Summer greetings! This July we have been reading and discussing (virtually!) Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic book on Christian community, Life Together. The Lord, through Bonhoeffer, has refreshed, humbled, and refocused us. Here is a taste of what we’ve been considering:
Greetings from Penn!
I’m thankful to say that I just returned from vacation where I was able to spend 10 days hiking 100 miles on the Appalachian Trail while seeking the Lord through the Psalms of Ascents. I found this time particularly refreshing, inspiring, and faith-building. The Lord graciously strengthened my “inner man” (Eph 3:16), and I am spurred on by what God has in store for the upcoming academic year as we diligently seek His face.
Thank you for your partnership by praying for the ministry of CU Lux throughout the summer months. The lives of our students continue to be enriched by our summer prayer meetings on Mondays and Fridays and our weekly intercampus prayer calls with students across different Ivy League universities. The student commitment to prayerful connection with God and each other is encouraging. An online prayer board was created to post prayer requests, intercede for others, and share answered prayers.
What a joy it is to partner with you in the gospel going forward through Christian Union NY! As the prayers of righteous men and women like you continue to uplift Christian Union NY, we are witnessing the power and effectiveness of your prayers, again and again, this year (James 5:16). In direct answer to your faithful prayers, we have seen leaders in NYC brimming with kingdom strategy, spreading the good news of Jesus through their communities!
We are anticipating significant expansion this year as Christian Union NY continues to develop and connect transformative Christian leaders in the nation’s most influential cities, right here in NYC. More, Lord Jesus, we pray!
- Pray for the kingdom to come on earth, right here in NYC, as it is in heaven!
- Pray for the 26 university alumni who are moving to NYC for a new season of life post-graduation. Pray that CU NY would be able to wrap around them to help them form a deep, lasting Christian community.
- Pray that 25 total people within NY will volunteer to host a CU Fire Retreat site for this upcoming October 14-15 retreat, bringing spiritual renewal throughout lives and communities in NYC.
- Pray that the Lord would provide for CU NY’s financial needs through faithful believers who support CU NY’s mission and return their blessings from the Lord to the work of God through CU NY!
May the Lord bless you and your family as you remain steadfast in him! Thank you for your faithful, seasoned prayers on behalf of Christian Union New York!
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
Roe was an "Indefensible Decision"
By Dr. Michael L. Brown
Despite being reinforced and even expanded by the Casey decision of 1992, Roe was a bad ruling by the Supreme Court that simply had to go. It had no legal ground on which to stand and no Constitutional logic behind it. That’s why few, if any, pundits are challenging Justice Alito’s legal reasoning in dismantling Roe. That’s also why late last year, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch openly targeted Roe in conjunction with the Court agreeing to hear the Dobbs case.
David French: Humility, Absence of Malice Are Paramount
The overturning of Roe v. Wade was momentous. But as David French argues in this article for The Atlantic, what happens next is just as important.
Christian Union Hosts Impactful Student Conference
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
At the conclusion of the academic year, Christian Union hosted Spiritus, a two-week-long, invitation-only conference that introduced students to Daniel Spirituality and inspired them to be transformative Christian leaders. Spiritus, held at the D.L. Moody Center in Northfield, Massachusetts, featured doctrinal teaching with an emphasis on prayer, fasting, and repentance.
The Power of Persevering Prayer
Friday, June 24, 2022, will go down in history as a momentous day—the day Roe v. Wade was overturned. Though much of America roils at the decision, for Christians, the ruling is not only a giant step toward saving the lives of thousands of children every year, it is an answer to decades of prayer for the Lord to intervene.
Recent Alumni - In Their Own Words
Editor’s Note: The following article contains first-person accounts from alumni who were actively involved in CU Lux, Christian Union’s ministry at Yale University.
Report Details ‘Pivotal Moment’ for Gen Z and Millennials
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
Editor's note: This Throwback Thursday article originally appeared in January of 2021.
