Dear CU Vita Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
I have loved sharing monthly updates with you this year about Christian Union Vita at Cornell. And I would love your help to end 2024 strong!
Cornell University needs healthy Christian ministries, now more than ever, to provide for the needs of its students who are seeking to know or grow in Christ. In the last year, we've seen many lives transformed by God's grace and power.
I have loved sharing monthly updates with you this year about Christian Union Gloria Law at Harvard. And I would love your help to end 2024 strong!
Harvard Law School needs healthy Christian ministries, now more than ever, to provide for the needs of its students who are seeking to know or grow in Christ. In the last year, we've seen many lives transformed by God's grace and power.
One Student Ministry's Unstoppable Heart to See God Transform Lives
by Erin conner, writer & communications associate
It's not easy or convenient to plan a weekend away. It is much easier to choose not to disrupt the pattern of life and to stay within the confines of routine. Disruption is not easy for anyone, but it is especially difficult for Ivy League students. Their rigorous academic schedules are full of the demands and pressures of achievement at the highest level, so stepping away from it all during the school year is nothing short of revolutionary.
Stepping away to retreat with the Lord and with each other is a beautiful gateway into the freedom Christ came to give--freedom, in part, from the weight of the standards, values, and identity placed upon us by the world. The students of Christian Union are learning to live in this kind of freedom, and, as a result, they are sharing it with others.
“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” -1 John 2:3-6 (NIV)
After a student joins Christian Union Vox, the real work begins. We are not here just to put names on a list, but instead to disciple Christians to live like Jesus lived and do what Jesus did. John is clear: if we want to call ourselves Christians, we need to both know how Jesus lived and then live that way ourselves. There is no shortcut past obedience.
God is on the move! After a very eventful and successful Freshmen Welcoming Campaign, our students have settled into their Bible courses, studying the Gospel of Mark. Our ministry fellows are seeing our students engage with the Scripture, spurring one another on to seek the Lord. Even throughout October, newcomers have inquired about how to get involved in our Bible courses. One sophomore student, an atheist, has been coming regularly to our weekly Leadership Lecture Series, since most of his friends are a part of CU Nova. This year, he has finally requested to join in with one of our Sophomore Bible courses! He spoke to a ministry fellow recently, saying, “I think I’ve investigated faith from every angle I need to. All that’s left for me is to experience it….I’m open to change.” Please pray for his salvation!
Christian Union at Harvard is in the final month of the fall semester, and we have finally hit a rhythm. Even in my short time here, I can attest to the extra difficulty of finding a pace of life in the first semester of the academic year. Fall brings with it much energy, but much chaos. We, on faculty, as well as our students, are grateful to have slowed down–even if we only have a few weeks remaining.
Dear CU Vita Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Greetings from Ithaca! God continues to move and do mighty things here on the campus of Cornell. Even as students face growing challenges and struggles, the Lord shows His mighty hand in ways both large and small, demonstrating His care and provision towards these precious students.
2018 Christian Union National Fast Devotional
By Fady Ghobrial, Ministry Fellow for Christian Union Gloria at Harvard
"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.
How to Join a Movement to Transform Culture for Christ in America
By erin conner, writer and communications associate
Christian Union Universities (CUU) is developing leaders with spiritual depth at strategic places for cultural engagement to change the world. CUU serves students at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Harvard Law, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale. You can join this movement to equip our nation's students at these highly influential and secular schools with the power and love of Jesus in the following ways:
A Film Recently Released about Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer
By erin conner, writer and communications associate
After 12 years in the making, Bonhoeffer opened in 2,000 theaters across the country starting on November 22. Faith-based films like this one raise thought-provoking questions that lead viewers to explore their own faith and actions in their spheres of influence, as well as the implications of their actions in shaping the contours of culture and history.
Preview the trailer of this film here: https://youtu.be/eK2sPrMlsQs
A Cornerstone Partner Visits Christian Union Libertas at Brown
By Don Stahl; written in February of 2023
Ever wonder, “what is that ministry really like?”
As a Cornerstone Partner, I certainly knew something of what Christian Union seeks to do, and saw lots of evidence that it was genuinely touching the lives of the next generation of leaders. But in my experience working with over 100 non-profits and ministries throughout my career, I have found there is nothing like “showing up!”
