Greetings from Princeton!
We are under two weeks away from our annual Pre-Retreat, which will mark the official start of our fall season of ministry at the university. This particular retreat is an opportunity for some of our core leaders to gather together before classes start. We want them to be refreshed spiritually through biblical teaching and worship, connect relationally through the fellowship a retreat affords, and prepare to approach the fall season with outward-looking hearts and minds for the sake of inviting freshmen into Christian community. We would ask for your prayers for a powerful and encouraging time away together!
Dear friends,
I hope that your summers are going well! Cambridge is quieter with less students around during these months, yet our summer Bible Course for Harvard College Faith and Action (HCFA) is continuing and there are only two weeks left of studying through the book of Isaiah.
Dear Prayer Partner,
It's hard to believe that it's almost August and time to welcome another group of freshmen at Yale! Our summer Bible study on Genesis has gone well and engaged the students on campus with tools for studying God's Word, while engaging them on topics such as human origins and the problem of evil. Please pray that students here at Yale, and those far away, would be emboldened to live more fully for Christ and serve Him faithfully at Yale in the coming year.
It’s hard to believe that the ministry at Harvard Law School has just completed its third year! Time has passed so quickly from when we first arrived on the campus in August 2013.
Students who served in our campus ministry from its beginning were among the many students who received degrees at graduation exercises this past May.
The Reunions 2016 Annual Brunch hosted by Princeton Faith and Action, the Christian student organization resourced by Christian Union, will be listed under the student organization name in the University's Reunions schedule.
I’m always excited to be at this point in May — the promise of summer and the greater promise of newly arrived graduates in New York and other cities. They are excited to be done with their formal schooling (at least for a time) and many of us a little further down the path are excited for them as they begin to connect to the wider world of work and life that faith calls us into.
Greetings from New York!
During the past century it has been an interesting development where the celebration of Christmas has taken on greater social and cultural significance. Historically the church has elevated Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, as the more defining event to mark. The death of Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humanity, and His subsequent resurrection overcoming death and the power of Satan are defining factors in the uniqueness of the Christian faith. It resolves the overwhelming problem of the human condition and it points to a future where all is made whole. I hope this has been a remarkable season of hope and renewal for you.
Greetings from New York!
I’m not sure if you view this month in quite the same way as I do — a somewhat comical juxtaposition of the silliness/romantic celebration of Valentine's Day and the sobering start of the Lenten season when we consider the path of Christ as He approaches His crucifixion and resurrection. Certainly any serious celebration of the former would be rather empty without the tangible demonstration of the love of Christ shown for us in the latter.
Greetings from New York City!
There is much to relate in this letter, all of it encouraging. We seem to be in a season of great activity in a number of areas, all of which provide some wonderful opportunities for those of you in the New York area.
Excellent Additions to Your Reading List
The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook
by Niall Ferguson
The 21st century has been hailed as the Age of Networks. However, in The Square and the Tower, Niall Ferguson argues that networks have always been with us, from the structure of the brain to the food chain, from the family tree to freemasonry. Throughout history, hierarchies housed in high towers have claimed to rule, but often real power has resided in the networks in the town square below. For it is networks that tend to innovate. And it is through networks that revolutionary ideas can contagiously spread. Just because conspiracy theorists like to fantasize about such networks doesn't mean they are not real. (Amazon)
The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction
by Justin Whitmel Earley
Twenty-first-century Christianity has experienced a much-needed renaissance in its theology of work, but it takes formational habits to work with the purpose we preach, and this ingredient is still largely missing from the conversation. In the meantime our workplaces are being fragmented by the distractions of technology, uncontrollable busyness, and the question of whether we want a job driven by purpose or upward mobility. This book addresses the need to pair our theology on the meaning of work with the formational practice of spiritual work habits in order to bring order and purpose back to the workplace - and to our lives.
True Paradox: How Christianity Makes Sense of Our Complex World
by David Skeel
Although the twentieth century saw several landmark contributions to Christian apologetics, these Christian classics have lost some of their effectiveness in an era when America is more pluralistic than ever before and many Americans imagine that science has explained or will soon explain all of the mysteries of life. Skeel, however, argues that Christianity actually offers better explanations than materialism or other perspectives for many of the most important puzzles of our existence - such as our idea-making capacity, our perceptions of beauty and suffering, and our repeated optimism that we can create a truly just social order and repeated failure to do so.
