Princeton

Evangelism Campaigns at Some of Our Nation's Most Secular Schools

By erin conner, writer and communications associate

On March 3, Cliffe and Stuart Knechtle from the Give Me An Answer Ministry visited Stanford, boldly proclaiming Christ and engaging students in deep conversations about difficult questions of faith. The crowd grew to nearly 250 students toward the end, with still more stopping by throughout the four-hour event in White Plaza.

"In the days since, I’ve heard several testimonies of how students have had many conversations with their non-believing friends about Christ, the gospel, and faith. Cliffe and Stuart’s example emboldened students in their faith, and we see clear evidence that God is at work in hearts on our campus," shared Justin Woyak, the ministry director at Christian Union Caritas, one of the ministries that helped to host this outreach event. Christian Union Caritas was honored to partner with other Christian ministries at Stanford to help proclaim the gospel in such a bold way.

"Give Me An Answer" ministry at Stanford University

Mike Vincent, the ministry director of Christian Union Nova at Princeton, shared some evangelism events that CU Nova is planning for the spring of 2025. "We have several exciting outreach opportunities coming up this semester. First, our CU Proclaim Retreat next week is being held right here at Princeton. Students from several of our other ministries will be coming to Princeton during their spring break for evangelism training in the mornings, evangelism on campus in the afternoons, and guest speakers and motivation in the evenings. This week-long event will be capped off on Friday night by the Summit Worship Team and Pastor Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in NYC. They will lead a worship night on the South Lawn of Campus Center where students will be encouraged to bring as many friends as possible." 

Vincent continued, "Christian Union Nova will also be helping to host Cliffe and Stuart Knechtle from the Give Me An Answer ministry for some outdoor evangelism. As this ministry has amassed a huge following on YouTube in recent years, this event is generating lots of excitement! They will be posted up outside on campus for three days, giving talks and answering questions about the Bible and Christianity." 

Christian Union Vita is hosting the Knechtle's ministry at Cornell University from March 19-20 with the support of other Christian organizations on campus. Christian Union Lumine is also planning to help host this ministry at Columbia University at the end of the month in an aim to make Jesus the most talked-about name on campus. 


 "Give Me An Answer" ministry at Cornell University

Christian Union has ten strategic student leadership development ministries at some of our nation's most secular and influential universities. Christian Union's heart is to see college students build their lives on the truth and power of Christ. This spring from the west coast to the east, they are working to help equip student leaders to reach as many open hearts and minds as possible with the gospel.  To Him be all the glory.

Learn more about Christian Union Universities here. 

Testimonies Reveal God is at Work in America's Most Influential Universities

By erin conner, writer and communications associate

Universities such as Brown, Cornell, Princeton, and Yale produce a disproportionate number of influential leaders across the nation, as these schools fall into the top ranking universities in America. In fact, almost seventy percent of America's most influential leaders graduate from just 20 of America's 3000+ undergraduate educational institutions. 

Across America, many believe that these schools are too secular to see a move of God, but others believe that these schools sit at the heart of a future national revival. Despite the increase in destructive ideologies that are pervasive in these types of institutions, God is on the move to demonstrate truth, love, and the way out of a secular culture and mindset of depavity, deception, and despair. 



Christian Union ministry leaders who serve students at each of the schools were asked last spring to share how they have seen God working on their respective campuses. 

Providence, Rhode Island

Sheri Casali, ministry fellow for Christian Union Libertas at Brown, shared, "As this year comes to a close, I am reflecting on the steadfast faithfulness of our God. He has exceeded our expectations and answered many prayers. I remember in September, asking for prayer for full, vibrant Bible courses. This year, we have had an abundant overflow of Brown students participating in weekly Bible courses. In addition to full Bible courses, we prayed for gospel exposures and the name of Jesus to saturate the entire campus of this University. Starting with freshman campaign, where we had a string of events all throughout September to welcome students, as well as worship events on campus, tabling and handing out books and scripture tracts, and our latest campaign, CU Rise, we have had an incredible amount of gospel exposures!" Casali continued, "This year, we have had more students dive into questions about Christianity than I have ever seen in years past.  It is evidence that the Lord of the harvest is on the move on our campus!" 