So, by prior arrangement, I did. I am so glad I went!
Christian Leader in Media Shares Life-Giving Message in a Culture of Despair
By erin conner, writer and communications associate
Carrie Sheffield, a renowned columnist and broadcaster in Washington DC, released a memoir this past spring entitled Motorhome Prophesies that proclaims liberty is possible for the captives of trauma. Sheffield is a Harvard alumna, a member of Christian Union America, and serves in an advisory role for the Christian Union Washington DC board of advisors.
Sheffield shares insights with millions of Americans on networks like CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CBS News, CNBC, BBC, and more. From ABC’s Good Morning America to HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, PBS, and C-SPAN, she brings a voice of virtue to the American communications and media industry through boundless interviews, articles, appearances on television shows and podcasts, and at forums across the nation.
Christian Union Provides Support and Resources for Spiritual Strengthening
By erin conner, writer and communications associate
Your spiritual vitality is a matter of national importance. Perhaps that sounds dramatic, but consider it–our culture is shaped by the daily decisions of industry leaders who either embrace secular values or who embrace biblical values, many of whom may not know how to integrate their faith and their profession. How well are American believers equipped to bring Christian faith and values into their spheres of influence? And what are the implications if they don't? 
Former Christian Union Student President Claims Victory in Recent Election
By Erin conner, writer and communications associate
Leaders developed at Dartmouth shape the future of our country by determining what media gets disseminated, what laws get passed, and how major decisions get made. Dartmouth has produced influential figures, including author Dr. Seuss, beloved T.V. personality Fred Rogers, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and former central banker and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Another name of influence has been recently added to this list: Brandon Gill.
Brandon Gill claimed victory in the congressional race for the 26th district of Texas over Democrat Ernest Lineberger III in the recent November election.
Gill's Congressional webpage states, "I attended Dartmouth College and graduated cum laude with degrees in both Economics and History. I was President of the conservative paper, The Dartmouth Review. I was also President of Christian Union and grew it to be one of the largest student groups on campus, despite being on a campus hostile to the Christian faith. In college, I fought the left nonstop - on their own turf - and I left Dartmouth even more conservative than when I arrived."
Devotional from 2018 Christian Union National Fast
by matt bennett, founder and president of christian union
"So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation." - 1 Peter 2:1-2 (ESV)
City Celebration to Acknowledge His Great Name
by erin conner, writer and communications associate
In May of 2025, the “Jesus is Lord Parade” will unite churches, ministries, pastors, and Christians across New York City and across the nation to lift up and glorify the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. For His glory and by His power, the parade is anticipated to be the largest Christian parade in the history of the US.
Servant Leadership at Christian Union Martus
by Cory Lotspeich, Ministry Director of Christian Union Martus
At one of our recent Philia meetings, the weekly Christian leadership lecture series we hold for Penn students, we discussed the significance of leadership and servitude from John 13:3-5 (ESV), “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him (emphasis added).” The phrase “all things” is also used in Ephesians 1:22, “God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.”
Paul is almost mirroring John’s writing in the gospel. The main point discussed was what Jesus did once everything was given to Him–He served. He used His authority, His influence, His power to serve.
Greetings from Stanford!
We have had a wonderful season of welcoming new students over the last three and a half weeks! God has been opening doors for us to meet and connect with many who are hungry for truth and community. This fall, we’re excited to be launching two new Bible courses—one for freshman men and one for freshman women. Our Bible courses are the core of our community, and we’re so thankful to be able to host two new Bible courses.
Greetings from Penn!
Most recently, at one of our Philia meetings, we discussed the significance of leadership and servitude from John 13:3-5 (ESV), “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” The phrase “all things” is also used in Ephesians 1:22, “God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.”
A Call to Unite to Fervently Pray for Our Nation
By christian Union america
The spiritual condition of our day demands a serious, wholehearted, unified response from the Church; the nation and the people of God in America need a fresh work of the Spirit of God. Unity in any human organization is powerful, but Christian Unity comes with supernatural power. At Christian Union, we say, “Unity of the Spirit precedes a filling of the Spirit.”
