University of Pennsylvania

Dear Friends and Partners of Penn,

The second semester is in full swing and the students are now preparing for mid-term exams this week and next. Incredibly, spring break is a mere 3 weeks away, and both students and Ministry Fellows are ready for a break.

To our friends and partners in the Gospel,

It is a new year and with it comes many new opportunities for our God to do a new thing on campus at Penn. This past semester saw the creation of a new Christian journal at Penn, Locust Walk, and we are excited to see many of our students take on roles as writers and staff to bring this space for dialogue to the campus.

To our friends and partners in the Gospel,

This month here at Christian Union at Penn we have seen great growth and leadership amongst our students. It has been a sprint coming off Thanksgiving Break. These compact weeks have challenged students to find balance between finding excellence in their academics, while also working to keep a positive and effective testimony for Christ. They strive to see and live out God’s will while being saturated with worldly expectations. God has shown to be faithful through miraculous moments of encouragement and exhortation; we are very thankful!

Dear Friends and Partners of Penn,

My family is new to Philadelphia and Christian Union at the University of Pennsylvania, and at times it seems as though we’ve crammed 3 years into our 3 months here. But what a joy it has been. We have seen God working in the students of Penn, in the churches of Philly, and in the ministry team here of which I’m overjoyed to be a member. Thank you for your continued prayers for myself and my family, and the prayers for the other new Ministry Fellow, Kelly Schaaf, and her family, and Ministry Director Justin Mills and his family.

Since 2013 CU Martus has worked to bring spiritual transformation and renewal to campus by seeking the Lord, growing in knowledge and love of His Word, and thoughtfully engaging Penn with the gospel.

The high-caliber ministry faculty at CU Martus teach intellectually rigorous Bible courses, disciple students one-on-one, and coach students to develop as Christian leaders.

CU Martus also offers conferences and retreats each semester and a weekly leadership lecture series called Philia, which features great worship, talks from compelling speakers, and space for students to grow together in fellowship.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cory Lotspeich

Christian Union Director of Undergraduate Ministry at Penn

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Cory holds a Masters in Arts of Organizational Leadership from Regent University. Throughout his professional career he has consulted executive leaders, served in non-profit organizations, vocational ministry, and in the military as a Marine and government contractor for the Navy’s Wounded Warrior program for expeditionary forces and their families.

Cory enjoys mountain biking and spending time with his wife and two boys outdoors.

Sarah Hickenbotham

Ministry Fellow

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Sarah has had a desire to serve Jesus since she was very young. Growing up in Northern Virginia, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in music education from George Mason University. However, her greatest joys came from coaching high school and college students in an evangelistic ministry, which she served in for over ten years.

Throughout her career changes, God providentially used aspects of each job Sarah has had to prepare her for the role of the Women’s Ministry Fellow at CU Martus. She has the heart to see Penn students transformed by the Gospel and become witnesses for Christ.

Sarah and her husband currently reside in New Jersey with their two cats, and serve in the music ministry at their church. They enjoy board games, traveling together, and spending time with loved ones.