With its report, The Great Opportunity: The American Church in 2050, the Pinetops Foundation examines the fruitfulness, or lack thereof, when it comes to the engagement of today’s teens and young adults. According to its 2018 report, approximately one million young people are leaving the church each year—but a “great opportunity” exists if we can reverse the current trends assigned to Generation Z and younger Millennials.
Christian Union Is Offering Hosting Opportunities
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
Christian Union will host its next CU Fire Retreat on October 14-15 in living rooms across America—it’s a small group experience designed for the rejuvenation and inspiration of Christians.
Reflections from a Christian Union Nova Leader
By Leah Smith, Princeton ’22
As a recent alumna of Princeton University, I have a lot to reflect on. These past four years have been quite a ride, and I can confidently say that my identity in God has been strengthened so much. Through seeking Him, I’ve gained a stronger sense of purpose and grown a softer and kinder heart in loving others. CU Nova was the one organization on campus that I considered my family, complete with close brothers and sisters in Christ, adult leaders who’ve acted as mothers, and father figures whose wisdom I could glean from. These are the people whose weddings I hope to be in and who I will be visiting with during the classic Princeton University Reunions.
Maturity in Christ Is Never Formulaic
The church exists to make disciples of all men and women, sending them out to love and transform the world as ambassadors of Christ. But how exactly do churches make disciples?
Cornell Veritas Forum Examines Timely Question
The past few years have demonstrated what happens when humans grow more deeply entrenched in religious, political, and social views while losing the ability to listen to opposing views with love. More and more, friends are ending relationships, families are split apart, and individuals are surrounding themselves exclusively with those who support their vision of truth and the good life. But is this cultural shift a positive one?
Rest, Solitude, and Holding Fast to God's Promises
By Anne Kerhoulas, STAFF WRITER
The semester winds down, celebrations, endings, farewells, and fatigue sweep us into the early summer days. June always felt like a surprise. The summer had arrived. But the flash flood of the semester left me cleaned out, leaves and branches in my hair, and trying to reorient myself to where I had landed.
CU Gloria Director: ‘We Want to See Christ Lifted High’
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
Christian Union Gloria and other ministries at Harvard Law School were recently featured on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). The report, seen on major television stations and online, highlighted a strong Christian presence there and a unified desire to see God move mightily.
This is a wonderful and sad time of year! We had the bittersweet privilege of saying goodbye to our seniors over commencement weekend, celebrating with their families, and wishing them well as they begin the next chapter of their lives. Over the course of four years, we are blessed to witness firsthand the growth and maturation of these young men and women. We see the Lord work in their lives and walk with them through the ups and downs of their college careers. It’s so rewarding and we’re so thankful that we have the opportunity to work with them, even if it’s just for a few all-too-brief years.
Greetings from Christian Union Lumine at Columbia!
This is a bittersweet time of year. I had the privilege of attending commencement and saying goodbye to many seniors and meeting family members for the first time because of the limits created by Covid-19 these past two years. There was a moment when my heart was filled with intense joy and gratefulness for all the Lord has done in the lives of these students. Many came to this campus with so many questions about faith and future. And Jesus lovingly met each of them in a personal way. Your support and prayers have made those moments possible.
This time of year is bittersweet. There is joy in seeing the class of 2022 graduate, excitement for what is in store for them, thankfulness for a rest from classes and work, and anticipation of both the summer term and the new academic year, but it is also difficult. Saying goodbye to students with whom I have spent several years is tough. In John 3:27, as John the Baptist’s followers are leaving to go to Jesus, he says, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” He is essentially telling people that the followers weren’t his and that they belong to Jesus. I tend to think of the students as MY students, MY friends, MY children, and in some sense that is true. The bigger truth, the better truth, is that they belong to God; they aren’t mine, they are His. My sincere hope is that this senior class will take all that they learned here at Dartmouth and use that training to glorify God and bless whatever new community in which they find themselves.
Dear CU Gloria Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
God only knows how many people descended onto Harvard’s aged campus last week as the Classes of 2022, 2021 and 2020 were honored for their achievements. We thank God for the graduates who have aligned themselves with the original founders' intentions “for the glory of Christ.” Please join us in praying a blessing on these dear friends as they transition to the next chapter in their lives.