On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books
by Karen Swallow Prior
Reading great literature well has the power to cultivate virtue. Great literature increases knowledge of and desire for the good life by showing readers what virtue looks like and where vice leads. It is not just what one reads but how one reads that cultivates virtue. Reading good literature well requires one to practice numerous virtues, such as patience, diligence, and prudence. And learning to judge wisely a character in a book, in turn, forms the reader's own character.
Prior takes readers on a guided tour through works of great literature both ancient and modern, exploring twelve virtues that philosophers and theologians throughout history have identified as most essential for good character and the good life. (Amazon)
The Road to Character
by David Brooks
"Brooks focuses on the deeper values that should inform our lives. Responding to what he calls the culture of the Big Me, which emphasizes external success, Brooks challenges us, and himself, to rebalance the scales between our "résumé virtues"—achieving wealth, fame, and status—and our "eulogy virtues," those that exist at the core of our being: kindness, bravery, honesty, or faithfulness, focusing on what kind of relationships we have formed." (Amazon)A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918
by Joseph Loconte
"The First World War laid waste to a continent and permanently altered the political and religious landscape of the West. For a generation of men and women, it brought the end of innocence—and the end of faith. Yet for J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, the Great War deepened their spiritual quest. Both men served as soldiers on the Western Front, survived the trenches, and used the experience of that conflict to ignite their Christian imagination. Had there been no Great War, there would have been noHobbit, no Lord of the Rings, no Narnia, and perhaps no conversion to Christianity by C. S. Lewis." (Amazon)by Stephen Hess
"Written by Stephen Hess, who served on the White House staff during both the Eisenhower and Nixon presidencies, this book is a uniquely personal account of what happened behind closed doors when conservative Richard Nixon made Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a liberal Ivy League professor, his top urban affairs adviser." (Brookings)Ministers at War: Winston Churchill and His War Cabinet
by Jonathan Schneer
"Ministers at War tells the gripping story of how the man who certainly saved Britain and arguably saved western civilization managed his cabinet "team of rivals," a coalition of men who had spent most of their interrelated, pre-war political lives at daggers drawn." (First Things)To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, & Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World
by James Davison Hunter
"The call to make the world a better place is inherent in the Christian belief and practice. But why have efforts to change the world by Christians so often failed or gone tragically awry? And how might Christians in the 21st century live in ways that have integrity with their traditions and are more truly transformative? Hunter argues that all too often current political theologies worsen the very problems they are designed to solve. What is really needed is a different paradigm of Christian engagement with the world, one that Hunter calls "faithful presence"-- an ideal of Christian practice that is not only individual but institutional; a model that plays out not only in all relationships but in our work and all spheres of social life." (Amazon)
Forums and Salons Develop Thoughtful Christian Engagement in Wide-Ranging Topics Throughout Year
Forums on Christian Leadership
Forums occur quarterly, in venues suitable for 100-150 participants. Topics address broad themes of Christian leadership, and keynote speakers will include inspiring Christians who are leaders in their respective fields. These events are excellent networking opportunities among Christian professionals who are growing in their vision, strategy and effectiveness to change New York City and Washington, DC culture for Christ.Recent forum speakers include:
- Dr. Robert Louis Wilken, Professor Emeritus of the University of Virginia (pictured, above)
- Dr. Os Guinness, Author and Social Critic
- Mako Fujimura, Artist and Director
- Abbie Killeen, Producer Babette's Feast
- Cherie Harder, President The Trinity Forum
- Dr. David R. Young, Founder and Chairman of Oxford Analytica
- Dr. Anthony Bradley, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at The King's College in New York City
- Matthew Bishop, US Business Editor and New York Bureau Chief for The Economist
- Fernando Cabrera, NYC Council Member and senior pastor of New Life Outreach International
Salons
Salons provide an intimate gathering for around 20 Christian leaders at a time to develop strong ties, and interact on a more narrowly defined topic that strengthens either the intellectual or supernatural dimensions of your Christian faith. Expert speakers will go in-depth, but the setting affords participants opportunities for question and answer, and interaction with the speaker, as well as one another. If you are interested in hosting a salon, please contact: cunewyork@christianunion.org.Upcoming salons are announced in Christian Union New York Events.
