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Christian Organizations Host Historic Campus Event with Francis Chan
by erin conner, writer and communications associate
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." - Ephesians 4:4-6 (ESV)
Monday evening, May 6, 2024, was a chilly evening in Palo Alto, yet the glow of the lights and the warmth of the love lit up Meyer Green in the heart of Stanford's campus as approximately 200 Christians gathered to exalt the Lord in unity through worship and prayer.
This historic event, entitled "ONE," was the result of prayer by Christian alumni, students, and leaders for the light of Jesus Christ to be publicly expressed as a beacon of hope in the midst of this highly secular campus. The event was a collaborative effort of six Christian ministries on Stanford's campus: the Catholic Undergraduate Student Association, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Action, Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, Parakaleo Christian Ministries, Moment Christian Fellowship, and Christian Union Caritas.
Justin Woyak, a ministry fellow for Christian Union Caritas, was at the heart of leading and praying for God's desire for this event. Woyak kicked off the event, welcoming the crowd and inviting all attendees to walk in oneness and unity with each other and with the Lord. When asked about the significance of holding this kind of event, he shared his deep felt gratitude for all who made it possible, saying, "Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Action volunteered their normal weekly meeting time and invited so many students. The leaders of Parakaleo faithfully inspired our prayer meetings before the event. A team from Moment Christian Fellowship brought together an amazing audio, visual, and lighting setup. Chi Alpha’s student worship united our hearts to the Lord and one another powerfully through song. Local pastors exhorted us from their word and from their walks with Jesus. A Stanford administrator and leader among the Catholic community led us in heartfelt, carefully written prayers, in a call-and-response style.
Woyak continued, "And the highlight of the night—over a dozen students from six different campus ministries took turns leading all of us in prayer on topics God profoundly placed on their hearts. God gave us a beautiful experience of the 'one body' in Christ."
The event began with a time of worship music during which the crowd united their voices to sing praises to the Lord, collectively shifting their focus from "self" to fixing their eyes on the Author and Finisher of their faith. Students and facult around campus likely heard these students exalting the Lord's name above any other name: above circumstances, injustices, heartbreak, anxiety–above it all.
Francis Chan was, then, welcomed to the stage by two student-athlete emcees. Chan is the best-selling author of Crazy Love, Forgotten God, Erasing Hell, You and Me Forever and the host of the BASIC.series, "Who Is God & We Are Church." Chan, who plants churches in the San Francisco area and recently launched a countrywide discipleship movement called "Multiply" with David Platt, spoke about how God changed him in his college years and how that time with the Lord was the start of it all for him. Chan cast a vision of a lifelong pursuit of loving the Lord, reflecting on and sharing God's amazing goodness. He passionately prayed, as he looked out at all the faces in the crowd, that God would move in these students' hearts the way He moved in his own.
Following Chan's message, students from each hosting ministry shared a prayer request. Two or three students from each Christian ministry went to the stage to present a topic that they felt led to pray over their campus. One student leader powerfully came forward with tears in her eyes and said that what God had placed on her heart was to pray for the salvation of everyone in the community. During the prayer time, students gathered in a small groups of three to five, often with people from different ministries. In so doing, believers from different backgrounds and denominations united as brothers- and sisters-in-Christ to lift up the needs of all the people in their community to the God who hears.
This time of prayer also included a Spirit-led altar call, during which a student leader invited those in attendance to dedicate or re-dedicate their lives to the Lord. Author and speaker, Vince Vitale then shared a story to end the evening about the power of reconciliation to each other and to God in our lives.
Susan Brown, women's ministry fellow at Christian Union Caritas, said, "the murmuring of the crowd served as a concert of public prayer that was incredibly sweet to hear. It was precious and powerful to come together and pray and declare we are one body." A student walking by asked Brown, "What is going on here?" to which she said, "This is a gathering of Christian students who are praying for all of the students in the Stanford community– for their relationships and for their peace and praying against the anxiety and fear that many are battling." Though this student said she was not a believer, she expressed her gratitude for the prayers being offered and the kindness of those gathered.
What is rather astounding is that this event took place in an environment that has been generally hostile to faith and to Christianity, and it took place during a time when college campuses across the country are experiencing chaos and conflicts from student protests. The observable juxtaposition of Christian worship on Meyer Green and on other campuses across the country against a backdrop of problematic student protests speaks volumes.
“'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts'" (Isaiah 55:8-9).
It is clear that God powerfully and sweetly demonstrated the goodness of His ways on Stanford's campus this beautiful night through the faith and unity of His people.
Watch a two-minute video overview of "ONE" here.
