September 2015
Dear Friends and Family of HCFA,
I hope you are enjoying the final days of summer. We are beginning to see signs of fall in Cambridge—cool mornings, a few leaves turning, and most importantly a new class of freshmen. Harvard College Faith and Action (HCFA) marks the transition from summer to fall with pre-retreat; a retreat specifically for the encouragement and training of our student leaders. During the last week of August, we headed to Vermont for a four-day retreat. It is one of our favorite events as students have been away for the summer, are able to reconnect with one another, are not stressed or worried about homework, and get to spend a few days away from Harvard in a beautiful setting. We are also able to cast vision for the coming year and the fast approaching freshman outreach that we do in the first weeks of September. It is so exciting to talk about why we do outreach as a ministry, why we go out of our way to invite new students into the community of HCFA and watch as our students see the beauty of going on mission for their campus.
Our freshman outreach has been wonderful and tiring. We have spent the past three weeks hosting events like a women’s tea, a picnic by the Charles, dinner out in Harvard Square, DOXA and our first Bible course meetings. We have had the delight of getting to meet and talk with dozens of new students and we are thrilled to be filling out six freshman Bible courses—three men’s and three women’s. This week will be our first week of courses as we begin our study of Colossians. We will also be heading to New Hampshire on Friday for our fall retreat. Please pray that these freshmen would find a home and community in HCFA, that they would be known and cared for, and that they would come to know and experience the love of Christ and His good news in new ways this semester. Pray that deep relationships would begin to be formed and the Lord would protect these new students from fear, anxiety, and loneliness.
Another development in the life of HCFA is the transition of our teaching fellow Nick Nowalk away from Harvard. Nick will assume the role of "senior teaching fellow" and work remotely from North Carolina where his family is relocating. This development, though surprising in many ways, is also an encouraging move for the Nowalk’s as they will be closer to family. Kasey, Nick’s wife, has also struggled with her health and the climate of NC should be much more conducive to her wellbeing. Please be in prayer for the Nowalks as they make this major transition. Pray for Kasey’s health and that Nick would grow into this new position. The staff and students of HCFA are certainly at a loss to express how much we will miss Nick’s presence on campus, but he will be able to stay connected to the community in several ways like giving talks at DOXA a few times in the semester and joining us on retreats.
We are also overjoyed to be welcoming two new staff members to our HCFA team. Jon Yeager is relocating from the Yale Christian Union team with his wife Brittany and their daughter Ellie. Jon has already won over our students and he is doing an amazing job learning the culture of Harvard and adjusting to a new city very quickly. Christine Shin is also joining staff as a part-time ministry fellow. We hope that she will become full time even next semester because we have great need of her. She taught two women’s Bible courses in the spring while she was finishing her MDiv at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Please pray for these two new members as they adjust to working at Harvard!
As usual, thank you for your support and prayers. We are so grateful for each one of you.
Anne Kerhoulas
Christian Union Ministry Fellow
Harvard University
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