New York
Bringing Hellfire to Heel: A Lawyers Guide to Mastering the Tongue and Speaking the Truth
Christian Union New York
Due to technical issues, the recording begins a couple minutes into the conversation.
The Mission Continues
Reaching out to Young Professionals
by catherine elvy, staff writer
The COVID-19 pandemic did not prevent Christian Union’s ministry to professionals from sharing its core mission with recent college graduates.
In May, Christian Union New York coordinated virtual introductory meetings with graduating seniors at top universities. During the spring, the ministry typically reaches out to seniors involved in Christian Union Universities to help facilitate connections for graduates within certain professional and geographic networks in various cities. In New York City, the ministry offers emerging and established leaders an array of community groups, mentoring and networking opportunities, as well as enriching events including forums, lectures, and conferences.
The Urgent Need for Church Unity
A 35-Year Reflection from New York City
by dr. mac pier
When my wife Marya and I arrived in New York City in 1984 I used three adjectives to describe the city. The Big Apple was broke, violent, and under-churched in many communities. The front page of the October 30, 1975, Daily News read: “Ford to City: Drop Dead” after President Ford denied federal assistance to spare New York from bankruptcy.
In 1984, a decade of racial violence began when Bernard Goetz, a German, shot five unarmed African-American men on the subway. In 1994, the murder rate spiked at twenty-four hundred murders, or eight a day for a year. According to Jeffrey Burke, the NYPD chief forensic dentist, the city morgue simply ran out of room.
Hearing the Lord’s Voice
Lecture Focuses on Spiritual Intimacy
Christian Union’s ministry in a key urban setting is highlighting the connection between prayer and the supernatural as it offers mentoring and training to young professionals.“We are seeking to draw people into all aspects of the faith,” said Scott Crosby, ministry director of Christian Union New York. “We want to make the supernatural aspects of Christianity a little more natural to engage. The supernatural is very common in other parts of the world.”
Christian Union offers ministry to young professionals in New York City. From his base in Manhattan, Crosby oversees Bible courses, mentoring sessions, industry network gatherings, forums, and other events.
Demonstrations of the Spirit and of Power
Q and A with Ken Fish
Ken Fish, Princeton ’82, is the founder of Kingdom Fire Ministries. He is the featured speaker at Christian Union’s Gospel of the Kingdom Conferences, which are hosted biannually in New York City. The conferences are known for focusing on physical and emotional healing, deliverance, and prophesy, and other supernatural aspects of ministry.
God of the Subway
The Great Experiment in the Big Apple
by whit hazelton
On Thursday, March 7, a small group of Christians took on a “Joshua Faith Challenge” that would stretch their faith and inject new energy into their walk with Jesus. As part of The Great Experiment, a ten-day spiritual challenge to seek God for revival, participants were asked to pray and ask God to show them something they could do to put their faith into works. It was to be something specific, concrete, bold, and out of the ordinary—something that would require courageous faith in God (Joshua 1:8, 9). In response to the challenge, a number of the five thousand Great Experiment participants came up with creative evangelism plans for their faith challenge.
For his Joshua Faith Challenge, Christian Union Founder and CEO Matt Bennett met up with six friends to take the Gospel to the New York City subway! Asking for prayer in advance of the big day, Matt wrote: “I’ve never done such a thing and am a little nervous, but also excited to see what God will do!”
Thanks for the Memories
Seniors Show Appreciation for Christian Union at Dinner
by tom campisi, managing editor
In April, students with Christian Union at Columbia hosted a senior dinner at the organization’s new ministry center. It was a sweet time of reflection, prayer, and even a few tears, as seniors looked back with gratitude on four years of spiritual growth and Christian community.
“Student after student commented on how the ministry has made a difference in their lives and how they have made lifelong friends,” said Yolanda Solomon, a Christian Union ministry fellow at Columbia. “They talked about connecting and staying in touch and how they will miss Christian Union.”
Thomas Merton Lecture: “Views from Space”
Former Astronaut Was Starstruck by God’s Creation
By Nathan Barlow, Columbia ’20
On March 7, Columbia’s Catholic Ministry hosted engineering professor and former astronaut Mike Massimino at the 41st annual Thomas Merton Lecture. Dr. Massimino spoke about his journey, outer space, and what his adventures taught him about faith.
Columbia’s Catholic Ministry hosted former astronaut Mike Massimino to speak on what his journeys into outer space taught him about God.
Second Chances
Calderon-Payne ’89 Directs BronxConnect
By Paula Chin
Editor’s note: The following story was reprinted with permission fromBrown Alumni Magazine (www.brownalumnimagazine.com).
As executive director of BronxConnect, a New York City–based nonprofit that helps at-risk teens, Rev. Wendy Calderon-Payne ’89 has a simple mantra: “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”
Rev. Wendy Calderon-Payne ’89 and the staff at BronxConnect
The quote is from the Gospel of Luke, and when she came across the verse one day during her freshman year at Brown, it struck a deep chord. “Jesus’ solution to poverty just made sense to me,” she says. “We have to act when we see injustice or need.”
Q and A with Max McLean
“Stealing Past Watchful Dragons”
Max McLean is an award-winning actor and founder and artistic director of Fellowship for Performing Arts (FPA). Based in New York City, FPA produces theater from a Christian worldview to engage diverse audiences.
Among his numerous credits, McLean adapted for the stage The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert, The Great Divorce, Mark’s Gospel, and Martin Luther on Trial. As an actor, he created the roles of Screwtape (London, New York, national tour) and C.S. Lewis in The Most Reluctant Convert(New York, national tour) and Mark in Mark’s Gospel, for which he received a Jeff Award—Chicago theater’s highest honor.
A Celebrated Space
Christian Union Dedicates Ministry Center at Columbia
by catherine elvy, staff writer
Profound awe and gratitude permeated the highly anticipated opening of Christian Union’s ministry center adjacent to Columbia University.
On October 13, staff, ministry faculty, and financial partners of the leadership development organization celebrated the debut of the center on West 113th Street with a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Engaging through Volunteering
Christian Union Panel Discussion Focuses on Reconciliation
by catherine elvy, staff writer
Drew Griffin, the managing editor of Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy,highlighted the critical role believers play in fostering redemption, reconciliation, and transformation within their spheres of influence when he appeared at a Christian Union New York forum this summer.
Griffin moderated a panel of non-profit leaders who took part in an event entitled Mission to the City: Engaging through Volunteering. About 55 people attended the forum, held at the Scandinavia House on Park Avenue in Manhattan.
Building Community on Campus
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.”
Summer Book Study
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.
