April 10, 2024
Dear CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
I am thrilled to introduce myself as the new ministry director of CU Caritas at Stanford. My name is Marcus Preciado, and I am elated to have joined this incredible team and community. It has been a wonderful experience to be on campus this past month, engaging and connecting with the CU students. Witnessing their love and devotion to Christ has been truly inspiring. I can already see the Lord's mighty hand moving within the ministry.
I have had the privilege of joining the students in prayer, devotionals, and fasting. I have especially enjoyed attending Venture, our Leadership Lecture Series. It is quite encouraging to see so many students committed to growing as Christian leaders, choosing to spend their Friday nights worshiping and seeking the Lord.
I am thrilled to introduce myself as the new ministry director of CU Caritas at Stanford. My name is Marcus Preciado, and I am elated to have joined this incredible team and community. It has been a wonderful experience to be on campus this past month, engaging and connecting with the CU students. Witnessing their love and devotion to Christ has been truly inspiring. I can already see the Lord's mighty hand moving within the ministry.
I have had the privilege of joining the students in prayer, devotionals, and fasting. I have especially enjoyed attending Venture, our Leadership Lecture Series. It is quite encouraging to see so many students committed to growing as Christian leaders, choosing to spend their Friday nights worshiping and seeking the Lord.
March 12, 2024
Dear CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
At Christian Union Caritas, we are so grateful for how God has been speaking to us through His Word and by His Spirit! This past month, our Bible courses finished our 10-week study of Colossians. During each course’s final sessions, students cited the supremacy of Christ in 1:15-20, Paul’s critique of the empty philosophies of this world in 2:8, and the hope of glory when Christ appears in 3:4 as some of the passages in Colossians that breathed life into them during this study.
We also recently hosted our second ever alumni panel after our most recent Friday night leadership lecture series (which we call Venture). It was so great to hear faithful testimonies and wisdom from five CU Caritas grads walking closely with the Lord!
At Christian Union Caritas, we are so grateful for how God has been speaking to us through His Word and by His Spirit! This past month, our Bible courses finished our 10-week study of Colossians. During each course’s final sessions, students cited the supremacy of Christ in 1:15-20, Paul’s critique of the empty philosophies of this world in 2:8, and the hope of glory when Christ appears in 3:4 as some of the passages in Colossians that breathed life into them during this study.
We also recently hosted our second ever alumni panel after our most recent Friday night leadership lecture series (which we call Venture). It was so great to hear faithful testimonies and wisdom from five CU Caritas grads walking closely with the Lord!
November 14, 2023
Dear CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Thank you for your prayers for CU Caritas at Stanford!
Fall Retreat
This October, some new and returning students joined us for a two-night retreat in the Santa Cruz mountains to seek the Lord together and grow closer as a community. We focused our meditations on the importance of abiding in God’s word night and day, that we might bear fruit for His glory in all seasons (Psalm 1:2-3). We considered the example of Joshua, David, Daniel, Anna, and most of all, the Lord Jesus. May God make these Stanford students strong in the ways of God, as they abide in the Lord and in his word!
Thank you for your prayers for CU Caritas at Stanford!
Fall Retreat
This October, some new and returning students joined us for a two-night retreat in the Santa Cruz mountains to seek the Lord together and grow closer as a community. We focused our meditations on the importance of abiding in God’s word night and day, that we might bear fruit for His glory in all seasons (Psalm 1:2-3). We considered the example of Joshua, David, Daniel, Anna, and most of all, the Lord Jesus. May God make these Stanford students strong in the ways of God, as they abide in the Lord and in his word!
October 12, 2023
Dear CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Thank you for your prayers for CU Caritas at Stanford! We are seeing much fruit from our freshman welcoming campaign! In addition to supporting our student leaders in distributing over 500 welcome bags to freshmen, Susan, our women’s ministry fellow, and I have been holding many one-on-one meetings with students to get to know them, to pray for them, and to invite them to join Bible Courses and ministry events.
Thank you for your prayers for CU Caritas at Stanford! We are seeing much fruit from our freshman welcoming campaign! In addition to supporting our student leaders in distributing over 500 welcome bags to freshmen, Susan, our women’s ministry fellow, and I have been holding many one-on-one meetings with students to get to know them, to pray for them, and to invite them to join Bible Courses and ministry events.
