“The guys have been missing getting together...”
Those words were spoken by one of the football players after meeting up for a one-on-one in the summer describing our Bible course group from the spring. The students will be wrapping up summer classes or internships and heading home for a few weeks before the fall semester. On behalf of all the students who are a part of CU Lumine, thank you for your continued support and prayers for this ministry. We could not have done this past year without you. Your faithful prayers and financial giving have truly made an impact on the lives of students at Columbia University.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. — Hebrews 1:14
Christian Union had an amazing faculty and staff conference during the first week of August. Thank you for praying for us! For five days straight we spent almost all day reading Scripture, hearing Bible teaching, fasting (except for dinners!), praying, listening to God, confessing and repenting of sin, sharing testimonies, getting to know one another, worshiping God, and more—both together and alone. Not surprisingly, it was an incredible time! For me at least, each day got better and better. God drew near to us as we drew near to Him, praise His Name (James 4:8)! What an incredible God we serve, who dwells “in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isaiah 57:15).
Greetings from Penn!
I am still pushing toward our summer goals of building the support base for CU Martus and CU Fire Retreats. Thankfully, the Lord is blessing those efforts and showing his faithfulness. The summer has also been a great time to seek the Lord, make new connections for the ministry, and write a “game plan” for the upcoming semester.
Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:3-4)
Jesus gave us his recipe for producing fruit. In John 15, he said, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” We will remember summer 2022 as a season in which we abided in Him with the expectation of bearing much fruit. For Jesus also told us, “If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).
October CU Fire Retreat
Brief bios of the October 2024 CU Fire Retreat speakers:Matt Bennett
Matt is the founder and CEO of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization with the mission to bring sweeping spiritual and cultural transformation to our nation and the world by developing and networking Christian leaders to make an impact for Christ. Christian Union focuses its activity on America's most influential universities and professionals in the nation's key cities.
A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned a BS and MBA degree from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He worked for Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) at Princeton University for 12 years, and developed the ministry into one of the largest in the history of the Ivy League. In 2002, he founded Christian Union. The ministry has been featured in The New York Times, PBS, NPR, Christianity Today, and World Magazine.
Matt currently resides in New York City.
. . .
Dimas Salaberrios
In addition to being a NY pastor and the Ministry Associate for CU New York, he is the author of “Street God: The Explosive True Story of a Former Drug Boss,” and his film “Chicago: America’s Hidden War” was recently nominated for an Oscar for “Best Documentary Feature”! Pastor Dimas Salaberrios is a faith leader, film producer, prayer warrior, and author. He is the founder and former pastor of Infinity Bible Church in New York City, and the President Emeritus of Concerts of Prayer Greater New York. Dimas has been on the frontlines of the earthquakes in Haiti, and Hurricane Harvey in Houston. After the shootings in Saint Paul, Dallas, Charleston, and Paris, Dimas organized believers to infiltrate the protests and pray with hurting people. He has also organized prayer during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis and New York City. His directorial debut is titled “Chicago: America’s Hidden War” (https://www.chicagoshiddenwar.com), and he co-produced the documentary film “Emanuel.”
Dimas is married to Tiffany and has three daughters. Learn more about Dimas by visiting http://thedynamiclifeministry.com/pastor-dimas/
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Third Speaker: TBD
Greetings from Christian Union Lumine!
Students are presently back home, in summer internships, or taking classes, but I have the privilege of connecting with a few students who are still in the NYC area or on campus.
As a ministry, we will be spending the bulk of time this summer planning for our Pre-Retreat. Pre-Retreat is a time for our Freshman Welcomers and Ministry Leaders to get away, reconnect with God, rekindle friendships, and plan our freshmen welcoming events for incoming freshmen.
We hope you are having a wonderful summer. Our students are enjoying all kinds of experiences all over the world during their summer break and it is a joy to know that they are shining the light of Christ and the glory of God wherever they are.
Greetings from Cambridge,
I remember my first experience at pre-retreat in our first month on the job in the Fall of 2017. I was blown away as I witnessed dozens of Harvard students worshiping Jesus passionately and praying with an intensity I had rarely seen. I knew immediately this was a special community and that God was doing something spectacular here. I am grateful as I reflect on how the Lord has continued to sustain this love and zeal and spiritual fervor among the CU Gloria students.
God is blessing Christian Union Nova. It’s my prayer that God will continuously bless you as well, showering you with an abundance of His mercy and grace.
On June 29th, I ended a 40-day, one meal-a-day fast that started on May 21st. Our CEO, Matt Bennett encouraged me to press into a season of deep prayer and fasting as we are committed to seeing revival this fall. It is the longest fast I have ever undertaken. My prayers throughout can be summed up by Psalm 105:3-4: “Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength; seek His presence continually!”