Faith and Conviction from Christian Union's National Fast in 2020
by dimas SalaBerrios (2020); updated by erin conner (2024)
The following devotional is a transcript of a video devotional that was originally recorded as part of Christian Union's National Fast in 2020 by Dimas Salaberrios. Salaberrios 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. He is also the founder and former pastor of Infinity Bible Church in New York City, and the President Emeritus of Concerts of Prayer Greater New York.
Salaberrios has been on the frontlines of the earthquakes in Haiti and of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. After the shootings in Saint Paul, Dallas, Charleston, and Paris, Salaberrios organized believers to infiltrate the protests and pray with hurting people. He has also organized prayer during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis and in 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.”
Salaberrios will be a featured speaker at the next Christian Union Fire Retreat being held October 4-5, 2024 entitled, "America Returning to God."
Greetings from “The Farm.” As you know, God is constantly on the move here at Christian Union Caritas, and I'm elated to share with you some of the wonderful things occurring.
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." - Ephesians 4:4-6 (ESV)
Greetings from Penn!
Hope this finds you well.
Things on campus have gotten progressively more interesting. Students are in finals, we are wrapping up the year with “see you later” hugs, and the protest encampment is bringing a lot of attention.
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
-Lamentations 3:22-23
As this year comes to a close, I am reflecting on the steadfast faithfulness of our God. He has exceeded our expectations and answered many of your prayers. I remember in September, asking for prayer for full, vibrant Bible courses. This year, we have had an abundant overflow of students participating in weekly Bible courses. The students love the Bible course manuals which provide rich, in-depth studies of each lesson. In addition to full Bible courses, we prayed for gospel exposures and the name of Jesus to saturate the entire campus of Brown University. Starting with freshman campaign, where we had a string of events all throughout September to welcome students, as well as worship events on campus, tabling and handing out books and scripture tracts, and our latest campaign, CU Rise, we have had an incredible amount of gospel exposures! This year, we have had more students dive into questions about Christianity than I have ever seen in years past. It is evidence that the Lord of the harvest is on the move on our campus!
It’s been an amazing month of ministry here at Christian Union Lumine on the campus of Columbia University. To witness how the Lord has been working in the lives of our students and using them to impact the campus for the Kingdom has been a blessing.
We continue to see our students really be committed to being intentional and deliberate in seeking God in prayer and fasting. During the month, ten football players from our Bible course attended our Monday night seek prayer meeting. We’ve continued to see more students getting involved in our Bible course during the middle of the semester. We are continuing to hold leadership training, workshops, and events for our students during these tumultuous times.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” - Romans 12:1-2
As we begin to wrap up the normal semester happenings at Harvard, I have been reflecting on these couple verses from Paul’s letter to the Romans. Our sophomore and junior Bible courses have been diligently studying Romans for the spring semester, and what a joy it has been to delve into the deep and all-consuming good news presented in this book! Our students have asked good questions and engaged in conversations about theology and practice that make me continually excited to revisit Paul’s message every week. I have especially gained encouragement from Paul’s reminder to withstand the pattern of the world and instead allow Christ to transform our minds - what an important message to remember in the midst of the times through which we are living!
Spring is in the air, and the Holy Spirit is on the move at Princeton! We’ve just wrapped up our Bible courses for the year with seniors completing our “Vocational Prep” course, equipping them with a theology of work, money, and giving. Our juniors and sophomores completed our Romans course, delving into some of the richest theology of salvation in the Bible. And our freshman just finished our Sex and Spirituality Bible course, learning about God’s design for sexuality, marriage, and the family.
Our freshman men gathered together this week for a BBQ and firepit and reflected on their experiences this year at Princeton. Invariably, they answered that the best part about Princeton is the Christian community and the friends they’ve made in Christian Union!
Another incredible month of ministry is behind us here at Christian Union Vita at Cornell! We are so grateful for how the Lord continues to work in and through our students as we seek to make Jesus the most talked about subject on campus in a culture that is increasingly in a state of upheaval.
We have had an incredible semester in our Bible courses, with new students continuing to join the community of Christian Union Vita on an almost weekly basis. We celebrate the Lord’s continuing faithfulness to grow the ministry as we coach and train close to 100 future Christian leaders to seek the Lord wholeheartedly.
“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” -1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV)
In the rhythm of a school year, the spring term is one of our most evangelistic times. The promised warmth, which you have no doubt enjoyed for months, has finally arrived to New Hampshire and to Christian Union Vox. The First-Years, having not yet experienced the nearly endless drawing out of Dartmouth’s winters, are relieved at the turn. With the newly warmed weather, everyone from students to staff to professors flock to the outdoors to enjoy the warmth and sunshine. The Green is covered in students eating, playing frisbee, studying, chatting, and sunbathing. But now, because of CU Vox, a new group has joined them: students living out their faith and practicing evangelism.
