As we draw near to the end of 2016, we pause to give thanks and praise to God for his goodness and grace to us during these past months – particularly in our gospel ministry here on the campus of Princeton University. Allow me to share a few highlights from the fall months, as well as a few ways that you can be praying for our ministry in the month ahead.
Friends,
It’s hard to believe, but we’re already at the end of the semester here at Brown! These past few months have flown by as God has continued to work in the lives of so many students. Through our study of Mark’s Gospel, students have given serious thought to what it means to truly follow after Christ. Our weekly large-group gathering, The Anchor, has fostered space for healthy, Christ-centered dialogue on the topics of sexuality, politics, race and mental health – complex issues with which students at Brown are constantly wrestling and seeking to navigate as faithfully obedient and thoughtful Christians.
To our friends and partners in the Gospel,
This month here at Christian Union at Penn we have seen great growth and leadership amongst our students. It has been a sprint coming off Thanksgiving Break. These compact weeks have challenged students to find balance between finding excellence in their academics, while also working to keep a positive and effective testimony for Christ. They strive to see and live out God’s will while being saturated with worldly expectations. God has shown to be faithful through miraculous moments of encouragement and exhortation; we are very thankful!
As we reflect upon the completed semester, we echo Zechariah’s prayer this Christmas season:
Because of our God’s tender mercyDespite the shortened daylight hours, God’s light has indeed broken over Cornell this semester. We have witnessed countless tender mercies and divine guidance distinguish so many students’ lives as they responded to the news of the election, to racial tensions, not to mention personal challenges through relationship breakups, preliminary examinations, labs, group projects, sports competitions, illness and finals.
the dawn will break upon us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Dear Friends,
Reflecting on the winter term that is coming to a close, we truly have much to be thankful for. Our Thanksgiving dinner last weekend was a huge success, bringing in over 130 students, including several who have not been involved in Christian Union. Since then, we have had a few inquiries on how to get involved in a Bible Course for the winter. The freshmen (‘20s) did a fantastic job leading the event. They worked hard on the fall decorations and the program for the night, which consisted of music, worship songs, 2 testimonies and some delicious food. There was even entertainment during the meal, provided by one ’20 who is extremely talented at card tricks. Overall, it was a wonderful night of fellowship and thanksgiving. We so appreciate your prayers for this event!
Dear HCFA friends and family,
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are all doing well. It’s hard to believe that the semester is wrapping up so quickly. We are in the final weeks of Bible Courses and DOXAs and students are beginning to eye their final exams in the first weeks of December.
It is exciting to write this inaugural prayer letter! Please praise and thank God along with us for what has happened so far this fall:
Greetings from the campus of Harvard Law School!
Famous for its fall foliage, the bright colors that once hung so magnificently in the New England autumn sky now drape the ground in subdued and faded shades of brown. Like life, fall foliage reminds us of the cycle of birth and death that marks our own journey through the present world to the heavenly Zion.
Dear friends,
Thank you for your continued prayers, support, and encouragement to all of us who labor for Jesus Christ on the campus of Princeton University. As you know, Christian Union’s ministry at Princeton has a goal of developing Christian leaders to transform culture; we seek to never lose sight of this goal, as we teach students the Bible, train and mentor young men and women, and do our best to equip them for lives of service, leadership, and influence in our world for the glory of Jesus Christ and the good of all people in Him. Below, I offer you a few brief updates on various aspects of our ministry at Princeton.
Dear Prayer Partners!
Thank you for your prayers and support of Christian Union at Yale. Shortly after I sent the last prayer email, one of you encouraged me to keep on spiritually “mothering,” and later that day a student confessed some sin to me, asked for my advice and help to get out of the situation and then said to me, “Thank you for being my mom that I can tell things to” (as opposed to her mom that she can’t tell things to).
Dear Friends and Partners of Penn,
My family is new to Philadelphia and Christian Union at the University of Pennsylvania, and at times it seems as though we’ve crammed 3 years into our 3 months here. But what a joy it has been. We have seen God working in the students of Penn, in the churches of Philly, and in the ministry team here of which I’m overjoyed to be a member. Thank you for your continued prayers for myself and my family, and the prayers for the other new Ministry Fellow, Kelly Schaaf, and her family, and Ministry Director Justin Mills and his family.
Thank you for praying for students in our ministry in November—the time to focus on answers to prayer with thanksgiving!
Dear Prayer Partners,
Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support! The semester is officially at its midway point, and that means many tests, papers, problem sets (“p sets”)…and lots and lots of stress.
Hello Prayer Partners,
This has been a pretty big month for the Christian Union faculty here in Hanover. The Albanese family welcomed a new beautiful baby girl named Hazel Rebecca Albanese. She arrived on September 25th at 3:22am and is doing very well. In addition to this, Ministry Fellow, Kristen Ottaviano, was engaged to be married to Dominic Sylvester on September 30th! Also, Chase and I are happy to announce that we are expecting our own little bundle of joy in April! Exciting times for our team here and we would cherish your prayers for all the wonderful gifts and changes to life that are happening.
Dear HCFA friends and family,
Fall is here in Cambridge and it has been beautiful! We had the joy of getting away with students into the Berkshire’s of western Massachusetts a couple of weekends ago for our fall retreat. We had a great turn out this year — about 90 students, many of whom were freshman.
Greetings from the campus of Harvard Law School!
October is now upon us and the autumn leaves drape the Harvard campus in the bright colors for which New England is renowned. Hundreds of thousands of spectators and athletes will soon overflow the Charles River with the annual regatta races for which the city of Cambridge is famous.
Friends,
Freshmen Welcoming Campaign may be over, but God’s work in and through Christian Union at Brown University is in full swing! Since last I wrote to you, we — the Christian Union faculty at Brown (Matt Woodard, Ministry Director; Laurel Copp, Ministry Fellow; Justin Doyle, Ministry Fellow) and student leaders — have concluded our month-long Freshmen Welcoming Campaign with our annual Fall Retreat.
Thank you for praying for us. It is hard to choose which encouraging stories to share from the start of the semester until now. God is using your prayers for this campus to accomplish exciting things!
Hello from Dartmouth,
Fall term is off and running and it’s difficult to believe we’re already three weeks into the term with seven more to go. Thank you for all your prayers for the new freshmen (‘20s) who have come in and for our upperclassmen who have labored tirelessly in welcoming them and putting on events in order to meet them and introduce them to Christian Union at Dartmouth. Please join us in prayer for the following requests:
Dear HCFA friends and family,
We are back in full swing here at Harvard! It is just a couple of weeks into the semester and we have already had a retreat, done four weeks of freshman outreach, started Bible courses, had a few Friday night DOXA’s and are planning our fall retreat for the end of the month! The fall is certainly a busy time for students and staff, so we would love your prayers for strength in the Lord and attentiveness to His spirit as we minister on campus.
