarter. I think about these students stepping into a classroom for the first time, a launch of a four-year journey that started years prior for most of them as they strove hard to enter their top choice schools. As we have prayed and prepared to meet these new students, I also think of the spiritual opportunities ahead of them. For some, unfortunately, their faith will be shaken and they will exit Stanford not walking with Jesus and out of fellowship with His Church. But for some (and we pray for many!) this will be the season they will look back on the rest of their lives and say, “This is where God met me.”
Today is a big day for students at Stanford, especially for our new freshmen. As I write this, today (Monday) is the first day of the fall quarter. I think about these students stepping into a classroom for the first time, a launch of a four-year journey that started years prior for most of them as they strove hard to enter their top choice schools. As we have prayed and prepared to meet these new students, I also think of the spiritual opportunities ahead of them. For some, unfortunately, their faith will be shaken and they will exit Stanford not walking with Jesus and out of fellowship with His Church. But for some (and we pray for many!) this will be the season they will look back on the rest of their lives and say, “This is where God met me.”
September 26, 2018
Christ, Culture and Clapham: A Discussion of Cobelligerency and Creativity to Seek the Common Good
On September 25, 2018, Christian Union hosted its first DC salon, an evening with Mark Rodgers on the theory of social change pursued by William Wilberforce and Hannah More in their efforts to "reform the manners" of late eighteenth-century England.
Rodgers is Principal of a company known as the The Clapham Group, which is inspired by the original Clapham Sect, a group made up of Wilberforce, More and like-minded friends. Rodgers discussed how the approach of the original Clapham Sect impacts his work today, and how we ought to engage society should we wish to achieve similar results.
September 26, 2018
Leadership Lecture Series Exhorts Students to Go Deeper
by tom campisi, managing editor
In the spring semester, a group of students with Christian Union at Brown were hungry to learn more about fasting.
Justin Doyle, a Christian Union ministry fellow, responded with a message at the ministry’s weekly Anchor leadership lecture series on April 12. Doyle inspired them to fast and pray and go deeper in their relationships with God. The students were interested in fasting in preparation for a National Day of Prayer event on May 2.
“I was excited to hear that students were eager to learn more about this spiritual discipline and put it into practice,” Doyle said.
After the lecture at Anchor, the ministry fellow also wrote a related blog post, “Fasting Is Feasting,” to encourage students to follow through.
“Fasting is a powerful spiritual discipline designed to help us draw near to the Lord,” Doyle wrote. “Depriving our bodies of food for a period of time has a way of revealing the idols of our hearts, those things that control our loves and desires—money, power, status, sex, image, etc.—and pull us away from our Creator.”
September 25, 2018
Naruke ’20 Enjoys Serving on and off Campus
by catherine elvy, staff writer
A Dartmouth College undergraduate is eagerly answering a calling to promote prayer among students and help them connect with vibrant Christians.
Naruke ’20 serves as the property manager for the Dartmouth community’s prayer facility, student intern for a thriving local church, and community team leader for Christian Union at Dartmouth. The South Carolina native skillfully juggles those responsibilities despite formidable academic, extracurricular, and work obligations.Boosting the spiritual commitment of collegiate peers is a top priority for Naruke. As a pleasant contrast to Dartmouth’s secular atmosphere, the “Christian community is all the more strong,” she said.
Naruke often witnesses dynamic levels of spiritual engagement among students through her role tending to The Prayer Room, an ecumenical hub in downtown Hanover.
September 24, 2018
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
-Psalm 139:23-24
I am convinced that one of the primary reasons many of us struggle to draw near to God in an earnest, deeper way is because we know that such a pursuit may initially involve a painful, even excruciating encounter. What misbehaving child seeks out the offended authority figure? How many of us avoid prescribed medical exams and precautionary procedures not only because of the dread of discomfort or humiliation, but also for fear of what the good doctor may find?
September 12, 2018
Resources for Cultural Revolution; John Onwuchekwa on Corporate Prayer; Get Alone, Get Away, and Get Messy with God; Indelible Imprints; How to Navigate Conversations About Sexual Identity; Officials destroying crosses, burning Bibles in China and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.
If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.
— Proverbs 18:13
September 10, 2018
by Julia Carlisle
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. - Mark 1:35
We’re all busy people with days filled with places to go and people to see. Taking time to get away with God to pray likely gets pushed to the bottom of the schedule for the day. We see in the Gospels that Jesus was a very busy man with a full and demanding schedule. Yet, this did not stop him from praying, for though He was the God of the Universe, He still required prayer to be in relationship with the Father. We find Him praying in every step of His ministry, from His baptism through His death. If we are struggling with knowing how to cultivate a consistent life of prayer, we need only look at Jesus who is the best demonstration of how we are to pursue a life of intimate prayer with the Father.
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. - Mark 1:35
We’re all busy people with days filled with places to go and people to see. Taking time to get away with God to pray likely gets pushed to the bottom of the schedule for the day. We see in the Gospels that Jesus was a very busy man with a full and demanding schedule. Yet, this did not stop him from praying, for though He was the God of the Universe, He still required prayer to be in relationship with the Father. We find Him praying in every step of His ministry, from His baptism through His death. If we are struggling with knowing how to cultivate a consistent life of prayer, we need only look at Jesus who is the best demonstration of how we are to pursue a life of intimate prayer with the Father.
September 2, 2018
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Christian Unity for Cultural Transformation"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many."
1 Corinthians 12:12-14 (ESV)
One of the most common metaphors for the Church in the New Testament is the human body, because it mirrors key characteristics of the Church. Like a human body, the Church—that is, all Christians in the world—are unified into one corpus, and also like the human body, has members that look different and fulfill different functions. Additionally, just as a human body has a head which directs everything in the body, so the Church has Jesus Christ who is the head of the Church.
September 1, 2018
Saturday, September 1, 2018
To God Be Glory in the ChurchTo me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. … Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:8-10, 20-21 (ESV)
Of all the areas of society that we have fasted and prayed for these 21 days, the Church is the one that seems the weakest. In the world’s eyes, the church has the smallest influence on national affairs and holds the least amount of sway over the direction of our country. But that’s not so in God’s eyes.
God is unveiling an eternal, global plan with His Christ and the Church at the center. The Church will have a far greater impact on the world than merely affecting the culture of nations. Jesus is building the Church to confound the spiritual, invisible powers of evil behind our world’s systems.
August 31, 2018
Friday, August 31, 2018
Giving God Our Best"And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her. And she said to the king, "The report was true that I heard. ... Blessed be the Lord your God."
2 Chronicles 9:3-5, 8 (ESV)
The queen of Sheba had heard of the fame and wisdom of Solomon and she thought, “I have to see it for myself.” The Bible records her visit in this wonderful passage, giving us insight into the nature of excellence and wisdom.
August 30, 2018
The Great Awakening of 1727; The FAQs: What Christians Should Know About Social Justice; The Peculiar Shape of Christian Identity; Welcoming Freshmen Well; Let's Talk About the Decline of Conversation in the Church; Fear Not and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite."
— Isaiah 57:15
