Seeking God

Virtual Women’s Bible Course at Brown Stays Connected   

By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer

The women of Christian Union Libertas at Brown University are using this season to dig deep. Although the fall and spring semesters are very different than in previous years, with most students taking classes remotely, the women’s side of the ministry has found ways to deepen their connections with one another. 

Ministry Fellow Laurel Copp realized that things would need to look different this academic year in order to engage students well, so she took two of the Chrisitan Union foundations, Bible course and discipleship, and reimagined them. While much is the same, a lot is different, as Copp believes this year can be one of substantial growth. 

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. 

CU Bible Courses for Female Athletes Thrive at Cornell

By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer

Athletes understand the concept of family; a group of people you might not have chosen becoming the ones with whom you share life. The team forms such a family where sacrifice and faith in one another drive these individuals towards a common goal. It’s no wonder that athletes share a particularly special bond when they come together around the Gospel. And the female athletes at Cornell have been doing just that.

Watt ’22 Is a Gracious Host and Leader

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

The extraordinary leadership of Caleb Watt has helped Christian Union Martus stay connected and in community for the last year, especially during the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of Pennsylvania.

Freshmen Enjoy Leadership Roles During Annual Dinner 

By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer

Thanksgiving was a different holiday for most people this year, but thanks to the leadership and creativity of the freshman class, Christian Union Vox’s turkey dinner was one of the highlights of a socially-distanced semester. The annual event offers a unique chance for the freshmen to lead as well as an opportunity to invite non-Christian students to share a meal and hear the Gospel. With this year’s challenges due to COVID-19, the freshmen pulled off an impressive and impactful event. 

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.

Being Home When Home Is Hard 

by daniel chabeda, yale ’20 

Editor’s note: The following devotional was written by Daniel Chabeda, who served as a student president of Christian Union Lux at Yale University before graduating in May. This devotional was part of a series entitled “On Our Hearts, On Our Minds,” that encouraged the Christian Union community in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Christian Union Lux Helps Produce National Event

by tom campisi, managing editor

Christian Union Lux was honored to host the Collegiate Day of Prayer at Yale University on the evening of February 27 in Dwight Chapel. The two-hour event assembled Yale ministries in united prayer, worship, and exhortation from Scripture, and also served as the national broadcast for over forty thousand online viewers.

Over two hundred years ago, Yale, along with Williams College, Brown University, and Middlebury College, established the Collegiate Day of Prayer as a regular event on their campuses. By 1823, almost every major denomination and university in America “embraced the practice of a concerted day of prayer for colleges,” according to the Collegiate Day of Prayer Web site. The event lasted for about a hundred years and helped fan the flame of various revivals and awakenings on campus.

Semester Brings Joy, Challenges to Christian Union Gloria Law

by catherine elvy, staff writer

Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard Law School celebrated a major milestone in December 2019, just before a spring semester that would require students to maintain their faith and fellowship under difficult circumstances.

After concentrated work from a group of student leaders, Harvard Law School recognized Christian Union Gloria Law as an official organization, six years after it was launched. With recognition status, the ministry can reserve space on campus and gain better access to students while providing strategic leadership training.

“We are growing in community, reach, and impact,” said Justin Yim, Christian Union’s ministry director at Harvard Law School (HLS).

Jeon ’21 Led Daily Prayer Initiative in Winter 

by luke brown, dartmouth ’18

Students who steadfastly committed to daily corporate prayer experienced an abundance of spiritual growth during the winter quarter at Dartmouth.

Meeting every morning, this student-led gathering was wholeheartedly devoted to each other, to prayer, and to God before the COVID-19 outbreak shut down the Dartmouth campus. They prayed fervently, shared news of answered prayer, and were committed to flourishing Christ-centered relationships.

The daily prayer initiative was started by Paul Jeon ’21, who serves on Christian Union Vox’s Student Executive Team. Christian Union Vox is the Christian Union ministry at Dartmouth. 

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.”