Ithaca, New York

"We have had an incredible semester in our Christian Union Bible courses at Cornell, with new students continuing to join the community on an almost weekly basis. We celebrate the Lord’s continuing faithfulness to grow the ministry as we coach and train close to 100 future Christian leaders to seek the Lord wholeheartedly. The sense of community has also continued to grow stronger as our students have studied, worshiped, and shared the good news of Jesus throughout the spring," shared Marcus Buckley, ministry director of Christian Union Vita at Cornell University. 

"Our monthly worship events have continued to grow and attract new students, and have provided a critical time of spiritual refreshing and time in the Word. The Mott Center is being filled to the point that we are in the process of securing an auditorium on campus large enough to better accommodate all for worship nights in the future!"

Princeton, New Jersey

"Our freshman men gathered together for a BBQ and firepit and reflected on their experiences this year at Princeton. Invariably, they answered that the best part about Princeton is the Christian community and the friends they’ve made in Christian Union," shared ministry director of Christian Union Nova at Princeton, Mike Vincent. 

"The CU outreach team at Princeton led a campus-wide initiative called 'Doubts for Donuts' during which students were able to write in to us their doubts and questions about Christianity and receive a visit from one of our students with a donut and an answer to their question. We had many responses and wonderful conversations with many students including some lengthy conversations about faith with unbelievers, one of whom expressed interest in coming to some of our events! We also found some Christians who have been floundering in their faith and wanted to get more involved." 

New Haven, Connecticut

Jeff Walsh, ministry director for Christian Union Lux at Yale, said, "I'd like to share some testimonies from our students about how the semester is wrapping up here at Yale following their massive prayer and worship night. At Christian Union Lux's final Leadership Lecture Series to close out this semester, over 50 students were in attendance. CU Lux closes out each semester with a traditional ‘Stones of Remembrance Night’ where students share their testimonies. Both segments of worship and student sharing were powerful this past week." 

Walsh continued, "God is at work in these students' lives! Students shared testimonies of having wonderful breakthroughs and healing from physical ailments, fear, sexual addictions, anxiety, suicide ideation, and unbelief. The testimonies shared this night included how Christian Union has helped to empower students to hear God speak, to be built up and strengthened in community, to be enabled to walk in peace, and to learn to trust God in the midst of the demands of school and work. Students are leaving the school year filled with the living presence of the Lord. To God be all the glory." 

From testimonies such as these, it is evident that God is moving in meaningful ways at some of the most secular places in America. Christian Union ministry directors, fellows, and students are living proof that there is hope in a culture of despair: His name is Jesus. 

Learn more about how to join this movement to make Christ known by visiting ChristianUnion.org.

Student Leadership Ministry Equips Students to Share Christ 

By erin conner, writer and communications associate

As Christians around the world prepare their hearts this Lenten season to acknowledge Christ's death and resurrection, Christian Union is preparing student leaders to boldly proclaim the gospel.

Every spring, Christian Union holds an eight-week evangelism campaign across their ten ministries at some of our nation's most secular and influential schools, equipping students to share the gospel in multiple, meaningful ways. From social media ads to initiating conversations with strangers in the street to hosting highly visible, large group events on campus, student leaders are devoted to sharing the life-giving message of Jesus Christ to all who have ears to hear.  

Different types of evangelism can be found in the pages of Scripture. Sometimes, new converts gathered friends and family members to hear the good news. On other occasions, Jesus or the disciples preach openly to crowds of people, some of whom are friendly and some hostile. On other occasions, evangelism is accompanied with miraculous signs to give glory to God. Christian Union recognizes that it can be tempting to identify one particular methodology of gospel proclamation as the most important but maintains that the Biblical model of evangelism is a comprehensive approach.  

This month, Christian Union Nova at Princeton University is kicking off this comprehensive outreach campaign by hosting a one-week student conference entitled CU Proclaim for students at Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Harvard Law.This conference is a powerful gathering designed to ignite students' faith, deepen their spiritual walk, and equip them to boldly and comprehensively proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ on their campuses and beyond. 

At these conferences, students step into an atmosphere of unity, passion, and purpose, where they connect with other faith-driven students from influential universities across the nation to pray together, grow together, and sharpen one another in preparation to make Jesus known to their generation. 

This year, Christian Union is honored to host Pastor Carter Conlon, General Overseer of Times Square Church and author of Fear Not and It’s Time to Pray. His dynamic, Spirit-led teaching is set to equip and empower students to walk in boldness, deepen their faith, and step into their calling. 