- Jeff Smith, President Generosity NY
- Jay Jakub, Director of Eternal Research at Mars Catalyst
- Paul Horrocks, President Rocksurance Solutions
- Ken Fish, Founder Kingdom Fire Ministries
- Dr. Seth Ward, Music Director at Central Presbyterian Church in Manhattan
- Michael Rowntree, Senior Pastor of Wellspring Church in Fort Worth, Texas
- Joseph Loconte, PhD, Associate Professor of History, The King's College, New York City
- Dr. Gordon Isaac, Berkshire Associate Professor at Gordon-Conwell Seminary
- Prof. Paul Lim, Associate Professor of the History of Christianity, Vanderbilt University, Divinity School
Past Events
Click here to view past events and correlating video and audio recordings. Questions
For more information on Christian Union New York please email cunewyork@christianunion.org and for more information on Christian Union.Christian Union New York highlight thoughtful leaders in various fields speaking on leading and engaging the world with faith. These forums provide an opportunity for Christian leaders to discuss and debate the role and implications of faith in the public square.
Leadership for the New York Ministry
Linda L. Huang, DDS, MD, FACS
A Columbia University School of Dental Medicine graduate and clinical professor, Linda is one of the most specialized dental and oral surgeons in the New York area. She owns her own highly successful practice, serves on medical missions, frequently offers prayers with and for her patients, and serves on the ministry team for CU NY’s Gospel of the Kingdom Conferences.
Chris Shortell 
Chris is a graduate of Cornell University who has held various leadership roles in the U.S. and Asia in insurance and international trade while living in some of the most dynamic cities such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai, and is the former Euler Hermes China CEO. He is now moving back to NYC to permanently re-join his wife, Joon, after a stint of overseas commuting in the wake of the global pandemic, and is passionate about mentoring young men.
Joon Shortell
Joon is a graduate of the Parson School of Design with a concentration in Fashion Design, and was a clothing designer and boutique owner. Joon’s passion and zeal for Bible teaching, prayer, and a move of the Holy Spirit have her now using her time primarily serving the kingdom of Jesus globally and in NYC.
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Serving Students through Ten Strategic Ministries
God is stirring up the hearts of men and women at some of America's leading universities, where Christian Union is working to develop Christian leaders. Involved students enjoy rigorous Bible courses, personal mentoring, coaching, leadership lecture series, and other events, and engaging outreach.
Christian Union's tailored approach serves in various ways that resonate with students at highly academic, deeply secular universities. Select a campus below to learn more.
The ministry provides biblical instruction and mentoring and resources for students to transform the culture of these campuses spiritually, intellectually, and socially. Christian Union's approach is designed specifically to connect with intellectually curious, highly motivated students and strongly emphasizes seeking God wholeheartedly.
The ministry currently serves students who attend the following institutions:
- Brown University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Dartmouth College
- Harvard College
- Harvard Law
- Princeton University
- Stanford University
- The University of Pennsylvania
- Yale University
Christian Union emphasizes: a seeking-God lifestyle; high-caliber ministry fellows; engaged and networked leaders; and organizational excellence.
Developing Christian Leaders In Strategic Cities
In City of God, Saint Augustine argues that within every city, two cities are simultaneously emerging: the city of good and the city of evil. He argues that everyone, at all times, is contributing to the emergence of one or the other.Unfortunately, in our nation’s most influential cities, the voice of those pursuing the city of good is a mere whisper. Those who more loudly lead in academia, business, entertainment, government, and legal institutions are predominantly secular.
This is why Christian Union launched its Cities ministry—to empower and equip Christian professionals in every field with a bold faith that steadily brings the city of good to bear. CU Cities helps professionals grow as godly influencers while expanding the network and impact of faithful believers.
Click here to learn more about Christian Union New York or here to read about how CU New York has been transforming lives.
Alumni Panel
Brunch
Learn more
For questions about Christian Union Princeton Reunion 2013 activities, email Meghan.Foley@ChristianUnion.org.Visit the Princeton Alumni Association's Reunion 2013 website for the full schedule of events and activities.
