Though it seems like it just began, the semester is coming to an end as we approach Thanksgiving break which is followed soon by winter break. In this last month, God has continued to move in amazing ways on Cornell’s campus, and I am sure that He will continue to do so as we approach the end of the year. We hosted a second day of our book giveaway and received great responses from students. We have had two students come to regular CU events on campus due to that outreach. We have also seen a couple of new believers become more involved in the community and seek discipleship. Along with these wonderful events, we had a week of fasting which has been a great time of spiritual growth for the students.
It’s hard to believe that we are already wrapping up our fall term. Students are in finals mode right now and looking forward to six weeks off to rest and spend time with family and friends. Thank you for all your prayers for them over these last 10 weeks. We have so much to be thankful for!
Blink and eleven weeks have come on gone. Seventy-seven days—give or take—of non-stop classes, sports, extracurricular activities, “psets”, exams, papers and interpersonal highs and lows. It’s no wonder that many students almost jog to the T or Uber to the airport as soon as they possibly can post Harvard-Yale festivities.
I am writing to you after just meeting with one of our student leaders named Tyler. In our times of discipleship together we are currently looking at the book of Matthew. I have been meeting with Tyler regularly for over a year now and through our ministry he is becoming a strong Christian leader. Of course, these meetings are just a small part of the ministry—all of which is enabled by your generous support.
This semester has been brilliant! Our freshman class is committed and enthusiastic about community and growing in the Lord together. I am continually amazed at the diligent efforts of our ABCL’s (Assistant Bible Course Leaders), who are serving and leading the Class of 2022 in gentleness and humility. We as a leadership team, have been meeting every Friday with our students who are currently teaching freshman Bible courses. Every week we are amazed, as they ALL gather to learn and acquire the tools needed to be better equipped to administer God’s word to their students. It has also been encouraging to see ABCL’s show up consistently who are not teaching and just want to be a support and be encouraged themselves. We are watching our leadership grow and mature and as a result, we are experiencing the same with our underclassmen; God is at work!
Earlier this week I was watching an interview with a Federal Reserve official on managing the US economy. In the course of the interview he made two interesting statements:
“We have to be data-dependent”, and
”I don’t see any clear signal from the market…”
Apart from the second statement seeming to mock the first, both statements reinforce the idea that a world consisting of humans filled with longings, hopes, fears, giddiness (at times), and relational dysfunctions is naturally best understood and motivated by data – that somehow data is unbiased and wise. In light of history I think it’s a weak argument, but one that nonetheless shapes the vocational worlds we all live in.
Carey ’19 Seeks to Produce Faith-Based Films
by Catherine Elvy
Nick Carey, ’19, who serves as a student leader of Harvard College Faith and Action (a student organization resourced by Christian Union), plans to use his drive and talents to pursue a career in the film industry. “If you tell stories effectively enough, movies can reach a lot of people,” he said. “It can be a very powerful missionary tool.”
“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.” - Matthew 27:51-53
We often encounter “Do Not’s” in our daily lives. “Do not Enter.” “Do Not Touch.” “Do Not Pass.” When you go to a museum, you won’t be able to get within four feet of a famous painting or an ancient artifact because of the velvet rope that stands in your way.
Salon with James Davison Hunter
By Scott Crosby
The social analysis and theory of culture contained within James Davison Hunter’s book To Change The World comprises much of the academic foundation upon which Christian Union New York’s mission is built. Being so heavily informed by this work, CU New York was excited to host a breakfast discussion on To Change The World at the Union League Club on Friday, October 26, 2018. Over twenty of CU New York’s young professionals were in attendance.
by whit hazelton
Taking a cue from the many men and women of Scripture and church history who practiced the spiritual discipline of fasting, Christian Union led a national 21-day fast that started on August 13, 2018. More than 2,000 Christians from across the United States signed up online to participate in the fast, which was organized by Christian Union’s online ministry, Christian Union Day and Night, and focused on the theme “Fasting for Cultural Revolution.”
Ministry Begins Third Year in Silicon Valley
by tom campisi, managing editor
Two years ago, Christian Union expanded west by launching Caritas, a ministry to students at Stanford University.
Since 2002, Christian Union has focused on influential colleges in the Northeast, with a presence at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale.
Impacting students in California’s Silicon Valley fits in well with the mission of developing Christian leaders to transform culture, according to Garrett Brown, Christian Union’s Director of Undergraduate Ministry at Stanford.
Schroen ’19 Is a Leader with Habitat for Humanity
by catherine elvy, staff writer
A Dartmouth College senior is doing his part to help build the kingdom of God in the Upper Valley.
Peter Schroen ’19 helps coordinate Dartmouth’s student chapter of Habitat for Humanity International and is a leader with Christian Union.
When he arrived at Dartmouth three years ago, he volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, exhibiting the same servant’s heart he had when he attended McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, New York.
Christian Union Launches Freshman Welcoming Campaign
by catherine elvy, staff writer
Students involved with Christian Union’s ministry at Columbia University were energized as they prepared to reach out to members of the class of 2022.
The theme for this year’s freshman welcoming campaign centered upon spiritual kinship. The ministry greeted incoming students with the intent of offering “community for the sake of others,” said Ministry Director Lane Young. “What brings us together is Jesus.”
