Brown
CU Rise Campaign Is Good News for Influential Universities!
Christian Union Unveils Historic Evangelistic Outreach
By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer
You have one business on earth - to save souls. - John Wesley
Calling, Courage, and Christ
Students Challenged to Be Salt and Light at 2019 Nexus Conference
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
Editor's note: This article, which features coverage of Christian Union's Nexus Conference, originally appeared in the Spring 2019 edition of Christian Union: The Magazine and is reprinted in conjuction with the publication's "Throwback Thursday" series.
An Open Invitation at Brown
Matthew 22 Evangelism Walks Invigorate CU Libertas
By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer
Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. - Matthew 22:8-10
Christian Union Book Recommendations for 2022
From New Releases to Classics
Everyone needs a good book on hand. To help you decide where to start in the new year, Christian Union ministry faculty and staff have put together a recommended booklist for 2022. Ranging from new releases to old classics, there is sure to be something that will bless and challenge you this year. Take a look!
Feature Film: Brown Professor Hosts Viewing of C.S. Lewis Biopic
Dr. Flanigan, Infectious Disease Specialist, Speaks at CU Libertas Series
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
In November, the CU Libertas’ Leadership Lecture Series featured Dr. Timothy Flanigan, a member of the Division of Infectious Diseases at The Miriam and Rhode Island Hospitals and Alpert Medical School of Brown University. His message was entitled “Faith, Suffering, and Practicing Medicine in the Midst of the Pandemic.”
A Seeking God Lifestyle Seminar for Students
Christian Union Event Inspires Young Leaders
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
Students with Christian Union ministries at some of the nation’s most influential universities gathered virtually last spring for a Seeking God Lifestyle Seminar. For eight evenings, attendees heard inspiring teaching on topics ranging from repentance to revival, gathered in cohorts, and sought to draw closer to the Lord.
Meeting, Greeting, and Eating at Brown University
CU Libertas Helps Students Plug in During Welcoming Campaign
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
One-on-one meetings over coffee, family-style dinners, and a weekly prayer breakfast—they are all on the menu as CU Libertas at Brown University continues to connect with students in the fall semester.
A Discipleship Pathway at Brown University
New Minsitry Fellow Excited About Fall Campaign
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
Sheri Casali, a new Christian Union ministry fellow, is especially passionate about discipleship. As the fall semester begins for CU Libertas, she is filled with hope and excitement when she considers the potential impact of mentoring students at such a prominent university like Brown.
The Legacy of Adoniram Judson
CU Ministry Center Named for Brown’s 1807 Valedictorian
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
The Adoniram Judson Ministry Center is a strategic meeting place at Brown University.
Christian Union Libertas uses the facility for a wide range of events and functions, including fellowship, Bible courses, one-on-one mentoring, prayer, training, meals, and administrative work.
A Long-Awaited Welcoming Campaign
CU Libertas Preparing to Meet Freshmen and Sophomores
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
Matt Woodard, Christian Union’s ministry director at Brown University, is twice as excited for the upcoming Freshman Gathering Campaign at Brown University this fall.
A Spirited Send Off
CU Libertas Celebrates Seniors
By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer
In an exciting and encouraging end to their time in college, seniors of CU Libertas gathered in person to be celebrated and recognized by underclassmen and to get off campus for a seniors-only day retreat. Though these kinds of events are typical for the graduation season, Ministry Fellow Laurel Copp says that these were the only two in-person events the ministry formally hosted all year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The Valuable Role of a Mentor
Q and A with Dr. Vincent Naman
By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer
Christian Union New York has teamed up with the ministry’s alumni engagement team to connect recent graduates and young professionals to mentors who work in the same field. Part of Christian Union’s mission is to transition college seniors into the workforce or graduate school well, linking them with a broad Christian network to support and sustain their faith while also networking professionally.
Life Outside the Comfort Zone
Vergerio ’22 Will Serve Internship with Samaritan’s Purse
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
In her sophomore year at Brown, Gabrielle Vergerio ’22 stepped out in faith and attended a Christian Union Libertas event, despite not knowing anyone in the ministry.
“On a whim, I decided to venture out to one of the meetings,” she said. “I was immediately met with such warm and sincere welcomes. CU Libertas at Brown was really my first home on campus.”
