Welcoming the Class of 2022
[N]either he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. - 1 Corinthians 3:7Christian Union’s freshman campaigns at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale helped to share the Gospel with the Class of 2022 and laid the foundation for significant spiritual growth during college and beyond.
Freshman campaign is the all-out effort to prepare for, pray over, reach out to, invite, welcome in, connect, and care for the newest students arriving at these universities. We are grateful for how God moved through these efforts! Our prayer is that He would use this process to bring freshmen into deeper fellowship with Himself and members of His body.
Student leaders and upperclassmen involved in the ministry on each campus, along with Christian Union ministry fellows, held more than 4,000 meetings to get to know students personally and connect them to Christian resources. The ministry sets an ambitious goal to connect freshmen with its own Bible courses. For some students, it is the first time they will read a Bible or hear the Gospel and its implications for their lives.
The campaign has concluded at most campuses, although at Stanford, thanks to the quarter system schedule, it is just now winding down. Here are some of the highlights for the ministries:The ministry at Columbia prayed fervently for the incoming class, and asked the Lord to help them enroll 66 freshmen in Bible courses. The students did an incredible job welcoming students. After numerous welcome events and just over 300 meetings, the Lord brought 74 freshmen!
At Cornell, the Lord did far more than was hoped or planned for: 84 freshmen signed on for Bible courses, more than 20 students over the goal. Many of the students joined Christian Union off-campus for the fall conference, which focused on the themes of belonging and reconciliation.
At Dartmouth, the ministry’s first welcoming event, an ice cream social that was nearly rained out, drew 100 students. There, the ministry was almost right on its goal, engaging 47 freshmen in studying Scripture this fall. An international student who had never read Scripture before came to check out a Bible course. She was treated to a quick overview of God’s Word to help orient her before they began to study the book of Hebrews.
At Harvard, the campaign wrapped up with 39 freshmen signed up for Bible courses. For the second year, there has been a noticeable growth in the responsiveness of male students to the ministry.
The ministry at Brown made their presence felt through creative forms of outreach efforts, including handing out food and water to students passing by on their way to parties, generating conversations that have already led to follow up meetings and deeper connections. Forty-two freshmen enrolled in Bible courses.
The ministry at Princeton is praising God for the 103 freshmen who have already enrolled in Bible courses. A ministry fellow at Princeton was heartened by a freshman’s remark: “I’ve never felt more welcomed”
Christian Union at Penn is thankful for the 36 freshmen who are digging into Bible courses this semester.
The ministry of Christian Union Caritas, serving students at Stanford, kicked off by giving away Chick-fil-A along with the Gospel of Mark. Reaching student athletes requires a parallel outreach effort, and the Lord is opening doors with the football team. Christian Union’s director of athletic ministry and his wife hosted nine players in their home for dinner the day after their victory over Oregon.
{tweetme}As the ministry shot past its goal of 522 freshmen signing up for Christian Union’s weekly Bible courses, all glory and honor go to Jesus Christ for drawing students near to hear the Gospel, study His Word, and, God willing, grow as godly leaders.{/tweetme}