Pursuing Leadership Impact ... Together
We are called not only to a new and transformed life - but to be part of the redemptive process of "making all things new."Are you interested in:
- Building a vibrant network of friends in a fast-paced, time-starved city?
- Experiencing the richness of abiding friendship, cultural engagement and seeking the Lord's presence with a group of like-minded leaders in NYC?
- Working with others to engage a complex and diverse city to make it a different and transformed place - a place that God intended it to be?
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Community Groups are small groups of Christian men or women pursuing leadership impact in three specific ways:
- Community: Building a network of abiding friendships with other leaders in NYC;
- Spiritual Cultivation: Developing an intellectually-satisfying and wholehearted pursuit of the God who made them;
- Engagement: Actively engaging and changing the culture around them.
These groups meet every other week with an active Bible study component and periodic projects designed by the group.
Projects range from reimagining a particular vocation in light of the gospel to involvement in a critical social issue in the city.
The intellectually curious and those longing to assimilate their faith in the culture we inhabit will find these groups stimulating and life-changing.
For more information, or to join a Community Group, please cunewyork@christianunion.org or call Scott Crosby at (347) 682-5653.
Christian Union seeks a spiritually vibrant nation marked by Christian values permeating every corner of society. Christian Union New York works to bring revival to America, starting right here in the city.
In Jesus, Christian leaders can be made whole spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally, and in their families. Beyond that, they can be strengthened and equipped with kingdom strategy and anointing to be used by God to transform those within their spheres of influence.
From the City to the Nation... and Beyond
A revived and kingdom-minded New York City can begin to turn the heart of the entire nation back to the Lord. To some, this might sound unlikely. But the Lord has done it before. A simple prayer meeting in Manhattan, started in 1857 by a businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier, grew and multiplied in supernatural ways, ultimately leading to what we now call the Third Great Awakening—a revival that spread across America and beyond.
This is why Christian Union New York exists. It serves, ministers to, equips, and connects influential leaders in business, government, finance, law, media, medicine, vocational ministry, and other key industries. The multiplicative power of connecting spiritually vibrant, high-level leaders in every sector of society in NYC can transform the city.
Through seeking God together and stepping out in bold faith, the city-wide and national impact of Spirit-filled key leaders working in tandem cannot be overstated.
CU New York is available to any Christian professional living in the area. God has called Christian Union to particularly target developing Christian leaders, so as to maximize the reach of those believers to impact culture. The ministry also offers a unique continuation of community for alumni of Christian Union's university ministries.
Get Connected
More information regarding our NYC opportunities:- Events, Salons and Forums
- Connect with Us: follow us on social media, join a community group, find a mentor/mentee, receive our Enewsletter, and sign up for our email list
- For questions or to learn more about Christian Union New York please contact us at: cunewyork@christianunion.org
Calendar of Activities & Speakers
Events scheduled in 2017 are provided here. You can also find Christian Union New York on Facebook.
July
7.21.18 — Christian Union Summer Getaway. Registration for Summer 2018 is currently open. From July 21st-July 28th, professionals will come together for a week of water sports, teaching, and fellowship. Click here to learn more and to register.
June
6.22.18— CU Cities Conference 2018. Join us from Friday, June 22nd through Saturday, June 23rd. Formerly known as Nexus Professionals, this conference will bring together influential professionals from across many industries for a life-changing weekend of dynamic worship and compelling ideas about faith and its relevance to our entire lives. Location and registration will be announced soon. February
2.20.18 — Salon with Ken Fish. Ken is an honors graduate of Princeton University. He has also earned an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary and an MBA from UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management. Formerly a colleague of John Wimber, the late leader of the Vineyard Movement, Ken brings more than 30 years of academic study and practical experience in this discipline.
Join us on Tuesday, February 20th from 7-9pm. Location and topic will be announced soon.
February
2.15.18 — Salon with Ken Fish. Ken is an honors graduate of Princeton University. He has also earned an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary and an MBA from UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management. Formerly a colleague of John Wimber, the late leader of the Vineyard Movement, Ken brings more than 30 years of academic study and practical experience in this discipline. Join us from 7-9pm on Thursday, February 15th from 7-9pm. Location and topic will be announced soon.
