Friends,
Spring semester is well underway here at Brown University, and we are keeping plenty busy with Bible Courses, our weekly lecture series, The Anchor, community and outreach events and much more.
Greetings,
We continue to see God’s grace in our ministry as we disciple students. One example of this is our winter conference which took place Jan. 20-22 at Spruce Lake. We were privileged to see students make strides in their walk with God. During one of our small group prayer times at the retreat, one young lady, who suffers from social anxiety and had never prayed before was taught by another student to pray. After she prayed for the first time, she was overwhelmed with joy and expressed interest to continue meeting with students to practice seeking God together.
Dear Partners in Prayer,
We covet your prayers as our student leadership has undertaken an enormous outreach effort--to reach every senior before he or she leaves Yale. At midnight on February 16, the email below was sent to the 1,322 members of the senior class. By 10am it had been opened by more than 1000 people.
Dear HCFA friends and family,
There has been a welcome stillness in Cambridge this past week as we have been covered by two snowstorms. My mind always runs to Isaiah, when God promises, “’Come now, let us settle the matter. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” What a provoking image of our good Father clothing us in the righteousness of his Son.
A student who’s been an engaged member of our freshman guys Bible course, and whom I’ve been privileged to meet and pray with regularly, recently said to me, “God is powerfully at work in my life, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.” This is from a student who experienced real challenges, both academic and personal, the second half of the fall quarter, but who by God’s grace has come back to Stanford this winter quarter with a renewed zeal for God’s word, prayer, and meaningful community with other Christians. Praise God for his work! Also, praise God for all He is doing in the lives of each student we have the opportunity to serve.
Dear Prayer Partners,
It’s hard to believe we’re already in week 7 of the term, with only 3 more weeks to go. The time has flown by quickly, but much has happened to make this term a very memorable one. There have been some ups and downs within the ministry as well as at Dartmouth. Please join us in praying for these requests:
Dear Friends and Partners of Penn,
The second semester is in full swing and the students are now preparing for mid-term exams this week and next. Incredibly, spring break is a mere 3 weeks away, and both students and Ministry Fellows are ready for a break.
Dear prayer partners,
We are well on our way into winter term and started off strong with our winter conference at Singing Hills Retreat Center. We were so pleased with the number of students who came, especially since we had so many freshmen (‘20s) and seniors (‘17s). As hoped, it was a restful time for the students, of hearing the word, spending time together in prayer, and connecting with new people in the ministry.
Winter Quarter is in full swing as Stanford students bear down for what typically is the heaviest course load of the academic year. Out from that lively rhythm we are calling our emerging group of freshmen to press in deeper with God and with one another as Christian Union Caritas -- Christian Union's ministry to the students at Stanford -- continues its first year. One of those freshmen, Isaiah, shares his experience so far:
Dear Prayer Partners,
Happy new year! Since you last heard from us, we’ve had time away from work with family to celebrate the Lord’s incarnation (what’s better than a Sunday Christmas?!) and spent time with all Christian Union faculty at our winter staff conference, pressing into the Lord in prayer for our campuses and nation. We are so grateful to minister at Yale with Christian Union and thank you for your partnership in this ministry!
Greetings from the campus of Harvard Law School!
With the arrival of winter in New England, the nights are longer and the periods of daylight shorter. Cooler temperatures mean more inside activities as student’s retreat to the Harvard Law School lobby with its glowing fireplaces and well-lit interior – a perfect place to study and prepare on a cold winter night.
As you read this report, the Princeton ministry faculty, as well as around 150 Princeton undergraduate students, will be away at Camp of the Woods in Speculator, New York, for the annual “Ski Safari” winter trip. We are thrilled with the response we have gotten from students for this trip, and are excited that many students who do not yet know Jesus as Savior and Lord will be joining us as well.
A belated Welcome to 2017 — a year that promises to be eventful, no matter how you look at it. A verse that jumps to mind is Psalm 28: 7, The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him. Because He is my strength, and because I trust in Him — my response must be joy, and this is how I look at the year ahead.
Friends,
I pray you had a blessed Christmas and New Year as you celebrated with family and friends. As we, the Christian Union ministry staff at Brown University, enjoyed hosting out-of-town family and enjoying the normal seasonal celebrations, all has been pretty quiet on campus. All this will be changing now as students have just returned to campus and began classes on Wednesday. Given that students have just returned, I don’t have much to share, but I would ask that you pray for this upcoming semester.
To our friends and partners in the Gospel,
It is a new year and with it comes many new opportunities for our God to do a new thing on campus at Penn. This past semester saw the creation of a new Christian journal at Penn, Locust Walk, and we are excited to see many of our students take on roles as writers and staff to bring this space for dialogue to the campus.
Dear Prayer Partners,
As you may well know, Hanover is extremely quiet this time of year, since the vast majority of students are home for their longest break of the year. It has been a good time for us as staff to begin thinking and preparing for a new term with returning students, many of whom we have not seen in months due to off-terms, as well as new Bible Courses.
Dear HCFA friends and family,
Merry Christmas! I hope this season of Advent has been one of remembering and waiting upon our God who draws near to us in Christ. We are winding down here at Harvard, students are in finals and are beginning to disappear from campus. Since December is largely a quiet month in our activity with HCFA, I would love for you to join in prayer with us in these ways.
We have had a great inaugural quarter here as Christian Union Caritas -- Christian Union's ministry to students at Stanford -- launched its first West Coast campus! There is much to be thankful for this Christmas season, and we look forward to our continued partnership in what God is doing on this campus.
Dear Prayer Partners,
Happy Christmas!! It is amazing to think that another year, by God’s grace, has come and gone. As we bid farewell to our students, our ministry staff here at Yale have also undergone significant transition: this month we bid Chris Matthews, our founding ministry director, and his family farewell after 6.5 years at Yale.
Greetings from the campus of Harvard Law School!
As the Fall 2016 semester winds down, students are engaged in completion of their final exams. Based upon a high, middle, or low pass model, exams weigh heavily in the final grade students receive for their academic efforts. Students who hope to become professors feel even greater pressure to secure a high level of performance evaluation critical to future employment opportunities.
