CU Lux at Yale Hosts Summer Seminars
Christian Union Lux at Yale University hosted a series of seminars this summer entitled: “The Science of Love: A Conversation with the Gospel of John.” The study explored the theme of love in the Gospel of John in dialogue with various religious, philosophical, and sociological notions of love. By hosting these conversations, CU Lux “aspired for nothing more than an increased love for God and neighbor at Yale.”
Junior Is Thankful for the Impact of CU Vox
By Peter Surin, Dartmouth ’23
When choosing which colleges to apply to, one of my requirements was the presence of a good, healthy, strong Christian community on campus.
Through research of Christian Union Vox online and a conversation with a past Dartmouth professor, I clearly saw that the Vox community was exactly what I was searching for. And when I arrived at Dartmouth, all my assumptions were assured. I showed up to an ice cream social on the lawn of Tuck Drive, and quickly sensed a healthy environment that was part of the body of Christ.
Dear CU Gloria Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Thank you for your continued support and investment in what the Lord is doing on Harvard’s campus through Christian Union Gloria. By God’s grace and your prayers, we had a wonderful pre-retreat, where the upperclassmen students were able to reconnect in-person after a long time apart. Our times in worship and the Word were a delight, and the students came back to campus ready to welcome the incoming class of 2025 into Christian community.
“…Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;….” Psalm 127:1
The Lord is indeed building His house as students arrive on campus! The atmosphere is charged with excitement, a bit of overwhelm, and expectation as students share their feelings about returning to the “orange bubble” after almost two years of virtual reality.
Warm greetings from Palo Alto!
I’m sending a brief prayer letter this month since our family (which includes four kids age six and under) has just moved back to California! To say there is a lot unpacking and settling in left to do is an understatement!
As we enter the Fall semester, there is much anticipation among CU Martus student leaders about how the Lord will reunite Penn students and spread the Gospel among the student body. I am living in anticipation as well as I begin my first year as the Ministry Director at Christian Union Martus. I am delighted to be called to do God's work at Penn!
We are excited to congratulate and welcome the class of 2025 on their admission and arrival at Yale. Our upper-class students have spent the past few weeks preparing activities and creating a supportive atmosphere to welcome the incoming first-year students into our Christian community. A group of students met in the Pennington Center every day last week, writing 500 hand-written notes, which will be distributed across the campus to the freshman class alongside a selection of sweets and a copy of Luke’s gospel.
“And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30
While Afghan Christians are choosing to receive the seats of honor in heaven as martyrs - spoken of in the book of Revelation - we kingdom bearers still have freedom to practice our faith on this earth and cry out to Jesus for godly leadership at every secular level and in the churches. What a gift we have at our fingertips, if we would only actuate it to its potential. As a Christian leadership development ministry, our charge this month to ourselves and our cherished brothers and sisters in the New York area is to pray fervently for our leaders, both secular and sacred. Do we believe God can turn our hearts back to Him and rescue us from this evil day? Let’s remember together that faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. Do we believe all things are possible with God? New York is on the cusp of monumental leadership shifts and transition in many areas. As believers, carrying the Spirit and authority of the High King Jesus, we are called to intercede for our cities, our governmental leaders, our pastors, and all those in positions of authority.
Stephen Meyer's New Book Makes the Case for a Theistic Perspective
The idea that science and religion are diametrically opposed fields of thinking is a modern idea. It's an idea that Stephen Meyer addresses head-on in his new book The Return of the God Hypothesis.
Stutz ’21 Thankful for Remote Experience
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
Most college students experienced the last academic year staring into laptop screens, suffering through Zoom fatigue, and lamenting limited or no social interaction. Stanford student Rachel Stutz ’21 also took online classes, but was blessed to do it in some of the country’s most scenic locations, living in community, breaking bread with friends, and growing deeper in her faith.
The end of summer is fast approaching! The nights are getting cooler, there’s a slight hint of red in the leaves, and Thayer Street is getting busier as students slowly return to campus. We eagerly await the full arrival of the class of 2025 and preparations are well underway to welcome them on campus. We are so thankful that God has opened the door for in-person learning and the opportunity to host events at the Judson Center. We can’t wait to gather the returning students together over shared meals and Bible study! This is a busy time for them; shopping classes, settling into new living arrangements, finding jobs, and reconnecting with old friends. But, even in the midst of all that, they always go the extra mile in greeting incoming freshmen and connecting them into the Christian community here at Brown.
What a year this has been so far, particularly for university students. Columbia University announced it will reopen for new students and returning students for the Fall 2021 semester. There are already signs of life on campus and in NYC as students are slowly coming back and moving on to campus.
I hope you will be encouraged to know that your prayers for us for the start of the year at Cornell have been answered! During the first week of the semester that started last week, we were able to meaningfully welcome and serve over 40 new Cornell students. Many of them are finding Christian community with CU Vita and showing sincere interest in joining our Bible courses that start this week.
The end of summer in Hanover is bittersweet. The summer term is over and with it go the warm temperatures and slower pace of life, but it ushers in the return of the full student body and the arrival of the Class of 2025. The bustle of a full campus will soon be a reality again and it will be wonderful to all be in person after a year and a half of discontinuity. Preparations are underway for both a welcome back for the upperclassmen and a welcome to the 2025’s. I am immensely grateful for God’s care and provision for the students and for me over the past year. I am delighted to see what He has in store for the CU Vox community in this new academic year. As always there is much prayer needed and I would ask that you join with me in praying for:
CU Martus Leader Earns Prestigious Fellowship at Penn
By Tom Campisi and Fuji Kim
Michael Hagan is one of eight undergraduates in the inaugural class of fellows for the University of Pennsylvania’s new Office of Social Equity and Community.
Grandson of Evangelist Recalls Defining Moment
By Will Graham
Editor’s note: The following article was written by Will Graham, grandson of Billy Graham and vice president and associate evangelist at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Article was first published in 2014, four years before the passing of Billy Graham; Reprinted with permission.
On a daily basis I’m blessed with memories and stories of the many ways God chose to use my grandfather to reach people around the world over the course of many decades. Nearly everywhere I go people stop to tell me about how entire families and generations were impacted by his ministry. It’s humbling.
Penn Professor, Yale Lecturer Make Shocking Statements
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
This spring, two academic seminars with ties to Ivy League universities came under fire for incendiary comments regarding race. A University of Pennsylvania professor said white evangelicals are racists who “may end up killing us all,” while a guest lecturer at the Yale School of Medicine expressed frustration with the national dialogue by saying she had fantasies about shooting white people.
CU Lumine Prepares for Fall Semester
By Kelly Parks, Staff Writer
Despite the challenges posed by conducting Bible courses and other events online or with strict social distancing guidelines this past academic year, CU Lumine, Christian Union’s ministry at Columbia, was full of prayer pods, evangelism workshops, and Bible courses - all of which took place online. While the ministry center was open for occasional one-on-one meetings and small groups of under nine participants, Zoom meetings were the primary way students connected with each other.
Catholic Author Weighs In on Students' Pursuit of Happiness
Cognitive scientist Laurie Santos has a thought question for you: if you could live in a simulated reality where you are perfectly happy, would you knowingly choose it over a less-happy real life? Santos, who is a psychology professor at Yale, has been studying the nature of happiness—how we get it, what makes us happy, and how psychology directly impacts our happiness—for years.
Sexual Brokenness
Thank you for your interest. The January 2023 Gospel of the Kingdom conference in NYC is fully subscribed and registration has been closed. Please join us for the next conference in August 2023.
