Ministry Hosts Author of 'Revival Stories'
by Catherine Elvy, Staff WriterWhen Timothy Dwight took over the helm of Yale College in 1795, the institution was in a "most ungodly state," beset by rampant alcohol consumption, profanity, gambling, and other vices.
Only about 10 percent of the student body affirmed faith, while others were skeptical or "rowdies," according to A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir.
During an appearance in October at Cornell University, Collin Hansen, the book's co-author, told students they need to experience a "God-sized vision" of revival, and he pointed to the Second Great Awakening for inspiration.
Student Organization Gains University Recognition
by Eileen Scott, Senior WriterStudents with Christian Union's ministry at Harvard Law School are taking their passion for justice from the classroom to the campus community as they promote the most basic of human rights—life.
Members of the leadership development ministry have helped start Law Students for Life with fellow Christians and ministries at Harvard Law School (HLS). Professor Mary Ann Glendon is the faculty advisor for the student-led organization, which received university recognition in November.
For these students, protecting life is about holding sacred the image of God reflected in all persons. That includes the unborn, as well as those at the end of their lives.
Christian Union Purchases Historic Building
by Catherine Elvy, staff writerChristian Union is preparing to open the doors to the Robert L. Melrose Center for Christian Leadership, just a block from Princeton University.
The facility will provide office space for Christian Union's ministry team at Princeton, as well as meeting space for Bible courses, mentoring and prayer sessions, alumni events, and other gatherings.
"It will be a great place off campus for students to feel like they are hosted in a really warm, welcoming space," said Jon Nielson, Christian Union's director of ministry at Princeton.
In October, Christian Union purchased the historic home at 19 Vandeventer Avenue, a block north of Firestone Library.
Foreign Missionary Was Influenced by Brainerd, Carey, and the Word
by Jason G. DuesingEditor's note: This article was adapted from Adoniram Judson: A Bicentennial Appreciation of The Pioneer American Missionary (B&H Publishing, 2012). The collection was edited by Jason G. Duesing, academic Provost and Associate Professor of Historical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. America's first formally-sent foreign missionary, Judson (Brown 1807) spent nearly 40 years in Burma (also known as Myanmar) and translated the Bible into Burmese.
At the start of his second year at Andover Theological Seminary, Adoniram Judson began to "reflect on the personal duty of devoting his life to the cause of missions."
A Christian Union: The Magazine Interview
Christian Union: The Magazine recently interviewed Dr. Doug Sweeney about the life and long-lasting impact of David Brainerd, a missionary to Native Americans during the 18th century. Sweeney is Professor of Church History and the History of Christian Thought, Chair of the Department, and Director of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has been published widely on Jonathan Edwards, early modern Protestant thought, and the history of evangelicalism. His books include two volumes in the Yale Edition of The Works of Jonathan Edwards (Yale, 1999, 2004); Nathaniel Taylor, New Haven Theology, and the Legacy of Jonathan Edwards (Oxford, 2003); and Edwards the Exegete: Biblical Interpretation and Anglo-Protestant Culture on the Edge of the Enlightenment (Oxford, 2016).
In 2015, Sweeney and other theologians were interviewed for Church Works Media's DVD, The Life of David Brainerd, A Documentary. Although he died at 29, Brainerd's passion for the Lord and lost souls inspired generations of missionaries, especially after Edwards published his biography, An Account of the Life of the Late Reverend Mr. David Brainerd.
J. Christy Wilson, Jr. and His Impact on World Evangelization
Christy Wilson's first contact with missions came even before his first words, his first steps, or his first friendships. His childhood home in Persia (now known as Iran) was a perpetual showcase displaying God's heart for missions. His parents served as missionaries in Tabriz for two decades, and Christy's heart for God and for missions quickly grew.
When Christy was just five years old, Rev. Stefan Huviar, a beloved Nestorian evangelical pastor who labored alongside Christy's father in Tabriz, asked Christy what he wanted to do when he grew up. Christy had frequently heard his parents praying for Afghanistan, an unreached country to the east. He knew that this country, approximately the size of Texas, didn't have even one Christian.
"I want to be a missionary to Afghanistan," Christy informed Pastor Huviar. "Well," the pastor responded, "missionaries aren't allowed in Afghanistan." "That's why I want to be one there," Christy immediately replied.
