Christian Union at Brown Hosts Block Party
BY TOM CAMPISI, MANAGING EDITOR
Strategic planning, prayer, and a huge order of Chipotle helped Christian Union at Brown pull off one of its most successful outreaches to date.
On Friday, September 7, the leadership development ministry hosted approximately 80 freshmen for a block party at the Judson Center. At the beginning of the semester, student leaders and Christian Union ministry fellows coordinated a wide range of freshmen welcoming events to let new students know about a vibrant Christian community on campus and its Bible courses, lecture series, and conferences.
Meese, Yale '53, Remains Passionate About Religious Freedom
BY CATHERINE ELVY, STAFF WRITER
Ed Meese, the U.S. Attorney General during the Reagan administration and a Yale alumnus of 1953, paused to reflect on the godly legacy of the United States – and warn of its ever-expanding secular drift – during an appearance at Christian Union’s Staff and Faculty Conference this summer.
“We are in a time of great peril, both governmentally and culturally,” said Meese. “It’s very important that we recognize where the country is today.”
Christian Union New York Hosts Welcoming Events
BY CATHERINE ELVY, STAFF WRITER
Christian Union New York extended a heartfelt welcome to recent graduates as they began new vocations and ventures in the city.
In late September, some alumni of Christian Union’s ministries at top universities and other young professionals boarded a yacht for a two-hour excursion in New York Harbor against the stunning backdrop of Manhattan’s illuminated skyline.
In addition to building connections with fellow believers, the young adults heard about Christian Union New York’s slate of leadership development opportunities and other resources to assist with adjustment to life in the world’s financial and cultural hub.
CU Ministry Mentors Basketball, Football Players
BY CATHERINE ELVY, STAFF WRITER
As a former basketball coach, Christian Union’s interim ministry director at Princeton University knows the extraordinary influence and reach of athletes upon their teammates and classmates.
As such, James Fields was pleased to see 10 players from the men’s basketball team at the ministry’s open house at the Campus Club early in the fall semester. The appearance was especially welcome as Princeton dominated the Ivy League during 2016-17 by going undefeated in conference play and captured the inaugural conference tournament. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame, 60-58.
“These guys have a lot of social capital. They just came off a phenomenal year. They are the ones who are on the front lines and leading our athletic community,” said Fields. “In the midst of their success, they are still looking for Jesus. That’s really exciting.
Student's Faith Invigorated by Christian Union Holy Land Tour
BY FRANCINE BARCHETT, CORNELL '20
Next to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and writing a book, visiting Israel was at the top of my bucket list. Because my grandparents had an unforgettable experience, they would often tell me, “Francine, if you ever get a chance to go to Israel, by golly go!” Like King Arthur questing for the Holy Grail, like an intrepid explorer journeying to his ancestors’ homeland, this would be my once-in-a-lifetime, spiritually awakening, Christian pilgrimage. Little did I know this trip, which I imagined occurring decades in the future, would happen this past summer, following my freshman year at Cornell!
In June, I joined 83 students and four Christian Union ministry fellows for the Passages: Experience Israel trip. We drew on the nation’s biblical foundation and modern development. We traveled far and wide, from Christ’s ministry headquarters in Capernaum to the Dead Sea, sampling rich Middle Eastern foods, wandering traditional marketplaces, and hearing guest speakers from around the country. While what I learned those 10 days could easily fill a novel, I thought of five main takeaways:
Christian Union Welcomes Class of 2021
BY CATHERINE ELVY, STAFF WRITER
Students involved with Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard College eagerly welcomed members of the class of 2021 as they descended upon Cambridge.
During late August and early September, ministry fellows and returning students hosted a series of events to greet freshmen, including a pizza party, waterfront picnic, and ice cream social.
“The upperclassmen and ministry fellows are hungry for a harvest,” said Tyler Parker, a Christian Union intern and Harvard alumnus of 2017. “We are motivated in our mission.”