Freshman Welcoming Campaign Attracts a Crowd
by tom campisi, managing editor
At the start of the fall semester, Christian Union at Brown’s faculty wanted to extend its Freshman Welcoming Campaign beyond students who would typically attend a Bible course or leadership lecture series.
To reach a “festive” demographic late on a Friday night, Ministry Fellows Justin Doyle and Laurel Copp, Intern Gianna Uson, and student leaders brought grills and burgers to Wayland Arch, which is located between Frat Row and a freshman dorm quad. Christian Union at Brown set up camp in the midst of partying students, handing out about 150 sliders and bottles of water.
Salon with Justin Whitmel Earley
By Matt Allen
Christian Union New York was delighted to host Justin Whitmel Earley on November 13, 2018, for the first of two salons that he is leading this month. Salons can typically accomodate up to 20 participants. This event was hugely popular, with twenty-five in attendance and many more on the waitlist. Graduate students and professionals gathered to learn about the topic, "Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction."
“I became involved with Christian Union during the fall semester of my freshman year. The ministry did an incredible job of reaching out to new students, which was especially meaningful because it took me awhile to feel comfortable on campus, away from my family. I quickly signed up for a Bible course and began meeting weekly with the Ministry Director and fellow freshmen. I made this decision within a few weeks of studying at Princeton; it was one of the best choices I made during my time there.”
-- Hundley Poulson, Princeton ’19
Course Highlights
You can provide the Christian instruction, spiritual development, and leadership training missing from the top universities shaping the nation’s future leaders. At these leading institutions, many students have not read a Bible or heard the Gospel, much less what it means to devote their lives to seeking and serving God. Bible courses are one of the most vital elements of Christian Union’s core program that develops Christian leaders at intellectually rigorous, most influential universities.
Bible course curriculum spans four years and consists primarily of a 10-lesson course each semester/quarter. A course is comprised of 8-10 students of the same sex and class year, meeting for 1.5 hours, with weekly homework. In describing their experience students have shared: “I have waited my whole life for a Bible study like this.” And, “Before attending Christian Union’s Bible courses, I had never encountered the Scriptures in a rigorous, academic way...Now every page is relevant and instructional.” And, “Christian Union Bible courses have given me a deeper understanding of the Gospel and how to live it out.”
Course titles include: 1 John, 2 Timothy, Acts, Colossians, Hebrews, Mark, Philippians, Romans, Seeking God Lifestyle, Sex and Spirituality, Vocational Integration & Financial Stewardship, and more.
Currently, 95 percent of Christian Union faculty has seminary or other graduate degrees; many blend professional and ministry experience which provides students with the high-quality teaching and life experience of adults they can emulate. Faculty lead weekly Bible courses and mentor students toward spiritual and leadership growth. One ministry fellow said: “It is unspeakably rewarding to see students understand and grab hold of the Gospel, apply Scripture to their lives, and grow in their understanding of the story of redemption.”
Become a Bible Course Sponsor
Hundreds of students from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Harvard Law, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, and Yale were enrolled in semester-long Christian Union faculty-led Bible courses. Many students were surprised to find such rich, in-depth Christian curriculum available in such highly secular academic environments.
Over the next several years, thousands more will enter this journey through Christian Union. Together with your support, we can continue and expand this transformative work at these universities, and ensure that every single Bible course is connected to a faithful Christian Union supporter.
A gift of $5,400 underwrites a semester-long Christian Union faculty-led Bible course for 8-10 students, and offers a unique opportunity for sponsors to connect with these future leaders.
As a sponsor, you are invited to visit the course, either in person or via Skype, so that students can meet you and learn from your faith journey. In addition, your faculty member will send you a course update to share the impact of your investment.
If you need assistance, please call a donor representative at: 1-609-688-1700 option 2 or email: giving@christianunion.org.
Remember: gifting securities or real estate, life insurance policies, beneficiary designations of an IRA or other tax-deferred retirement account, and gifts by means of charitable trusts or gift annuities can maximize your giving and provide potential tax advantages for you and those you love.
Students Encounter The Prodigal God
by catherine elvy, staff writer
The parable of the Prodigal Son points to distinct forms of spiritual lostness, one marked by wanton sinfulness and another by self-righteousness, and reveals the lavish grace of God in redeeming them both.
These insights emerged when students involved with Christian Union’s ministry at the University of Pennsylvania spent a portion of their summer probing The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, by Tim Keller. In the 2008 book, Keller highlights how Christ provides the answer to lifestyles ensnared by immorality, as well as the hidden traps of hypocritical religiosity.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
— Isaiah 40:12
Not long ago, I was looking at some photographs by Tony Fouhse. He is an artist from Ottawa, Canada, and he had an exhibit at an Ottawa gallery depicting drug addicts in his native city. The pictures are striking. Matted hair, wrinkled and tired faces, torn clothing, and stories of pain and loss etched in the addicts’ countenances. And yet something is surprising in nearly all of the portraits: the eyes still gleam. There is still a glimmer of hope in these eyes that have, most assuredly, seen so much despair and brokenness.