August 4, 2023
Summer greetings from Christian Union Caritas!
We are excited to share what’s been happening among our students at Stanford and ask that you join us in prayer for more of God’s power among us to accomplish his purposes!
Near the end of the spring quarter, eight of our students traveled to Camp of the Woods in New York to attend Spiritus, a two-week conference for current and upcoming student leaders in Christian Union’s ministries to take their faith and lifestyle of seeking God to the next level.
We are excited to share what’s been happening among our students at Stanford and ask that you join us in prayer for more of God’s power among us to accomplish his purposes!
Near the end of the spring quarter, eight of our students traveled to Camp of the Woods in New York to attend Spiritus, a two-week conference for current and upcoming student leaders in Christian Union’s ministries to take their faith and lifestyle of seeking God to the next level.
August 12, 2022
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
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).
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).
July 8, 2022
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
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:
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:
May 6, 2022
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4).
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4).
April 1, 2022
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
I have great news: Christian Union Caritas was officially recognized as a student group by Stanford at the end of March! Many students over the years have worked toward and eagerly anticipated this milestone. We thank God for their labors and prayers, and for His gracious provision! We are also grateful to the leadership in Stanford’s Office of Student Engagement and Office of Religious and Spiritual Life for partnering with Christian Union in this way. Recognition will afford Christian Union students many privileges and responsibilities that we have not had to this point, such as the ability to table at activities fairs, advertise Christian Union in official Stanford communications, access a wider array of meeting spaces, and more. As Christian Union students reach out to incoming freshmen during the beginning of the year, they are hoping that recognition will provide a significant boost to their efforts. Please thank God along with us!
I have great news: Christian Union Caritas was officially recognized as a student group by Stanford at the end of March! Many students over the years have worked toward and eagerly anticipated this milestone. We thank God for their labors and prayers, and for His gracious provision! We are also grateful to the leadership in Stanford’s Office of Student Engagement and Office of Religious and Spiritual Life for partnering with Christian Union in this way. Recognition will afford Christian Union students many privileges and responsibilities that we have not had to this point, such as the ability to table at activities fairs, advertise Christian Union in official Stanford communications, access a wider array of meeting spaces, and more. As Christian Union students reach out to incoming freshmen during the beginning of the year, they are hoping that recognition will provide a significant boost to their efforts. Please thank God along with us!
March 4, 2022
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
We thank God every time we think of you, because of your partnership in the gospel with us! We are so grateful to God for the ways you support us in our endeavor, by God’s grace, to make disciples of Jesus at Stanford.
We thank God every time we think of you, because of your partnership in the gospel with us! We are so grateful to God for the ways you support us in our endeavor, by God’s grace, to make disciples of Jesus at Stanford.
February 4, 2022
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Happy New Year from Palo Alto!
Greetings from Palo Alto! We’ve reached the halfway point of the academic year and winter quarter, which means we wrapped up our study of Philippians last week and are embarking on a mammoth study of Romans in the weeks ahead. According to Martin Luther, in his preface to Romans, all the most important truths in the universe will be laid out before us:
Happy New Year from Palo Alto!
Greetings from Palo Alto! We’ve reached the halfway point of the academic year and winter quarter, which means we wrapped up our study of Philippians last week and are embarking on a mammoth study of Romans in the weeks ahead. According to Martin Luther, in his preface to Romans, all the most important truths in the universe will be laid out before us:
January 7, 2022
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Happy New Year from Palo Alto!
George Muller, the 19th century’s famous father of orphans and giant in prayer, wrote some profound words about the importance of our happiness in God and the role of God’s word in that pursuit. I can think of few more helpful ideas to commend to you in this new year! Muller writes,
Happy New Year from Palo Alto!
George Muller, the 19th century’s famous father of orphans and giant in prayer, wrote some profound words about the importance of our happiness in God and the role of God’s word in that pursuit. I can think of few more helpful ideas to commend to you in this new year! Muller writes,
December 3, 2021
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Stanford students have begun their final exams, which end on Friday (or sooner for some). It’s a sprint to the finish! Then they’re off to a welcome three-week break over the Christmas holidays.
