Princeton

Student Leaders Welcome Freshmen; Resume In-Person Ministry

By Leah M. Smith, Princeton ’22

The first floor of the Melrose Center is reduced to a low hum; sounds of chatter from a senior women’s Bible course waft down the stairs to join the smell of Domino’s pizza. A few people sprinkle the chairs in front of the TV in the extended dining room, while others hover in the back, laptops out, pens pressed to paper. It’s a typical Monday night for Christian Union Nova at Princeton, where Monday Night Football and studying late into the night has become a Melrose norm.

Christian Union Event Inspires Young Leaders

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

Students with Christian Union ministries at some of the nation’s most influential universities gathered virtually last spring for a Seeking God Lifestyle Seminar. For eight evenings, attendees heard inspiring teaching on topics ranging from repentance to revival, gathered in cohorts, and sought to draw closer to the Lord.
 

Hope for Restless Souls

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you. — Psalm 63:1

What does it mean to “earnestly” seek the Lord? According to Oxford Languages, the adverb earnestlymeans “with sincere and intense conviction; seriously.”

CU Nova Leader Interns with Goldman Sachs

By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer

Goldman Sachs, a premier investment banking, securities, and investment management group, is known for offering a handful of remarkable college-aged students a grueling internship where they often log eighty hours per week. The intensity of these positions is notorious, allowing only a select bunch of top students to say, “I got Goldman” when they come through the recruiting season for finance positions. 

Grandson of Evangelist Recalls Defining Moment

By Will Graham

Editor’s note: The following article was written by Will Graham, grandson of Billy Graham and vice president and associate evangelist at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Article was first published in 2014, four years before the passing of Billy Graham; Reprinted with permission.

On a daily basis I’m blessed with memories and stories of the many ways God chose to use my grandfather to reach people around the world over the course of many decades. Nearly everywhere I go people stop to tell me about how entire families and generations were impacted by his ministry. It’s humbling.

CU Day and Night Hosts Nationwide Event

By Dr. Chuck Hetzler

“I really do not remember how I came to find Christian Union, ‘It just happened.’” 

Even though Kimberly Brown cannot recall how she discovered Christian Union, she is very clear about the life-changing impact CU Day and Night has had on her. 

CU Nova Hosts Alumni Panel

By Kelly Parks, Staff Writer

The mission of Christian Union is to connect and develop Christian leaders to create a spiritually vibrant nation marked by Christian values permeating every corner of society. One of the main methods through which Christian Union strives to accomplish this goal is by ministering to Christian students at some of the nation's most influential universities to boldly live out their faith in whichever career path they pursue post-graduation.

Q and A with Dr. Vincent Naman

By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer

Christian Union New York has teamed up with the ministry’s alumni engagement team to connect recent graduates and young professionals to mentors who work in the same field. Part of Christian Union’s mission is to transition college seniors into the workforce or graduate school well, linking  them with a broad Christian network to support and sustain their faith while also networking professionally. 

CU Nova’s Tru Thursday Refocuses Outreach Efforts

By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer

Prior to the current academic year, a handful of zealous Princeton University student leaders were given the reigns of TruThursday, the African, African American, and Caribbean culture leadership lecture series at Christian Union Nova. The team transformed the weekly gathering into one of the most popular events in the ministry. 

Christian Union Nova at Princeton

"Christian Union has definitely had a very impactful time on me during me time at Princeton and I definitely don't know where I would be without it." -Andrew Hama, Princeton '22

May 21, 2021

Princeton University Professors Among Founding Members

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

Princeton University Professors Robert P. George and Keith Whittington are among the founding members of the recently-formed Academic Freedom Alliance. The organization, which seeks to defend freedom of speech on college campuses, includes over two-hundred scholars, representing a spectrum of academic disciplines and political perspectives.

Princeton Alumnus Is Concerned by Decision 

Ryan T. Anderson knew his book would be controversial in some circles. When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Momentprovided a robust scientific, philosophical, medical, and legal examination of our nation’s rapidly changing understanding of transgenderism as soon as it was released a little over three years ago. A Princeton alumnus ('04) and speaker for Christian Union events, Anderson earned his Ph.D. in political philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. 

Christian Union Bible Courses Are a Virtual Training Ground at Princeton

By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer

Christian Union Nova, the student organization at Princeton University, was forced to get creative as it considered how to manage nearly twenty online Bible courses among only three ministry fellows this fall. Students wanted to stay in their regular Bible courses since they are places of growth, personal sharing, and deep spiritual friendship. In order to care for these students well, while also ensuring that they would receive high-quality instruction as they studied the Gospel of Mark, Christian Union Nova faculty created a new method of teaching. 

Nova’s Sending Team Focuses on Evangelism Training

by catherine elvy, staff writer

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, students involved with Christian Union Nova at Princeton University took a deep dive into evangelism.

During April and May, about fifteen students participated in video conference calls to discover how to share the Good News more effectively in their everyday lives, both on campus and beyond.

“God is doing something on our campus. Our prayer leaders have been praying about how to reach the campus,” said Christopher Heslep, ministry director at Princeton University.

Caritas Is Engaged in Summer Bible Study

by catherine elvy, staff writer

Young adults involved in Caritas, Christian Union’s ministry to Stanford University students, are discovering new insights into the foundational truths of Genesis.

In late June, Ministry Fellow Justin Woyak began leading a virtual summer study devoted to unpacking the themes and wonders of the Bible’s first book. “There’s a lot to dig into,” said Woyak, Princeton ’09. “There are so many threads of the Bible’s storyline that begin here.” 

A dozen students are participating in the online studies, which are held on Tuesday evenings and will continue into early September. Stanford students from varying collegiate stages are taking part in the calls, including two incoming freshmen. 

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, Christian Union’s ministry team at Stanford moved the gatherings to an electronic format for summer 2020. 

Former Toro CEO Was a Prominent Supporter of Christian Union

Melrose passed away on May 3, 2020. The former chairman and CEO of The Toro Company, founder of Leading by Serving, LLC, and primary donor for Christian Union’s Melrose Center for Christian Leadership at Princeton, will be remembered for his deep love for Christ, his passion for leadership, and his profound generosity. 

Student-led Prayer Enhances Ski Safari 

by eileen scott, contributing writer

Christian Union Nova’s annual Ski Safari in Upstate New York offered Princeton students a holy space where the Spirit moved and attendees bonded through fellowship and fervent prayer. In late January, approximately seventy students and Christian Union faculty attended the five-day event at Camp of the Woods in Speculator, New York.

Nicole Williams ’22 discerned the palpable presence of God at Ski Safari. “Many of us, in our devotion time, felt God highlighting the importance of prayer,” said Williams. “As friends shared with one another, it seemed to affirm what God was speaking to us individually. Many of my peers had a hunger for prayer that they previously did not have.”

May 31, 2020

Nova’s Upperclassmen Enjoy Mentoring Roles

by tom campisi, managing editor

Andrew Lin is committed to the biblical mandate of making disciples.

Lin is a member of Nova, Christian Union’s ministry at Princeton. The computer science major from Dallas, Texas, serves as a co-leader of Nova’s discipleship team, a group of upperclassmen who regularly meet with younger students to study the Bible, pray, and serve as mentors.