May 2013
Please note: if you would like to receive regular updates on how to pray for Christian Union's work at Dartmouth, please email prayer@christian-union.org.Hello from Hanover, New Hampshire! Thank you for praying for Christian Union's ministry at Dartmouth College. The Lord remains faithful and continues to draw students to Himself!
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." 2 Corinthians 4:7
Recognition
Please pray for the recognition process of Dartmouth Faith and Action as DFA, a student organization supported by Christian Union, was denied recognition again, for the second time, by the Council of Student Organizations (COSO). This most recent denial came on February 27, 2013, when, after being rejected the first time by COSO last year, DFA officers made the COSO requested changes to the group's constitution and represented their request for recognition. After a one-hour meeting that was at times hostile, COSO denied recognition again presenting new information and reasons for denial that they did not mention before.As you pray for DFA to be recognized, please also pray for the students involved in DFA. All they want is to stop being discriminated against simply because they are a student religious group and to be granted the same freedom of speech, freedom of association and equal standing promised by Dartmouth and given to 160 other student groups recognized under COSO.
It is interesting to note that all of the student groups on the other Ivy League campuses that CU supports (Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Cornell) go through the same application process as any other student group on that campus, regardless of being religious in nature. It is alarming that Dartmouth does not allow the same freedom of expression and association of religious groups as non-religious groups when these other nationally ranked universities provide this kind of freedom and respect.
Read a summary of the DFA recognition process >>
Bible Courses
Despite the difficulties related to recognition, God is still at work. To date, there are more than eighty students involved in Bible courses.Freshmen (16's) are going through the "Sex and Spirituality" Bible course, learning about God's purposes for sex and marriage as they relate to the overall biblical narrative. It has been encouraging to see students embrace God's teachings on sex and marriage that are so countercultural, and yet so beautiful. Please pray that the 16's continue to grasp God's heart for marriage and sex in the midst of a hook-up culture.
As the sophomores (15's) study through the book of Acts, they are learning that Jesus' mission is meant to be fulfilled by the church. Please pray that the 15's are personally transformed as they study the book of Acts. Pray that they might have the same boldness, courage and passion to testify to the Gospel as was displayed by the early church and the apostles.
New Student Leaders
Several new leaders have been selected by the students to join the executive team for Christian Union at Dartmouth. These six students oversee the ministry at Dartmouth, giving special attention to the particular spiritual and relational needs of the student group. They are doing a wonderful job. They have immediately taken ownership of their leadership positions and have already begun implementing their plans to see the ministry develop.Pray for these students to truly grow in their leadership development. Pray that God guides and directs the executive team in their decisions for the ministry.
Spring Break
In March, a group of nine students from Dartmouth joined around seventy five other students from the Ivy League schools for a Christian Union spring break trip to New York City.The students spread throughout the city and served at homeless mission centers, a ministry to expectant mothers, two different ministries focused on the effects of Hurricane Sandy, World Vision, and a clinic for college writing. Students also went to Central Park in groups of two, where they conducted spiritual surveys and had evangelistic conversations with people. They met various CU donors in NYC, and heard from Ivy League alumni on the topic of integrating faith and vocation.
It was a very fruitful trip, and we are still seeing the effects of that trip in the lives of the students who attended! One of the guys mentioned how he learned the importance of humility, as he served in a capacity that was "unseen" during the trip. One of the girls was challenged to not hoard her musical gifts, but instead use them to lead worship within Christian Union at Dartmouth. Another student said that she now wanted to seek God with all her heart on a day to day basis. Praise God for how He moved through the NYC spring break mission trip.
SpokenWord
At the end of March, Josh Echeberi (Dartmouth '14) competed in the Christian Union sponsored event, "spokenWord 2013," an Ivy League Bible memorization challenge. He did a phenomenal job performing his Scripture memorization in "spoken word" format. Not only did he do an amazing job, he ended up winning the entire competition. Check out Josh's inspiring performance and personal interview >>Praying Parents
A group of Dartmouth parents is being organized to pray together via a conference bridge call. This bi-weekly call will be facilitated by parent volunteers whose students currently attend Dartmouth. Please note that this group is not a Christian Union sponsored activity. However, if you are interested in participating -- or know of Dartmouth parents who would be interested, you can email prayingparents@christian-union.org, and a Christian Union staff member will help connect you with the Dartmouth prayer group facilitators.We thank you for your many prayers over the Christian Union's ministry at Dartmouth. As you pray over DFA's recognition process, the Bible Courses among the 16's and upperclassmen, and the executive team's leadership of the ministry, remember that the Father is always at work and that He will accomplish His good purposes at Dartmouth as we trust Him!
We praise Him for all that He is doing and has done through both Bible Courses, the spring break trip to NYC, and the day-in-day-out discipleship that is taking place in the students' lives.
God bless you as you seek Him!
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:7-9
Caroline Albanese
Ministry Fellow
February 2013