Dear Friends and Partners of Penn,
The second semester is in full swing and the students are now preparing for mid-term exams this week and next. Incredibly, spring break is a mere 3 weeks away, and both students and Ministry Fellows are ready for a break.
Dear prayer partners,
We are well on our way into winter term and started off strong with our winter conference at Singing Hills Retreat Center. We were so pleased with the number of students who came, especially since we had so many freshmen (‘20s) and seniors (‘17s). As hoped, it was a restful time for the students, of hearing the word, spending time together in prayer, and connecting with new people in the ministry.
Winter Quarter is in full swing as Stanford students bear down for what typically is the heaviest course load of the academic year. Out from that lively rhythm we are calling our emerging group of freshmen to press in deeper with God and with one another as Christian Union Caritas -- Christian Union's ministry to the students at Stanford -- continues its first year. One of those freshmen, Isaiah, shares his experience so far:
Dear Prayer Partners,
Happy new year! Since you last heard from us, we’ve had time away from work with family to celebrate the Lord’s incarnation (what’s better than a Sunday Christmas?!) and spent time with all Christian Union faculty at our winter staff conference, pressing into the Lord in prayer for our campuses and nation. We are so grateful to minister at Yale with Christian Union and thank you for your partnership in this ministry!
Greetings from the campus of Harvard Law School!
With the arrival of winter in New England, the nights are longer and the periods of daylight shorter. Cooler temperatures mean more inside activities as student’s retreat to the Harvard Law School lobby with its glowing fireplaces and well-lit interior – a perfect place to study and prepare on a cold winter night.
The biweekly eNewsletter from Christian Union
Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
— Psalm 25:5
As you read this report, the Princeton ministry faculty, as well as around 150 Princeton undergraduate students, will be away at Camp of the Woods in Speculator, New York, for the annual “Ski Safari” winter trip. We are thrilled with the response we have gotten from students for this trip, and are excited that many students who do not yet know Jesus as Savior and Lord will be joining us as well.
A belated Welcome to 2017 — a year that promises to be eventful, no matter how you look at it. A verse that jumps to mind is Psalm 28: 7, The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him. Because He is my strength, and because I trust in Him — my response must be joy, and this is how I look at the year ahead.
Friends,
I pray you had a blessed Christmas and New Year as you celebrated with family and friends. As we, the Christian Union ministry staff at Brown University, enjoyed hosting out-of-town family and enjoying the normal seasonal celebrations, all has been pretty quiet on campus. All this will be changing now as students have just returned to campus and began classes on Wednesday. Given that students have just returned, I don’t have much to share, but I would ask that you pray for this upcoming semester.
To our friends and partners in the Gospel,
It is a new year and with it comes many new opportunities for our God to do a new thing on campus at Penn. This past semester saw the creation of a new Christian journal at Penn, Locust Walk, and we are excited to see many of our students take on roles as writers and staff to bring this space for dialogue to the campus.
The biweekly eNewsletter from Christian Union
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
— Psalm 119:105
Recent graduates and professionals come together for a weekend of compelling speakers and dynamic worship.
April 7-9, 2017
Samford Marriot
Samford, Connecticut
Bringing together recent graduates and professionals from various professions and locations for a life-changing weekend of dynamic worship and compelling ideas about faith and its relevance to our work and culture in light of what it means to change the world.
No one wants to be criticized, regardless of whether the criticism is intended to be constructive or derisive. Nonetheless, criticism is a component of culture: we see criticism everywhere, from the comments section of a news article to exchanges in the workplace. How then, are we to deal with criticism? Naturally, we are tempted to turn and defend ourselves, often times wanting to prove we are “better” in some manner than our criticizers. But is this the best way to react?
In a blogpost, Timothy Keller expounds sage advice on how we are to deal with criticism from a Christian perspective.
A Student's Perspective
Kylen Soriano, Class of 2018, is one of the students involved with Christian Union's ministry at Brown. The biology major hails from Los Angeles, California. His campus activities include: Christian Union (2015-16 Co-President); Club Basketball; Undergraduate Research in Regenerative Medicine (Biotechnology); and First-Year Advising.
"Because I am attending Brown, my faith has grown more in the last two years than during the rest of my life as a believer. I grew up in the church, went to youth group and led worship. I lived in a Christian bubble and didn't really know what kids my age actually did. Brown couldn't have been more of an eye-opener.
