May 20, 2020
June 6, 2020
Thanks for joining Christian Union Lumine (Columbia University) at 4:00 PM EST for a virtual reunion. Christian Union Lumine invited participants from all classes, all denominations, and all Christian ministries to this annual event.
Learn More
For questions about the Christian Union Lumine on campus or alumni opportunities, contact Christian Union's VP of Alumni Engagement Christine Foster: christine.foster@christianunion.org.
May 1, 2020
For the past month, the students and faculty have been living through a new norm as all classroom instruction and ministry interactions have been moved online. The students are finishing up the final week of classes and getting ready for final exams. NYC has been getting some positive news with the number of COVID-19 cases going down, but there are still a lot of unknowns. In the midst of unknowns, we continue to hold on to God and the truth that He is still in control. We are seeking the Lord for His wisdom and direction for Christian Union Lumine at Columbia University. Thank you for your continued prayers for the work on this campus. Here are ways you can be praying for us this month:
March 26, 2020
It’s amazing how quickly things are changing daily in the midst of this pandemic. Columbia University has officially moved all its classes online and the majority of students are no longer on the campus. These are unprecedented times and there are a lot of unknowns. In the midst of unknowns, we hold on to God and the truth that He is still in control. We are seeking the Lord for His wisdom and direction for Christian Union Lumine at Columbia University.
February 27, 2020
Greetings,
Midterms have begun, student schedules are packed and it’s still winter, but there is an excitement in the air with what God is doing at Columbia University through Christian Union Lumine. We are seeing higher turnout for our Leadership Lecture Series nights, impromptu prayer gatherings among the students and a feeling of community and togetherness even in the midst of all the transitions. Thank you for your continued prayers for the work on this campus. Here are ways you can be praying for us this month:
Midterms have begun, student schedules are packed and it’s still winter, but there is an excitement in the air with what God is doing at Columbia University through Christian Union Lumine. We are seeing higher turnout for our Leadership Lecture Series nights, impromptu prayer gatherings among the students and a feeling of community and togetherness even in the midst of all the transitions. Thank you for your continued prayers for the work on this campus. Here are ways you can be praying for us this month:
January 30, 2020
Greetings,
I pray that you are having a blessed start to the new year.
Christian Union at Columbia started 2020 with a new Ministry Director and some faculty transitions. The students recently returned from vacation after Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, and we are truly excited for this upcoming semester.
I pray that you are having a blessed start to the new year.
Christian Union at Columbia started 2020 with a new Ministry Director and some faculty transitions. The students recently returned from vacation after Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, and we are truly excited for this upcoming semester.
November 21, 2019
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)
September 26, 2019
Greetings from New York,
We are thankful for the ministry of Lane and Michelle Young who moved back to the Midwest over the summer. Please join us in praying for a new Ministry Director for our Columbia team.
We are thankful for the ministry of Lane and Michelle Young who moved back to the Midwest over the summer. Please join us in praying for a new Ministry Director for our Columbia team.
April 25, 2019
Greetings,
We’re in the final few weeks of what has been, a very productive semester. Earlier in April, we had Vince Vitale, a minister with RZIM, visit campus to make a compelling case for Christianity as a worldview. Vince showed how the Christian faith answers some of life's biggest questions surrounding origin, purpose, morality and destiny. We had both Christians and unbelievers in attendance, and Vince skillfully interacted with students, answering their concerns about Christianity. We received encouraging feedback from students about the event. One student in our ministry, currently wrestling heavily with doubt, remarked that the discussions over Vince's book and his event on campus helped make Christianity seem more believable.
We also have selected new student leaders for the upcoming academic year. We strongly believe that we have a new group of student leaders that are faithfully walking with Christ and are excited to serve Jesus and all of Columbia's campus. We thank God for the service of our leaders currently transitioning out of leadership, many of whom are seniors, getting ready to engage a new season of life after graduation.
Here’s how you can pray for us:
- Pray for students as they enter into the final stretch of the semester, and as they prepare for final exams
- Pray for our senior students as they near graduation and are feeling a wide range of emotions about what comes next
- Pray for our new student leaders as they prepare to lead next year
- Pray for staff as we prepare for the fall semester
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Bryant Parsons
Ministry Fellow
Christian Union at Columbia
Please note: if you would like to receive regular updates on how to pray for Christian Union's work at Columbia, please email prayer@christianunion.org.
