Grow Deeper in Your Faith
Many in New York wish they were stronger in their walks with God and want to be empowered to step out in faith to make a difference in their world. Christian Union New York exists to help. The ministry serves professionals in the city, Christian Union alumni, Christian Union Cornerstone Partners, and their peers.
The foundation for ministry is one's personal relationship with God, a relationship that requires an investment of time and constant cultivation. Christian Union has found that short, focused times of drawing near to God have an incredibly positive impact, providing Christian strength and renewed vision. As a result, it has developed a series of simulcast events designed to provide this sort of opportunity for believers (and their friends) nationwide.
Introducing Christian Union Fire Retreats
Above: A small group that met in Manhattan as part of a recent national CU Fire Retreat.
A Christian Union Fire Retreat is a unique one-and-a-half-day simulcast gathering for the rejuvenation and inspiration of Christians. Typically, these retreats are offered several times per year.
Rather than convening in one large group in one location, CU Fire Retreats allow believers to invite friends over to enjoy the simulcast content — and small group interactions — in the comfort of their own homes or churches. During a CU Fire Retreat, these small groups will enjoy access to great teaching that will spur them to seek God, dig into (and discuss) God's word in an in-depth way, worship, and pray together for the duration of the 1.5 days.
A CU Fire Retreat is an investment in learning what God is like; spiritual rejuvenation, and receiving a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. Attendees experience an incredible spiritual strengthening to stand faithfully in Him and be used by Him to see their families, communities, and nation impacted for Christ. Relationships among attendees are profoundly deepened as they seek the Lord together for His purposes in their lives.
What Participants Are Saying
“I’ve been enriched beyond words. I am now looking to God to do the extraordinary in the lives of those around me through earnest prayer. The weekend raised my spiritual temperature and sharpened my senses. I am ready for battle.” - Olga S.
“The event was enormously impactful. I was deeply convicted of my sin and the need to live wholeheartedly for God.” - Reid W.
“ I was very inspired by the prophetic words and the prayers I have received during the event. I believe they have a life changing impact on me.” - Maria W.
“All I want to do is tell all of my Christian friends about this weekend so that they can go deeper as well.” - Julia S.
Specifics
- CU Fire Retreats are held in a home, church, or other comfortable location. Participants sleep in their own homes and travel to the location each morning.
- The group fasts together for increased closeness to God and spiritual power. The discipline of fasting has aided Christians in their walks with God since the beginning of the church. As a matter of fact, the common practice of Christians for the first five hundred years of the church was to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. If a particular CU Fire Retreat involves a meal, the small group will share the meal together.
- Because the group size is limited, the ministry asks that each participant commit to being present for the entire retreat from Friday evening through Saturday evening.
- There’s a minimal registration fee. Other expenses are paid by Christian Union and the host.
Learn More!
To learn more or to get involved, please visit CUFire.org or contact Grace Ann Arvey at Graceann.Arvey@christianunion.org.
Christian Union Manual Satisfies Hungry Souls
By Dr. Chuck Hetzler
Marc Minella, of Kingston, Massachusetts, was searching for a discipleship course that could feed his hunger for the Lord. When Marc downloaded the Seeking God Lifestyle manual from Christian Union Day and Night’s website, God met him in remarkable ways.
Carving Out Space to Hear God's Voice
Loneliness may be more prevalent than ever after a year of isolating and deliberately distancing ourselves from others. It was already on the rise in younger generations in ways never seen before due to social media and a trend toward relationships existing virtually more than face-to-face. But in the midst of our loneliness, we must be willing to carve out a space for the spiritual practice, discipline even, of solitude; regular and intentional aloneness, writes Ben Self in his article at Mockingbird.
We are at the halfway point of the spring term and like it always does, time is moving fast. It’s hard to think that graduation is next month and that the special senior class we have will be departing. Campus life and ministry are full and busy and there is much to praise God for. The new student executive team is in place, the students are engaged in several prayer and Bible reading initiatives, new people are joining Bible courses, and there is a real sense of joy and community on display this term. God has provided abundantly during this unique and challenging academic year. Would you please thank God for His provision and kindness to CU Vox and also pray for these specific requests:
We are incredibly encouraged by what God is doing at Cornell and we thank you for your ongoing prayers and support. There is an unprecedented amount of fellowship and activity at the Mott Center. Students are praying together, studying together, sharing meals together, and spending time in God’s Word. There is a heart to seek the Lord that we are witnessing both within our group and across the campus.
Do you ever feel discouraged and hopeless looking at our nation and our culture’s hard turn toward secularism? It often feels like the voice of Christianity in this country is being muzzled and is soon to be silenced. Especially on our nation’s university campuses and in our major cities, we are seeing this trend becoming entrenched and starting other trends in the rest of the country. Whether we want to see it or not, it is becoming more apparent through “cancel culture” and governmental mandating of church closures, how quickly we could lose ground on freedoms to openly live as the Scriptures require us to live.