Christian Union Hosts Forum with Ravi Zacharias, Abdu Murray at Yale
by Kayla Bartsch, Yale ’20
Why does the truth matter?
This was the question posed by renowned apologists, authors, and scholars Abdu Murray and Ravi Zacharias to skeptics and believers alike at Yale University on the evening of October 10th. In the woody, warm sanctuary of Battell Chapel, a full house of 650 Yale students, local community members, and travelers from across the region congregated to hear Murray and Zacharias discuss “The Quest for Meaning in a Post-Truth Culture.” The Yale University Open Forum was made possible through the sponsorship of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and Christian Union at Yale.
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I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
— Psalm 9:1
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
— Philippians 1:3-6
We are over halfway through the term and have been enjoying a beautiful, mild fall in Hanover. Bible courses have been going very well and the new freshmen (‘21s) are quickly getting plugged into the community. Many have already joined a ministry team and are weekly showing up to our Friday Leadership Lecture Series (The Vine).
It has been a great start to the school year at Penn. Thank you for your continued prayers for this ministry as we continue to proclaim the Gospel and develop our students to transform the culture of Penn for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Friends,
I pray this email finds you well. The Lord continues to show himself faithful to us here at Brown University, where our ministry has begun its fourth year on campus. For the first time ever, we have a graduating class, which means there are, also for the first time, four classes of students – freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors; four classes of Brown students that we have the incredible privilege of walking alongside as we all follow after Jesus. Praise the Lord for his goodness!
Greetings,
Christian Union at Columbia continues to experience God’s grace as we minister to the students on campus. We recently wrapped up a successful Freshman Campaign, in which we attained all our goals for the new freshman class. These students are enthusiastic new members of our family here at Columbia. We also had an impactful Fall Conference. For the conference, the staff chose to focus on the topic of wisdom, giving a series of talks from the book of Proverbs. Feedback from those in attendance was that it was one of our best Fall conferences yet. The students loved the talks we gave, and we were privileged to see one Freshman give her life to Christ during student prayer after one of the main sessions. We were also told that the conference was successful at causing friendships to form among students who usually don’t have much interaction with each other.
Dear friends and family of HCFA,
First, my name is Tyler Parker and I'm the Harvard College Faith & Action (HCFA) intern for this year! Some of you may know that Anne Kerhoulas usually writes these messages, but this month, we're trying out a little bit of a fresh perspective on things. As an HCFA alum, I'm truly honored and excited to be serving the organization that transformed my college experience and gave me my first true experience of spiritual family. With that said, here is the update for the month of October:
As I write this email, it finally feels like Autumn in Princeton. We are enjoying the cool mornings, warm afternoons and the start of fall foliage. It’s a beautiful time of the year. We are so thankful for your faithful prayers, support, and encouragement as we adjust to the rhythms of the new academic year. We are off to a good start and I’m happy to share with you the following highlights and updates from the past month.
We have arrived at the middle of the fall quarter for Stanford, and it has been an incredible first several weeks! Our Freshman Welcome fall kickoff resulted in connecting with a great group of freshman men and women who are exploring God and growing in their faith through the ministries of Christian Union Caritas -- Christian Union's ministry to students at Stanford.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We could not do what we do without you lifting us up in prayer. Thank you for your prayers, please keep them coming!
As always, thank you for your partnership in the gospel ministry at Harvard Law School (HLS). Your support continues to encourage us and our students as we press on to see the gospel advance throughout the HLS campus and beyond.
As I write to you, we are more than halfway through the fall semester. Our Bible Courses and mentor meetings continue to bear fruit each week as the word of Christ dwells more and more richly in our students. We are always looking for ways to bring specific encouragement to our students as they begin to think about integrating the Christian faith and the law, so we have started a series called “FAITH in Practice” that brings in lawyers to share how they have practiced law in a way that pleases the Lord. Also, we are planning another series called “FAITH Talks” that will address the core doctrines of the faith in ways that will help our students apply the biblical worldview to their studies and work.