March 28, 2019
“He is the Rock, His works are perfect,
and all His ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)
Greetings,
We continue to give God praise for his work on Columbia’s campus through Christian Union. By His grace, we continue to minister faithfully in every way that He has called us. This semester,our major outreach initiative has been the book giveaway and discussions around Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale’s Jesus Among Secular Gods. The outreach culminates in Vince Vitale coming to speak at our Illumina. These book discussions have been aimed primarily at skeptics of the Christian faith. We held our first discussion a few weeks ago on the topic of Scientism. Non-Christians were in attendance, including a Buddhist student. Pray that these discussions would lead ultimately to conversions, and that Christians who attend may be strengthened in their faith.
and all His ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)
Greetings,
We continue to give God praise for his work on Columbia’s campus through Christian Union. By His grace, we continue to minister faithfully in every way that He has called us. This semester,our major outreach initiative has been the book giveaway and discussions around Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale’s Jesus Among Secular Gods. The outreach culminates in Vince Vitale coming to speak at our Illumina. These book discussions have been aimed primarily at skeptics of the Christian faith. We held our first discussion a few weeks ago on the topic of Scientism. Non-Christians were in attendance, including a Buddhist student. Pray that these discussions would lead ultimately to conversions, and that Christians who attend may be strengthened in their faith.
March 25, 2019
Nathaniel Encounters God’s Diversity
Nathaniel tells his personal story, coming from a largely like-minded culture to the opposite in New York. He recognizes how adaptable and diverse Christianity can be through his CU at Columbia Bible Course.
February 28, 2019
Greetings,
The Spring semester is fully underway here at Columbia; and as our students prepare to endure midterm season, God continues to be faithful through our ministry to them. We’re thankful to God for the Spirit’s work in our Bible courses, Illumina meetings, and discipleship time with our students. The Spirit is indeed at work on Columbia’s campus. One of the ways we are seeing this is by a lifestyle of seeking God on display through daily prayer gatherings happening early morning. Morning prayer is an inter-fellowship gathering that is growing in number and fervency. Join us in asking God to bring significant change to Columbia through these students’ faithful pursuit of God.
January 31, 2019
Greetings,
I pray that you are having a blessed start to the new year. Much of the month of January was spent diligently planning for the rest of the year and identifying new student leaders for next year. Columbia students recently returned from vacation after Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, and we are gearing up for another semester of fruitful ministry. Here are ways that you can be praying for us:
I pray that you are having a blessed start to the new year. Much of the month of January was spent diligently planning for the rest of the year and identifying new student leaders for next year. Columbia students recently returned from vacation after Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, and we are gearing up for another semester of fruitful ministry. Here are ways that you can be praying for us:
December 20, 2018
Greetings,
Our semester is coming to a close, and we thank God for all the ways we saw him move. This semester marked the opening of our ministry center and our community was invigorated because of the brand-new space. The center has been serving the needs of students in a variety of ways. For finals reading week, we implemented study hours for our students, and many students had an accommodating space to prepare for finals. Most of our Bible courses, many one on one discipleship meetings, and seeking God prayer hours have already been held in the two months that it has been open. We continue to be grateful for everything that went in to securing a center one block from campus.
Our semester is coming to a close, and we thank God for all the ways we saw him move. This semester marked the opening of our ministry center and our community was invigorated because of the brand-new space. The center has been serving the needs of students in a variety of ways. For finals reading week, we implemented study hours for our students, and many students had an accommodating space to prepare for finals. Most of our Bible courses, many one on one discipleship meetings, and seeking God prayer hours have already been held in the two months that it has been open. We continue to be grateful for everything that went in to securing a center one block from campus.
November 21, 2018
Greetings,
This past month has been a fruitful time of ministry at Columbia. We praise God for two students who gave indications that they wanted to begin to follow Christ. May God increase this number as we continue to minister. We also have had a strong semester of engaging Illumina meetings. I preached a sermon on prayer and several students have remarked how impactful it was for their spiritual growth. One student told me that he has consistently gotten up in the morning to attend student prayer since this time. We also had pastor Rasool Berry return to speak on our search for identity from Ephesians. Students remarked how his talk caused them to rethink where they searched for purpose and meaning.
This past month has been a fruitful time of ministry at Columbia. We praise God for two students who gave indications that they wanted to begin to follow Christ. May God increase this number as we continue to minister. We also have had a strong semester of engaging Illumina meetings. I preached a sermon on prayer and several students have remarked how impactful it was for their spiritual growth. One student told me that he has consistently gotten up in the morning to attend student prayer since this time. We also had pastor Rasool Berry return to speak on our search for identity from Ephesians. Students remarked how his talk caused them to rethink where they searched for purpose and meaning.
