2023 Reopening of CU Vox's Ministry Office at Dartmouth
By Erin Conner
Tim Pillsbury, previously a local Associate Pastor with deep family roots at Dartmouth, started his new position as Ministry Director at CU Vox this spring. He had one task in mind: to create a space at Dartmouth to equip students to wholeheartedly seek God.
As Pillsbury began to prepare for CU Vox’s open house event on March 30, 2023, which was held a few days after the start of Dartmouth’s ten-week spring term, he decided the storage closet in the ministry center was not an effective use of space. “It seemed like such a waste to have this room devoted to storage when what students need is prayer,” he said. So, Pillsbury converted an empty storage closet into a vibrant prayer room filled with Bibles, books, instruments, and the elements of Communion.
During the open house, when students toured the rooms of the ministry office, they expressed the most excitement about having access to a space devoted for prayer. Francisca Fadairo, ‘25, decided that she and her friends would consistently use this room during the spring term, and they have. “CU Vox has provided us with a space to pray for campus. We come here together to pray for a revival– for people’s hearts to return to God,” Fadairo stated.
The open house this past spring, which included a time of corporate prayer for campus, was a success. Students from multiple classes attended, along with two Dartmouth professors. This event began a spring term of over 40 hours of student prayer and 90 hours of individual personal discipleship meetings.
CU Vox’s ministry space, which was empty seven months ago, is now filled with students in Bible Courses, in leadership meetings, in fellowship, in worship, and in the prayer room seeking the Lord, both individually and corporately.
Onyinyechi Owo, who serves as Vice President, said, “CU Vox has also provided us with a unique platform for prayer. Every Saturday, the students have prayer meetings ranging from one to four hours. These sessions have been a time of encountering God, learning new songs that glorify Him, and interceding for our campus and other matters that are close to our hearts. The experience has deepened my understanding of what it means to be a vessel of God. Moreover, these prayer meetings are not limited to one day. Students are able to come to Christian Union whenever they want or need to pray by themselves or with others.”
CU Vox prayer meetings have been Owo’s favorite part of her Dartmouth experience. “Christian Union Vox has given me an opportunity to invite my friends, so we can pray, worship God, and dance to glorify God for as long as we want,” she said. “This was hard to do on campus because of the limited spaces at Dartmouth," she said, expressing sincere gratitude for this place to grow in the Lord.
Jonathan Edwards, 18th century Great Awakening leader, called Christians to engage in the spiritual discipline of united and extraordinary prayer. CU Vox has clearly reopened its office and ministry space in 2023 with a commitment to answer this call.
To join Christian Union in praying for Dartmouth, please click here.
