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Great Friend of Christian Union Goes Home to Be with the Lord

Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer

Kendrick “Ken” B. Melrose once said, “The purpose of life is to serve God by serving others.” But Melrose did not only believe these words, he put them into action and lived a life of integrity as a servant leader.

Melrose passed away on May 3, 2020, at his home in Wayzata, Minnesota. The former chairman and CEO of The Toro Company, founder of Leading by Serving, LLC, and lead donor for Robert L. Melrose Center for Christian Leadership, will be remembered for his deep love for Christ, his passion for leadership, and his profound generosity.

Christian Union's COVID-19 Updates; Battling the Idol of Envy with Numbers 11; Centerstage Faith; American Exorcism; Five Companies Radically Shaped by the Faith of Their Owners and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.

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"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
— 1 John 1:9

Evening Devotional, Friday, May 1, 2020

Watch The Video (3:28)

Dimas Salaberrios, Ministry Associate with Christian Union, is a dynamic teacher, speaker, and pastor. His bestselling memoir, Street God, was released in September 2015. Dimas holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary and resides in the Bronx with his wife Tiffany and three daughters.

For the past month, the students and faculty have been living through a new norm as all classroom instruction and ministry interactions have been moved online. The students are finishing up the final week of classes and getting ready for final exams. NYC has been getting some positive news with the number of COVID-19 cases going down, but there are still a lot of unknowns. In the midst of unknowns, we continue to hold on to God and the truth that He is still in control. We are seeking the Lord for His wisdom and direction for Christian Union Lumine at Columbia University. Thank you for your continued prayers for the work on this campus. Here are ways you can be praying for us this month:

Greetings,

As we conclude Week Four of the spring term here at Dartmouth we are thankful for the ways that God is working in spite of our students not being on campus. We are seeing strong Bible Course attendance, new students joining our BCs, students stepping up to lead worship, create devotions, and care for each other.

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God…
— Romans 8:22-27

Greetings from Cambridge!

At a time when our individual and collective fate could not be more uncertain, our good instinct is to pray, but this is only half of the battle. What should we even pray for? Most of us have more questions than we have answers. When a pea soup fog descends, even familiar streets may fail us. Enter the eighth chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Romans. The verses quoted above are stunning. If the best prayer we can muster in our weakness is a groan of anguish, we might be content simply knowing that God hears us. But these verses say so much more. God not only hears our cries but he enters into our grief. No wonder Paul tells us in chapter 12 to “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn”, thereby mirroring the Spirit’s response to us! Our faith-filled groan—akin to “Thy will be done”—is being answered accordingly because the Holy Spirit is already interceding on our behalf.

How would you complete this sentence? “These are ______________ times.”

Confusing?

Messed up?

Scary?

How about the word, extraordinary? Would you use that word to describe the reality that we are in right now? We find ourselves isolated and quarantined while we see life as we once knew it morphing in front of our very eyes. Our world is changing or, at least, it’s different in this season—introverts are flourishing in isolation, while extroverts are struggling; people are reconnecting with long lost friends virtually, while we are separated from our … friends. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve stopped watching the nightly news program because I don’t want to hear these words again — “Another record-breaking number of deaths in the last 24 hours…” But that’s the reality that we are living in currently.

New York, as is true of much of the country, remains in lockdown for the 200th week - or so it feels. Days seem to run together and Zoom calls have long since lost their allure. Yet I find myself feeling a little fresher each morning as I spend some less hurried time in the Word reading familiar passages again and finding new nuggets all over. Whether I find myself in Ezekiel, or the Psalms, or the Epistles I am reminded that a) God and his promises are unchanging even though our world is, b) our calling to live faithfully, righteously and courageously remains the same regardless of my circumstances, and c) the world will be different because of his Spirit (mostly) and our efforts for his kingdom. All of these reminders renew my hope each day.

Ministry continues at Penn, and we are continually thankful for your support, encouragement, and prayers during this odd but ordained season. While there are moments of anxiety and uncertainty, there are also moments of deep joy and hope. I am so proud of how our students have responded to life in 2-D…while some digital fatigue may have arrived, they are fighting the good fight both academically and in their spiritual disciplines and fellowship. Here are just a few reasons for praise:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In this midst of this difficult time, thank you for your continued prayers and financial support. We are thankful that we stand together as brothers and sisters in Christ, even as we face many challenges as a country and as a ministry. Our ministry in Princeton continues to be greatly affected by the novel coronavirus. The coronavirus has hit home most profoundly for us with two students having already lost family members to the virus. We are grieving with these students. Beyond these tragic loses, all our students are still adjusting to the new realities and seeking to show resilient faith during this time. For some, the transition home has been especially difficult as they have been put back into difficult home and living situations.