February
2.10.18 — Salon with Ken Fish. Ken is an honors graduate of Princeton University. He has also earned an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary and an MBA from UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management. Formerly a colleague of John Wimber, the late leader of the Vineyard Movement, Ken brings more than 30 years of academic study and practical experience in this discipline.
Join us from 7-9pm on Thursday, February 15th from 7-9pm. Location and topic will be announced soon.
February
2.5.18 — Forum with Dr. Os Guinness. Space is limited, but admission is FREE please RSVP here.
Join us from 7-9pm on Monday, February 5th in the Union League Club at the Library Room. The address is 38 E. 37th Street (at Park Ave) in New York City.
Os Guinness was born during WWII in China where both his parents and grandparents were medical missionaries. He was expelled with many other foreigners in 1951 and returned to Europe where he was educated in England. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of London and his D.Phil in the social sciences from Oriel College, Oxford.
Os has written or edited thirty books on a wide range of themes, including , Time for Truth, The Call, Invitation to the Classics, Unspeakable, A Case for Civility, and A Free People’s Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future. Os divides his time between McLean, VA and Oxford, England and continues to write, speak and educate.
Dr. Guinness, author and social critic, will address the topic of "The Reformation at 500: The Forgotten Secret of American Freedom." In celebrating the Reformation most commentators have concentrated on the remarkable gifts to the church that it provided. We forget, however the impact the Reformation had on culture. In the context of the universal coherence and centrality of faith in all spheres, Os Guinness makes a case that this movement was also the single strongest set of ideas that made the modern world.
January
1.23.18 — Salon with Dr. Jay Jakub, Senior Director of External Research, Mars Catalyst. Dr. Jakub will speak on "Jubilee Economics: Transforming Buisness for God. For the past fifty years, business leaders have believed their sole responsibility is to maximize profit for shareholders alone, and that for business to do ‘good’ for society or the environment, there must always be a costly tradeoff of profit, thereby limiting scale of impact. This obsessive focus on profit nearly sunk the global economy in 2008, while the many Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives (CSR) emerging from business have shown limited results and are often more for reputational purposes than for transformation. From a Christian perspective, Jay Jakub offers a more complete form of capitalism called the ‘Economics of Mutuality,’ which focuses business on the needs of others (the means) rather than on maximizing shareholder value (the ends).
Join us on Tuesday, January 23rd from 7-9pm. Due to the initmate nature of salons, space is extremely limited. Please RSVP through emailing Kate Gardner at Kate.Gardner@christianunion.org.
January
1.19.18 — Salon with Phyllis Crosby, CORE Real Estate, New York and Sam Lawson Johnston, Managing Director, Real Estate division, LJ Partnership; London, UK. Friday, January 19th, 2018, from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m., the special guest speakers will explore the topic of "Does Space Matter: Faith and Real Estate." Do we have a theology of space - what space means for flourishing, for hospitality, for understanding our need for community, for forming family, for revitalizing neighborhoods and cities? Phyllis Crosby is a realtor in New York largely motivated by how we design and use space as people made in God’s image. Additionally, she has lived and worked extensively in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China addressing these same issues.
Sam Lawson Johnston is a commercial real estate investor and developer based in London and has recently completed a development in central Manchester devoted to building and leasing commercial space leading to flourishing in a community.
The event was held at Manhattan Christian Collaborative Center, Nayack College, 2 Washington Street, 17th Floor in New York City.
September
9.30.17 — Christian Union New York's Fall Young Professional Event 2017. Attendees enjoyed an evening on the water aboard Manhattan II to hear more about what resources Christian Union offers to young professionals in New York City.July
7.22.17 - 7.29.17 — Christian Union Summer Getaway. REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. Put summer 2018 on your calendar!May
5.06.17 — Salon with Bob Doll, Chief Equity Strategist, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC., Faith and Work in Finance.April
4.05.17 — Salon with Dr. Christopher Hancock. The Very Rev'd Dr. Christopher Hancock, Chairman, Oxford House Research, will speak at the Union League Club on "Reading the World: Politics and the Science of Interpretation."4.07.17 - 4.09.17 — Nexus: Professional 2017. Join us for two days of exceptional plenary speakers and seminars on what it means to engage and transform culture as Christians in the marketplace. Vibrant worship and connections with others round out a memorable weekend in Samford, Connecticut.
