CU Vox Shares Good News at Dartmouth with Blog
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
At the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year at Dartmouth, the usual excitement surrounding a new semester was dampened by COVID-19 restrictions; only freshmen and juniors were on campus for the fall, and ministry and other organizational activities were limited to zoom or small in-person meetings.In the midst of this uncertainty, Paul Jeon ’21, a leader with CU Vox at Dartmouth, stepped up to create blog content that focused on the sure promises of God in scripture and the question, “Who Does God Say I Am?”
Jeon and other students wrote encouraging articles with titles such as “I Am Treasured by Christ,” “I Am Fully Known By God,” “I Am Sent,” “I Am Justified,” and “I Am a Priest.”
“Paul was an English major and loves writing. He believed this would be a great way to showcase the writing skills of our community and give new people a voice,” said Noah Crane, Christian Union’s ministry director at Dartmouth.
“The blog was helpful by allowing off-campus people to share with the community while being far away. It was also beneficial to open opportunities to share for people who might be reluctant to speak at an event or via a Zoom meeting. There was a great spirit of collaboration and an enjoyment of hearing from so many members of the community.”
Paul Jeon, Dartmouth '21In his introductory column, Jeon wrote about how college students can know their true identity through a relationship with Christ: “Around this time of year (fall), I often find myself tempted to search for and curate my identity in my classes, in my campus involvements, in my friendships and relationships. We, here at CU Vox, believe, however, that our identity is not fundamentally in what we do, who others say we are, or even who we think we are. Instead, as Christians, our identity is determined by God..."
Mary Joy ’21, in a post entitled “I Am Maintained by God,” shared about how God is at work in the lives of Dartmouth students, even when they don’t sense his presence. Quoting Philippians 1:6, she reminded readers, “…He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
“He is continually perfecting us, constantly molding us into His image even when we don’t sense His presence at work,” she wrote. “He is there in the mundane, in the Week 3s and the daily grinds and the regular old times when we don’t particularly feel the need to call on Him. And He is there in the darkest parts of our lives, in the Gardens of Gethsemane when we cry out to Him, even if we cannot sense that He is near.”
Along those lines, Kimberly Tan ’22 wrote about God’s sustaining power, quoting 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”’
“Whether you’re a new student facing the ‘imposter syndrome’ moments or a senior wondering why your resumé isn’t in top shape, God is speaking to you too. Lean into his grace in the midst of your weakness, for he will always be more than enough,” said Tan.
In a post entitled “I Am Crucified with Christ,” Evan Yang ’23 wrote about the need to die to sinful ways and take up our cross each day.
“Our sin will persist for as long as we live in this world,” Yang said. “Nevertheless, I challenge us all this week to think about what sinful aspects of our lives we need to put to death, remember Christ’s empowering sacrifice, and present ourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life. Amen and be encouraged!”
The focus on identity was shifted to putting faith into action in an article from Adje J. Accoh entitled “I Worship a God of all Nations.”
“When our Father made His famous covenant with Abraham to bless him, it was not only an exclusive covenant with Abraham, or just with his descendants, but ‘in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed’ (Gen. 22:18),” Accoh ’22 wrote. “We worship a God of all nations, and I invite you to consider how He may be calling you to be a blessing to others.”
As CU Vox prepared to be a blessing with its upcoming Freshman Welcoming Campaign this fall, Crane said the blog will once again be instrumental in being a voice and reaching out to new and current Dartmouth students. The Freshman Welcoming Campaign, which will happen with no pandemic restrictions this year, is a key time of introducing students to the ministry of CU Vox. Freshmen will be introduced to the opportunities they will have in CU Vox like enrolling in Christian Union Bible courses, attending the weekly Leadership Lectures Series and Fall Conference, and receiving one-on-one mentoring.
“The blog will help introduce new members of the community, mainly first year students, to the upperclassmen,” Crane said. “It's a great way to showcase people's stories of faith and highlight the beauty of what God is doing in people's lives.”
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