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Greetings from Princeton! God is on the move here in Christian Union Nova and I’m excited to share with you some of the amazing things that are happening!
On March 1st, we welcomed local pastor Ian Graham, who gave a powerful message on the parable of the prodigal son. Many came forward at the end for prayer, as it touched the hearts of students. I think this was just what they needed before their midterms week and spring break.
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.
Greetings from Penn! I pray this finds you well.
We find ourselves in a time of student leadership training and preparing for the Freshman Welcoming Campaign next fall. We recently turned over all of our student leaders and are recognizing them for their time and service within Christian Union. Collectively, they gave hundreds of hours to serve our ministry and Penn’s campus. The team and I are grateful for their contributions to the ministry and pray that they will ultimately have a heavenly reward for their service unto the Lord and his saints.
Thank you for developing and connecting Christian leaders to transform culture at Yale for God's glory. We couldn't do it without you and your support!
We earnestly request your prayers for two of our upcoming large group events:
“The cost of salvation for us–nothing. The cost of faith–everything.”
This gospel truth dropped on our students this semester as we are studying through Genesis (which the students requested). For the past few weeks, we have been digging deep into and wrestling with the life of Abraham, from chapters 12-23. We have tracked the evolving relationship between Yahweh and Abraham, with a special focus on what we learn of who God is and what He is like. It gives us a very special view into the foundation of God’s redemptive narrative that ultimately helps us understand the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And when we really know the gospel–both cognitively and experientially– it transforms us, setting us free to become the image-bearers of our Creator.
My name is Andy Woodard, and I am delighted to introduce myself to you. I've been hired as the new executive director for CU New York effective Monday, March 25th, the year of our Lord 2024.
I'm excited to share with you three things that brought me to Christian Union: first, the strategic vision for investing in key leaders by encouraging them to seek the Lord with their whole hearts; second, my own personal benefit from the ministry of Christian Union and Matt Bennett. I received and observed the power of this ministry to transform lives firsthand. Third, the mission of Christian Union is to wholeheartedly seek the Lord to bring about a great awakening in New York City.
Christian Union Lux' Second Annual Worship and Prayer Event
By erin conner, writer and communication associate
Christian Union Lux is a spiritual force of light at Yale University by God's grace and power. A leader of this force is Reverend Jeffrey Walsh. Walsh is a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant with over 23 years of experience as a Military Police Soldier, Educator, and National Director of Police. He is also an ordained Christian minister with a lifetime of experience in pastoral ministry.
Walsh has served in various assignments and attachments worldwide with the U.S. Army National Guard Bureau, the 5th Special Forces Group, and the 169th Regional Training Institute. Jeffrey spent the last ten years in senior leadership positions, including National Director and Subject Matter Expert of Military Police Education and Leadership and Senior Leader of Advanced Leadership Training Programs. He has trained military leaders across North America in his former roles as the National Military Law Enforcement Subject Matter Expert and Connecticut State Equal Opportunity and Sexual Assault Program Coordinator. Walsh's combat experience has earned him numerous service awards, including the Bronze Star Medal with Valor and four presidential unit awards. And for the last two years, Walsh has served as the ministry director of Christian Union Lux at Yale.
His passion for serving others stems from a personal journey of healing and transformation through the Spirit of God.
Walsh is joined at Christian Union (CU) Lux by his wife, Beth, who serves as the administrative assistant, and two expert ministry fellows, Michael Racine and Chitra Kovoor as well as CU Lux's intern, Luke Bell. This team is currently equipping faithful and dedicated student leaders to plan a large group, faith-based event this Saturday, April 13, 2024, entitled "Rekindle" that will be held in the public square of the New Haven Green behind Center Church from 6-8:30 pm.
CU Lux hosted their first event like this, a Worldwide Prayer Meeting, last April. The Worldwide Prayer Meeting, led by Times Square Church's Dr. Carter Conlon in cooperation with Summit International School of Ministry, allows people to submit prayer requests and join the livestream event from around the world. The prayer gathering broadcasts to more than 100,000 people across 240 countries. Dr. Conlon is no stranger to Ivy League campuses, having recently spoken at an evangelical event hosted by Christian Union Vita at Cornell last month at Sage Chapel.
Yale's upcoming event will feature powerful student-led worship, testimonies, and prayer with the hope of rekindling a passion to see the name of Jesus lifted high at Yale. It is estimated that approximately 1,000 people attended last year. And there is simply no way to track how far the Word of God traveled that evening last April through the open windows of the freshman dorms and the open hearts of the many attendees.
This year, Christian Union is hoping to expand its reach by hosting this worship and prayer meeting again. Students have decorated the sidewalks of Yale's campus with details of the event in colorful chalk, informing all who walk the campus of Yale University that they are warmly invited to attend.
This event represents a collaborative effort among Yale students from Christian Union and various other ministries across campus, showcasing the unity and diversity within Yale's faith community. The event provides an opportunity for attendees to connect with fellow believers, engage in meaningful conversations, and/or deepen their understanding of the Christian faith.
Ministry Director Jeffrey Walsh invites all to "come together to celebrate our faith, learn from one another, and be moved by the powerful message that Dr. Conlon has to share."
When asked about the significance of this type of event, Luke Bell, former co-president of Christian Union Lux and alumnus of Yale's class of 2023, quoted Charles Spurgeon: "Faith is a cumulative force. 'According to thy faith, so be it done unto thee' is true to one, to two, to twenty, to twenty thousand; and twenty thousand times the force will be the result of twenty thousand times the faith. Rest assured that while two or three have power with God in their measure, two or three hundred have still more. If great results are to come, they will be accompanied by the prayers of many; nay, the brightest days of all will never come except by the unanimous prayer of the entire church."
Bell, who currently serves as a CU Lux intern, continued, "as Spurgeon said, there is inestimable power when the Church unifies to pray. At Rekindle, we will unite students from Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell as well as churches across the northeast, to publicly worship Jesus, intercede for our campuses, and invite nonbelievers to hear a presentation of the gospel. This is an incredible time to pray for souls across New England to be rekindled with the love of Christ; we look forward to praying for and co-laboring towards building Christ's kingdom here on our campuses, as it is in heaven."
Join Christian Union in seeking God wholeheartedly and praying with relentless perseverance for God's Kingdom of Light to come and His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven at Yale and beyond.
Watch or share this 90-second video: Rekindle 2024 Trailer
Understanding the Christian View of Fear
updated By Erin conner, writer and communications associate
This April 19-20th, Christians around the country are joining Christian Union America from the comfort of their own home for a weekend retreat to better understand the Christian view of fear: the fear of man and the fear of God.
In light of this upcoming event, Christian Union desires to encourage all Christians to seek the Lord wholeheartedly to find freedom from the destructive forces of the fear of man and to find their security in God alone. The following excerpt, originally published as part of a 2014 CU Fast, examines Jesus' words to his disciples about fearing man, as recorded in the Book of Matthew.
We Have Not Received a Spirit of Fear
By Michael Racine, writer and ministry fellow at christian union lux at yale
Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord. I give thanks to God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, having been reminded of your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, receiving remembrance of the sincere faith that is in you—which was first in your grandmother, Lois, and in your mother, Eunice, and which I am convinced is also in you.