“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever” – Psalm 106.1
As the semester comes to a close, there are so many reasons to be thankful. Christian Union Martus has completed a seamless leadership transition and our new exec and ministry team leaders have started their tenure with energy and focus. From Scripture memorization, campus outreach, social activities, daily prayer, and a strong finish to Bible courses, the students have been incredibly resilient. God has shown Himself to be faithful again and again. We are taking tentative steps to have in-person meetings at Panera and various spots around campus. And our students are beginning to think about the fall term and how we can strategically reach incoming freshmen. As we approach graduation and the summer break, would you pray for:
Dear CU Lumine Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Greetings from Christian Union Lumine at Columbia! We praise God for partners like you in supporting the work He is doing through this ministry.
The Spring 2021 semester is officially over along with final exams. The last week of April was graduation and it was a beautiful sight to see seniors in the graduation gowns walking all around campus and Morningside Heights. Of course, graduation was not held normally this year, but I was encouraged to see our students make the most of this important moment.
The 2020-21 school year is nearing its end and your prayers have made a difference on the Princeton University campus!
Christian Union Nova is thriving because student leaders are working to fulfill the vision. Within each student executive, assistant Bible course leader (ABCL), and student leader, there has been sincere compassion towards one another and a commitment to ensure that the CU Nova community is present and viable. Through large group meetings (i.e., Encounter and TruThursday), Bible courses, weekly prayer meetings, and discipleship for incoming freshmen, active ministry took place during a very challenging time.
Greetings from Christian Union Libertas at Brown University! We are so very grateful for your many prayers and financial support that make this ministry possible. As is the case every spring, time flies by quickly. Just this past weekend, we had the privilege of celebrating our graduating seniors as Brown hosted commencement ceremonies. We’re very thankful to have shared life with these wonderful young women and men over the last four years. They’ve worked so hard during their time here on campus and have resiliently faced the challenges and difficulties presented by Covid. I’m sure none of them even imagined their senior year would look like this, but despite it all, they’ve remained encouraging and loving toward their peers, and a pleasure for us to serve as ministry faculty.
“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” - Jude 3
Those words from Jude 3 are now a part of the commission given to the outgoing seniors in the Harvard class of 2021. Our hope and prayer for them is that they would “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” as they head into their various fields of work upon graduation. Please continue praying for the class of 2021 as they transition into a new season and step into what the Lord has next for them.
Warm greetings from Christian Union Caritas!
Signs surround us—whether it’s emojis in digital communication, traffic signs that help us navigate the roads, or business logos that mark brand identity. A sign is a visible representation of an idea, something standing for something other than itself. Anything can be a sign as long as someone interprets it as signifying something. In John’s gospel, Jesus performs seven signs as visible symbols of God’s presence on earth. Each of the seven solicits a response: Do you believe that Jesus is the embodiment of God’s presence?
Revival Fire Past and Present
By Dr. Michael L. Brown
In a certain sense, God’s presence fills the universe. Yet there are times in history when He manifests His presence in a particular place or in a particular way that is unique and distinct and powerful and transformative. We call those times “revival.”
CU Gloria Helps Host Online Event at Harvard
By Kelly Parks, Staff Writer
After a year of online classes, most college students have become well-acquainted with Zoom-fatigue, loneliness, and stress. Some claim that college is the best time of one’s life, based on the available myriad of activities and frequent social gatherings. To the extent that this adage is true, COVID-19 restrictions have certainly turned this saying on its head. Rather than doing homework in coffee shops surrounded by friends, students are relegated to their dorms, apartments, or houses, dealing with the stress of academia in solitude.
Christian Union Event on May 14, 2021
Thanks for joining Christian Union Martus (University of Pennsylvania) at 4:00 PM EST for a virtual reunion. Christian Union Martus invited participants from all classes, all denominations, and all Christian ministries to this annual event. Christian Union Martus invited participants from all classes, all denominations, and all Christian ministries to this annual event.
Rachel Gilson Writes New Book About Her Experience
Rachel Gilson arrived at Yale with a girlfriend and a distaste for narrow-minded Christianity. She had experienced same-sex attraction in high school and quickly fell into a relationship with another young woman. But a few months into her freshman year, the relationship ended, sending Gilson reeling and searching for truth. She started with Rene Descartes, but it was C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity that gave her the answers she had been looking for. Through reading the book, she met Christ, repented, and left behind her lesbian lifestyle.
"Ex-vangelicalism" is Why Christian Union is So Valuable on Influential Campuses
Abraham Piper, the son of best-selling author and theologian John Piper, has recently risen to TikTok fame by posting content about walking away from the Christian faith. Piper creates minute-long videos critiquing everything from the idea of a literal hell to why certain Bible stories are ridiculous to why life has no ultimate meaning. Calling himself an ex-vangelical, Piper has found a fast audience of like-minded former believers who have been hurt by the church, cannot agree with conservative theology surrounding sexual ethics, or simply never got on board with their parents’ faith.
Despite COVID Restrictions, CU Lux Digs Deep into Scripture
By Kelly Parks, Staff Writer
Community has looked very different on college campuses these past few months than it has in years past. However, these changes have not stopped Christian Union Universities from ministering to students across the United States, in person and also through virtual connections.
CU New York Hosts Retreat for Young Professionals
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
A group of ten young professionals recently attended a Christian Union Fire retreat in New York City. Based on their feedback and ensuing testimonies, the event fueled a greater depth of seeking God and a passion for seeking revival.