At last year's conference, held at Cornell University, one student shared with Marcus Buckley, the Ministry Director of Christian Union Vita, that he wondered how he was ever going to be bold enough to share Jesus with complete strangers by just walking up to them. By the end of the week, this same student could not be stopped, asking for more opportunities to go out and share with strangers. Students, by the grace and power of God, are taking the demonstrative love of Christ into their spheres of influence and Christian Union is helping to equip them for this.

In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Matt Bennett, Founder and President of Christian Union, shared that students at some of America's most influential educational institutions constitute an "unreached people group" with such a low percentage of the student body and faculty identifying as Christians. CBN's article about the interview stated, "Bennett made a sobering statement that underscores the dire state of spiritual affairs and intense lostness at many of these colleges, when he said, 'What's shocking is that, in this audience, you have fewer practicing Christians than you do, say...in mainland China or a lot of other places that we consider unreached.'"

Bennett also shared in this interview that, in his experience over the last twenty-plus years of providing ministry in some of the most spiritually dark places in our country, personal connection, not a campaign, is ultimately what inspires an individual to accept the gospel. However, it seems people need to encounter several touchpoints with the gospel before going to a trustworthy Christian in their life with their questions. Consequently, each and every Christian's role is to have the courage to be known as a Christian in their sphere of influence, so that when someone is seeking Truth, they know to whom to turn for direction to find and follow Him. 

Christian Union's boldness reminds all Christians that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the hope of all the world and that followers of God are privileged and duty-bound to proclaim it far and wide in the power of the Holy Spirit. No other message on earth is more important to communicate than the opportunity of reconciliation with God by grace through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. 

Christianity’s mission to the world is one of love. Nothing is more loving than letting people know how eager God is to wipe away all their sins and to replace death with life, ashes with beauty, and captivity with freedom through faith in Christ.  

Watch a related 12-minute CBNNews interview here. 

When God Woke Up Wales

By erin conner, writer and communications associate

In an article published by Desiring God, Pastor Jeremy Walker writes a brief summary and analysis of the revival that took place in Wales, England in the  1700's. Walker notably writes that “the Lord was pleased to stir the listless and lethargic to liveliness and labor during the 18th Century in various parts of the world by various human instruments. In England, God raised up George Whitefield. In America… Jonathan Edwards, and in Wales… Daniel Rowland.” 

Oscar-Nominated Film Discussion Set to Unite Students and Alumni 

By erin conner, writer and communications associate

In 2021, Christian Union alumni from Columbia and Penn gathered to discuss religious themes in film. This event was spearheaded by Columbia alumnus and Film and Media Studies major Stephen Cone ’20. Participants of the event gathered, in part, at Christian Union's Ministry Center at Columbia for a discussion entitled, “Where Is God in the Movies?”

Attendees enjoyed a presentation from Cone that examined the role of religion in Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven (1978). The discussion that followed focused on how Christian artists can represent and convey their faith through their chosen medium. Megan Foo, '19 alumna of Penn who currently works in Hong Kong, was in attendance that day. She enjoyed the event so much that she decided to help Cone plan a similar event on Jane Campion's 'The Power of the Dog' in 2022. 

Inspiring Imagination and Adventure in Young Adults

By erin conner, writer & communications associate  

"God has been in this quite literally since the very beginning," said Cassandra James, Princeton '23, as she reflected on her professional writing career.  

"As a child, I was an absolute bookworm, and I would max out my library  card. I aged out of kids' literature and wanted to read more stories but couldn't find the kind of stories I desired to read, so my mother dared me, 'If you can't find it, write it.'" 

So, she did.

One Student Ministry's Unstoppable Heart to See God Transform Lives

by Erin conner, writer & communications associate

It's not easy or convenient to plan a weekend away. It is much easier to choose not to disrupt the pattern of life and to stay within the confines of routine. Disruption is not easy for anyone, but it is especially difficult for Ivy League students. Their rigorous academic schedules are full of the demands and pressures of achievement at the highest level, so stepping away from it all during the school year is nothing short of revolutionary.

Stepping away to retreat with the Lord and with each other is a beautiful gateway into the freedom Christ came to give--freedom, in part, from the weight of the standards, values, and identity placed upon us by the world. The students of Christian Union are learning to live in this kind of freedom, and, as a result, they are sharing it with others. 

The Heart of Christian Union's Ministry for Each and Every "One"

by erin conner, writer and communications associate