In our last Bible course, leading into this most challenging part of the quarter, we meditated on Philippians 3:7-11:
Stanford students have begun their final exams, which end on Friday (or sooner for some). It’s a sprint to the finish! Then they’re off to a welcome three-week break over the Christmas holidays.
In our last Bible course, leading into this most challenging part of the quarter, we meditated on Philippians 3:7-11:
November 5, 2021
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Greetings from Palo Alto!
Students’ initial excitement of being back on campus at Stanford (after a long time away!) is waning, and midterm season has been going strong for multiple weeks now. Students are in need of refreshment from the Lord! I suppose we all are, all the time.
Greetings from Palo Alto!
Students’ initial excitement of being back on campus at Stanford (after a long time away!) is waning, and midterm season has been going strong for multiple weeks now. Students are in need of refreshment from the Lord! I suppose we all are, all the time.
October 1, 2021
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Greetings from Palo Alto!
Fall quarter is underway at Stanford, as are our Bible courses! In our study of Philippians, we recently meditated on God’s all-encompassing and lovingly wise command for our thoughts and actions:
Greetings from Palo Alto!
Fall quarter is underway at Stanford, as are our Bible courses! In our study of Philippians, we recently meditated on God’s all-encompassing and lovingly wise command for our thoughts and actions:
September 3, 2021
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Warm greetings from Palo Alto!
I’m sending a brief prayer letter this month since our family (which includes four kids age six and under) has just moved back to California! To say there is a lot unpacking and settling in left to do is an understatement!
Warm greetings from Palo Alto!
I’m sending a brief prayer letter this month since our family (which includes four kids age six and under) has just moved back to California! To say there is a lot unpacking and settling in left to do is an understatement!
August 5, 2021
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
We’ve been reading Exodus this summer and just finished the ten plagues, God’s deliverance of Israel through the Red Sea, and the beginnings of Israel’s journey to Mt Sinai. The students on our most recent Zoom call were dumbstruck at both the Egyptians and the Israelites. Which makes less sense: that Pharaoh and the Egyptians, who had ten times experienced firsthand the awesome power of the Lord, were foolish enough to follow the Israelites into the Red Sea? Or that the Israelites, who had seen the same and had been delivered from Egypt by the hand of the Lord, time and time again doubted the Lord's goodness and power and thought he was leading them to their death in the wilderness?
We’ve been reading Exodus this summer and just finished the ten plagues, God’s deliverance of Israel through the Red Sea, and the beginnings of Israel’s journey to Mt Sinai. The students on our most recent Zoom call were dumbstruck at both the Egyptians and the Israelites. Which makes less sense: that Pharaoh and the Egyptians, who had ten times experienced firsthand the awesome power of the Lord, were foolish enough to follow the Israelites into the Red Sea? Or that the Israelites, who had seen the same and had been delivered from Egypt by the hand of the Lord, time and time again doubted the Lord's goodness and power and thought he was leading them to their death in the wilderness?
July 1, 2021
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
—Philippians 4:10-14
Stanford students are comfortably in the cadence of summer, and of course I’d love to ask you to pray yet again for these cherished image bearers of God. May the Lamb of God rule in and through them, more and more, for his glory and for the joy of His people! But I want to focus this prayer letter on two non-students who are near and dear to our ministry.
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
—Philippians 4:10-14
Stanford students are comfortably in the cadence of summer, and of course I’d love to ask you to pray yet again for these cherished image bearers of God. May the Lamb of God rule in and through them, more and more, for his glory and for the joy of His people! But I want to focus this prayer letter on two non-students who are near and dear to our ministry.
June 3, 2021
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Warm greetings from Christian Union Caritas!
This Friday is the final day of classes for the Spring Quarter. We praise God that the students we serve have made it through this challenging year!
Warm greetings from Christian Union Caritas!
This Friday is the final day of classes for the Spring Quarter. We praise God that the students we serve have made it through this challenging year!
May 6, 2021
Hello CU Caritas Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Warm greetings from Christian Union Caritas!
Warm greetings from Christian Union Caritas!