Summer greetings! This July we have been reading and discussing (virtually!) Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic book on Christian community, Life Together. The Lord, through Bonhoeffer, has refreshed, humbled, and refocused us. Here is a taste of what we’ve been considering:
Greetings from Penn!
I’m thankful to say that I just returned from vacation where I was able to spend 10 days hiking 100 miles on the Appalachian Trail while seeking the Lord through the Psalms of Ascents. I found this time particularly refreshing, inspiring, and faith-building. The Lord graciously strengthened my “inner man” (Eph 3:16), and I am spurred on by what God has in store for the upcoming academic year as we diligently seek His face.
Thank you for your partnership by praying for the ministry of CU Lux throughout the summer months. The lives of our students continue to be enriched by our summer prayer meetings on Mondays and Fridays and our weekly intercampus prayer calls with students across different Ivy League universities. The student commitment to prayerful connection with God and each other is encouraging. An online prayer board was created to post prayer requests, intercede for others, and share answered prayers.
What a joy it is to partner with you in the gospel going forward through Christian Union NY! As the prayers of righteous men and women like you continue to uplift Christian Union NY, we are witnessing the power and effectiveness of your prayers, again and again, this year (James 5:16). In direct answer to your faithful prayers, we have seen leaders in NYC brimming with kingdom strategy, spreading the good news of Jesus through their communities!
We are anticipating significant expansion this year as Christian Union NY continues to develop and connect transformative Christian leaders in the nation’s most influential cities, right here in NYC. More, Lord Jesus, we pray!
- Pray for the kingdom to come on earth, right here in NYC, as it is in heaven!
- Pray for the 26 university alumni who are moving to NYC for a new season of life post-graduation. Pray that CU NY would be able to wrap around them to help them form a deep, lasting Christian community.
- Pray that 25 total people within NY will volunteer to host a CU Fire Retreat site for this upcoming October 14-15 retreat, bringing spiritual renewal throughout lives and communities in NYC.
- Pray that the Lord would provide for CU NY’s financial needs through faithful believers who support CU NY’s mission and return their blessings from the Lord to the work of God through CU NY!
May the Lord bless you and your family as you remain steadfast in him! Thank you for your faithful, seasoned prayers on behalf of Christian Union New York!
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
This is a wonderful and sad time of year! We had the bittersweet privilege of saying goodbye to our seniors over commencement weekend, celebrating with their families, and wishing them well as they begin the next chapter of their lives. Over the course of four years, we are blessed to witness firsthand the growth and maturation of these young men and women. We see the Lord work in their lives and walk with them through the ups and downs of their college careers. It’s so rewarding and we’re so thankful that we have the opportunity to work with them, even if it’s just for a few all-too-brief years.
Greetings from Christian Union Lumine at Columbia!
This is a bittersweet time of year. I had the privilege of attending commencement and saying goodbye to many seniors and meeting family members for the first time because of the limits created by Covid-19 these past two years. There was a moment when my heart was filled with intense joy and gratefulness for all the Lord has done in the lives of these students. Many came to this campus with so many questions about faith and future. And Jesus lovingly met each of them in a personal way. Your support and prayers have made those moments possible.
This time of year is bittersweet. There is joy in seeing the class of 2022 graduate, excitement for what is in store for them, thankfulness for a rest from classes and work, and anticipation of both the summer term and the new academic year, but it is also difficult. Saying goodbye to students with whom I have spent several years is tough. In John 3:27, as John the Baptist’s followers are leaving to go to Jesus, he says, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” He is essentially telling people that the followers weren’t his and that they belong to Jesus. I tend to think of the students as MY students, MY friends, MY children, and in some sense that is true. The bigger truth, the better truth, is that they belong to God; they aren’t mine, they are His. My sincere hope is that this senior class will take all that they learned here at Dartmouth and use that training to glorify God and bless whatever new community in which they find themselves.
Dear CU Gloria Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
God only knows how many people descended onto Harvard’s aged campus last week as the Classes of 2022, 2021 and 2020 were honored for their achievements. We thank God for the graduates who have aligned themselves with the original founders' intentions “for the glory of Christ.” Please join us in praying a blessing on these dear friends as they transition to the next chapter in their lives.
It’s summertime in Princeton! Seeing the beauty of the season in full bloom I’m reminded of the Psalmist who wrote “The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord” (Psalm 33:5). The whirlwind of the spring 2022 term may be over, yet the work of Christian Union Nova continues.
As the spring term closed, we invited thirty-two students from Christian Union campuses to spend two weeks with us in Northfield, Massachusetts at the inaugural Spiritus Conference. What an incredible experience to worship in the historic home of D.L. Moody. Through morning and evening teaching sessions, Spirit-filled worship, and engaging in community over meals and candid prayer, students experienced the powerful love of Jesus.