Throwback Thursday: A City and Campus Aflame
1820 Revival Transformed Providence, Brown University
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
This academic year will mark the 200th anniversary of a revival that forever changed the religious landscape of Providence, Rhode Island, and left a profound impact on the students at Brown University.
“The Hand of God was visible everywhere,” wrote author Mark S. Schantz, describing the city’s 1820 revival.
Focusing on Discipleship
Virtual Women’s Bible Course at Brown Stays Connected
By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer
The women of Christian Union Libertas at Brown University are using this season to dig deep. Although the fall and spring semesters are very different than in previous years, with most students taking classes remotely, the women’s side of the ministry has found ways to deepen their connections with one another.
Ministry Fellow Laurel Copp realized that things would need to look different this academic year in order to engage students well, so she took two of the Chrisitan Union foundations, Bible course and discipleship, and reimagined them. While much is the same, a lot is different, as Copp believes this year can be one of substantial growth.
Q & A with Dr. Timothy Flanigan
Infectious Disease Specialist Talks COVID-19, Students, and Spiritual Warfare
interview by tom campisi
Timothy Flanigan is a member of the Division of Infectious Diseases at The Miriam and Rhode Island Hospitals and Alpert Medical School of Brown University. At the Alpert Medical School, Flanigan mentors students who work side by side with staff in clinical medicine. For the last ten years, he has taught a popular course at Brown, Beyond Narnia: The Literature of C.S. Lewis.
Virtual Brown Reunion 2020
May 23, 2020
Thanks for joining Christian Union Libertas (Brown University) at 4:00 PM EST for the virtual reunion. Christian Union Libertas invited participants from all classes, all denominations, and all Christian ministries to this annual event. We loved connecting with Christian alumni and current students. Thanks for joining us!
Learn More
For questions about the Christian Union Libertas contact Christian Union's VP of Alumni Engagement Christine Foster: christine.foster@christianunion.org.
Teens Engaging in “Homosexuality” at Greater Risk for Self-Injury
Brown University Study Presents Radical Disparity
By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
Teens who engage in same-sex activity may be more than twice as likely as their peers to turn to self-harm, according to research from Brown University.
In June, the study appeared in JAMA Pediatrics, prompting a wave of attention from media outlets, including medical press. Such findings add further weight to existing scholarship that has documented physical and emotional risks associated with alternative sexual behavior, especially during adolescent years. In the study, psychiatrist Richard Liu, Cornell ’02, found that rates of non-suicidal self-injury were elevated among engaging in same-sex or “bisexual” behaviors, when compared to other adolescents. Liu is an assistant professor in psychiatry and human behavior at Brown’s Alpert Medical School.
Strikingly, 38 percent to 53 percent of surveyed “homosexual” and “bisexual” teens acknowledged engaging in personally dangerous behaviors, compared to 10 percent to 20 percent of adolescent youth who said they had cut, hit, or bruised themselves.
A Ministry Milestone
Christian Union Celebrates Five Years at Brown
At the Christian Union Staff Conference this summer, the organization celebrated a major milestone—five years of ministry at Brown University.
A few weeks later, Ministry Director Matt Woodard and Ministry Fellows Laurel Copp and Ben Pascut began earnestly to prepare for year six and the annual Freshmen Welcoming Campaign.
Embrace, Appreciate Each Season
A Med Student’s Exhortation to Live in the Moment
By Anna Delamerced, Brown ’16
Editor’s note: The following article is reprinted with permission fromCornerstone Magazine, Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design’s Christian literary arts publication.
In the spring of 2012, senioritis hit me. After reading my acceptance letter to Brown, I immediately began to daydream. Whether it was envisioning myself walking across the Main Green to class or chilling in the dorm lounge with my hallmates, I was preoccupied by thoughts of college. Before I knew it, prom and senior projects had become things of the past, and I stood next to my classmates at graduation. “Where did the time go?” I asked myself. I had been thinking about college so much that I had missed out on savoring my final moments as a high school senior.
This is something I’ve struggled with for a long time. Even at Brown, similar thoughts crept up on me. I loved many parts about college life: late night conversations in Perkins, studying at the Ratty with friends, singing worship songs on a Friday night. My faith grew exponentially through fellowship, prayer, reading God’s Word, and spending time with Him and my brothers and sisters in Christ. Still, it seemed like the pattern of wanting to move on to the next season continued.