November 2015
Thank you, friends, for your continued partnership in our ministry through your prayers and financial support. By God’s grace, the student ministry at Princeton continues to move forward; students attend weekly Bible courses, Friday night lectures, prayer meetings, and discipleship activities. Young men and women who have never before encountered the true biblical gospel of Jesus Christ are coming face to face with the only Savior, as our ministry fellows and students are boldly and courageously sharing their faith. This continues to be, for me, a thrilling ministry in which to be involved. Let me just share a few pictures – from November – of what day-to-day ministry looks like for us here “on the ground” at Princeton.
In one Bible course, all but one of the young men are enjoying their first-ever experience digging into God’s Word as a group. They are eager to learn, consistently attending, and actively engaged. It is my prayer that, in this particular group, we will see at least a few of these men turn in faith to Jesus Christ for the first time; this would change the entire trajectory of their lives!
One group of Christian students is meeting, even as I write this, with hopes of beginning to transform the social culture here at Princeton. These students have observed the way that typical Princeton students have “fun” on the weekends – through binge drinking, partying, and the pursuit of meaningless sexual encounters. Their hope is to establish together a new wave of social engagement, led by Christians that will offer alternative ways to connect relationally over the weekends. Even as this initiative will seek to reach the campus for its overall good, it will also be a way for Christians to invite those who don’t yet know Jesus into Christian community.
Just a week ago, Dr. Vincent Bacote, from Wheaton College, spoke to a combined gathering of four of the largest Christian student organizations on campus. Many students were encouraged by his message, which was focused on persevering for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, even in the midst of adversity. The night before, Dr. Bacote led a “Truth Forum” gathering, again with students from multiple campus ministries, focused on a biblical foundation for engagement with social justice and race-related issues. We were grateful for his messages, and the students benefitted greatly.
Please continue to pray for us! It’s been a tense few weeks, with race-related protests going on at many of the Ivy League campuses, including our own. We are praying for unity in the Lord Jesus Christ among the believers here for the sake of witness and transformation – both for the campus, and for the world in the years to come.
Jon Nielson
Christian Union Ministry Director
Princeton University
previous >
Please note: if you would like to receive regular updates on how to pray for Christian Union's work at Princeton, please email prayer@christianunion.org.