Bae and Payne among Ministry’s First Graduating Class

by rachel mari, contributing writer

Though commencement plans for Stanford’s Class of 2020 have been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Caritas, Christian Union’s ministry at Stanford, will celebrate its first graduating class since its inception four years ago.

Garrett Brown, Christian Union’s ministry director at Stanford, said it was “bittersweet” that those students could not finish the year on campus, but rejoiced at what this class had accomplished.

Christian Union Day and Night Leads National Fast  

by catherine elvy, staff writer

Christian Union Day and Night recently called believers across the United States to an extended time of prayer, fasting, and repentance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the spring, 4,700-plus individuals signed up to fast and intercede in the wake of the global health crisis. Though the fast originally was scheduled to run for 40 days starting on March 18, Christian Union Day and Night extended instructional programming through May to support more concerted prayer.

A 35-Year Reflection from New York City 

by dr. mac pier

When my wife Marya and I arrived in New York City in 1984 I used three adjectives to describe the city. The Big Apple was broke, violent, and under-churched in many communities. The front page of the October 30, 1975, Daily News read: “Ford to City: Drop Dead” after President Ford denied federal assistance to spare New York from bankruptcy.

In 1984, a decade of racial violence began when Bernard Goetz, a German, shot five unarmed African-American men on the subway. In 1994, the murder rate spiked at twenty-four hundred murders, or eight a day for a year. According to Jeffrey Burke, the NYPD chief forensic dentist, the city morgue simply ran out of room.

Carreon Is New Christian Union Ministry Fellow

by tom campisi, managing editor

Abigail Carreon has a passion to help some of the nation’s brightest young minds explore questions of faith and grow deeper in their walk with Jesus Christ.

A new ministry fellow at Stanford University with Caritas, Christian Union’s ministry on that campus, Carreon also serves as leader with the Veritas Forum at Stanford and the University of California-Berkeley. With Caritas, she leads Bible courses and mentors students with one-on-one discipleship and life coaching. In her role as Veritas Host, she focuses on organizing teams and supporting forums, discussions, and long-term projects.

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.

by whit hazelton 

Remember the tape desk at church? I bet your church had one. As a child, I watched the adults drop a dollar or two in the donation box for a recording of last week’s sermon on audio cassette. Maybe they had missed the service, or perhaps they had enjoyed the sermon so much that they wanted to buy a tape for their friend. I remember that the tapes were pretty popular. More than a few copies were made each week for consumption by a small congregation.

Lecture Focuses on Spiritual Intimacy

“We are seeking to draw people into all aspects of the faith,” said Scott Crosby, ministry director of Christian Union New York. “We want to make the supernatural aspects of Christianity a little more natural to engage. The supernatural is very common in other parts of the world.”

Christian Union offers ministry to young professionals in New York City. From his base in Manhattan, Crosby oversees Bible courses, mentoring sessions, industry network gatherings, forums, and other events.

Ministry Fellows, Student Leaders Host Welcoming Campaign

In August, Christian Union at Cornell hosted its annual pre-retreat, a strategic event for students and ministry fellows in preparation of its three-week Freshman Welcoming Campaign at the beginning of the academic year.

At the retreat, students were reminded of the importance of being centered on the Gospel as the motive for all that they do. Ministry Fellow Jordan Cooper spoke on Romans 1:16, emphasizing that Jesus ought to have the highest priority in our lives. Ministry Fellow Liz Thomforde echoed the sentiment, and reiterated the importance of being mindful that Christ’s sacrifice is why we serve in our different roles within the ministry. Through prayer, worship, devotionals, large group discussions, and conversations around the campfire, the focus was on Jesus Christ, and how He is the ultimate reason for reaching out to freshmen and welcoming them to Cornell.

Tehn-Addy ’21 Interns with NYC Department of Health

A Columbia University junior is jumpstarting a career focused on delivering medical services to disadvantaged patients.

Anne-Marie Tehn-Addy ’21 spent the summer interning for New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she worked with the Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Unit. As part of her role, Tehn-Addy helped immigrant mothers manage and prevent the spread of the potentially life-threatening infection.