October 25, 2018
Greetings,
Christian Union at Columbia recently celebrated the grand opening of its ministry center. The opening of this center is the culmination of years of prayer, fasting, and giving. We have begun to use the center for ministry and the difference has been immediately felt. We are one block from campus, right between two fraternities. Our location puts us right where all the action is, and we have already begun to have conversations with curious students wondering who their new neighbors are.
Christian Union at Columbia recently celebrated the grand opening of its ministry center. The opening of this center is the culmination of years of prayer, fasting, and giving. We have begun to use the center for ministry and the difference has been immediately felt. We are one block from campus, right between two fraternities. Our location puts us right where all the action is, and we have already begun to have conversations with curious students wondering who their new neighbors are.
September 27, 2018
Greetings!
Christian Union at Columbia has continued to experience God’s goodness this semester. We just finished a successful freshmen welcoming campaign, having reached all our goals for freshmen signups. Our desire is to integrate this freshmen class with the rest of the ministry, forming a loving community of believers on Columbia’s campus. One of the ways we intend on building community is through our upcoming fall conference at Spruce Lake. Fall conference is a great opportunity for students to build relationships with each other through various activities and spiritually refresh themselves before the semester gets crazy. Our staff has decided to teach through the book of Ruth during our time there.
Christian Union at Columbia has continued to experience God’s goodness this semester. We just finished a successful freshmen welcoming campaign, having reached all our goals for freshmen signups. Our desire is to integrate this freshmen class with the rest of the ministry, forming a loving community of believers on Columbia’s campus. One of the ways we intend on building community is through our upcoming fall conference at Spruce Lake. Fall conference is a great opportunity for students to build relationships with each other through various activities and spiritually refresh themselves before the semester gets crazy. Our staff has decided to teach through the book of Ruth during our time there.
August 30, 2018
Greetings!
I’m excited to report that the new academic year has begun. All our staff and students are brimming with expectation as we begin freshman campaign. We’re off to a great start as we even had a few freshmen attend our pre-retreat. Our pre-retreat was highly successful. We had a great mix of older and younger students and it was evident that the students in attendance grew deeper in community, had fun, and were spiritually nourished. On our last night, we had a time for students to share their heart. The level of vulnerability was simply astounding. It was as if these students had known each other for years, but in fact many were just getting to know each other. It was clear that God met us during our retreat; we left energized and ready to engage the incoming freshman class.
I’m excited to report that the new academic year has begun. All our staff and students are brimming with expectation as we begin freshman campaign. We’re off to a great start as we even had a few freshmen attend our pre-retreat. Our pre-retreat was highly successful. We had a great mix of older and younger students and it was evident that the students in attendance grew deeper in community, had fun, and were spiritually nourished. On our last night, we had a time for students to share their heart. The level of vulnerability was simply astounding. It was as if these students had known each other for years, but in fact many were just getting to know each other. It was clear that God met us during our retreat; we left energized and ready to engage the incoming freshman class.
July 26, 2018
We hope that you are having a blessed summer. Our students are currently enjoying their summer vacation and/or working all over the globe on various projects, internships and summer jobs. Our staff continues to prepare for the fall semester.
June 14, 2018
Greetings!
The summertime is in full swing here at Columbia and our ministry staff is already hard at work preparing for the fall semester. Please join us in prayer for the following:
We are planning for our annual pre-retreat in August. The pre-retreat is a great opportunity for students to spiritually recalibrate after a long summer and build greater community with each other right before the hustle of the semester begins. Please pray that we can recruit many of our students to attend.
The summertime is in full swing here at Columbia and our ministry staff is already hard at work preparing for the fall semester. Please join us in prayer for the following:
We are planning for our annual pre-retreat in August. The pre-retreat is a great opportunity for students to spiritually recalibrate after a long summer and build greater community with each other right before the hustle of the semester begins. Please pray that we can recruit many of our students to attend.
April 30, 2018
New York, New York
Click here, to read our yearly financial update for Christian Union at Columbia University. The Lord is moving at Columbia. With your help, we believe God will do much more. The ministry needs to raise $118,651 for its ministry at Columbia by June 30. Your gift, of any amount, will help to make Christ known at this wonderful university. Please prayerfully consider becoming a financial partner today.
If you have already made a gift, thank you! Would you consider a special, additional gift to help the ministry reach more students with the Gospel?
Make a Difference
1) Click here to give online2) Charge by phone or give appreciated assets: 609-688-1700 X915
3) Pray to see God glorified at Columbia
4) Join our prayer email list by emailing: prayer@christianunion.org
