Fall 2016 Christian Union The Magazine

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Christian Union the magazine :: fall 2016

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Special Section: Movements and Networks New York City Christian Union: Welcoming Young Professionals The Spiritual Climate on Campus The latest from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton & Yale

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80 0 .4 2 8 .7 3 2 9

table of contents

volume xv issue iv

Christian Union the maga zine :: fall 2016 12

in e ach issue Letter from the President / 3 Q and A / 6 Donor Profile / 32

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4 Movements and Networks

on the web

f a l l 2 0 1 6 f e a t u r e s e c t i o n Q and A with Dr. Mac Pier / 6 William Wilberforce and His Circle of Friends / 8 Christian Union New York / 11

12 From the University to the City

cover photo: Isaac Whitney, Brown ’17, and Justin Doyle, a Christian Union ministry fellow

updat e s fr om l e ading univer si t ie s The Apollos Project (Brown) :: Freshmen Fellowship Fair (Cornell) :: A Liminal Looking Glass (Harvard) :: Kindred Spirit (Princeton) :: Vita et Veritas (Yale) :: News-in-Brief from each university, and more

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p h o t o c r e d i t : Phil Anema

34 The Spiritual Climate on Campus

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cit y chris tian union New York City Christian Union / 29

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the maga zine

2016

This magazine is published by Christian Union, an independent Christian ministry.

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Coram Deo (Harvard Law) / 14 Double Duty (Cornell) / 16 univer si t y chris t ian union updat e s Penn / 18 Columbia / 19 Brown / 21 Harvard / 22 Princeton / 25 Yale / 27 Dartmouth / 24

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letter from the founder and ceo

Our Mutual Dependence It’s an interesting reality that almost nothing of long-lasting substance is accomplished on one’s own, but only with the help of many others.

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the purposes of the one true God. As the African expression confirms: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

I praise the Lord for the many wise men and women through the ages who have teamed with others to seek God and to be used by Him to spread and enlarge the kingdom of God throughout the earth.

Whether it was through the proclamation of the Gospel and establishment of churches, or the establishment of schools and poverty relief efforts, it was through the collaborative work of many that God’s kingdom has been advancing around the globe. Because of this spiritual reality, Christian Union values very highly the development of relationships among those seeking to be instruments for His kingdom.

Our ministry seeks to be a vessel to foster relationships among like-minded men and women who seek revival and reformation of the United States and the world. We pray that He gives us strength and success.

Yours in Christ,

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Matthew W. Bennett matt bennett is the founder and CEO of Christian Union. He earned undergraduate and MBA degrees from Cornell, and launched Christian Union in 2002 in Princeton, New Jersey.

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hy has God made us so dependent on others in the body of Christ? The best answer I’ve heard to that question is that dependence fosters humility. And humility helps attract the presence of God to our lives and communities. It’s an interesting reality that almost nothing of long-lasting substance is accomplished on one’s own, but only with the help of many others. I am reminded of the bronze sign on Ronald Reagan’s desk that stated, “There is no limit to what a man can achieve, if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.” I saw it recently during Christie’s Ronald Reagan estate sale. They estimated that it would sell for about $1,000 so I put a bid on it, but it sold for more than $26,000 (not to me – beyond my budget)!

First Peter 2:4-5 reminds us that Christians together comprise a spiritual house, and a holy priesthood: “As you come to him, a living stone, rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (ESV) What a beautiful reality that it’s only together that we comprise the spiritual house, or the holy priesthood, or a “holy nation” (v. 9). In the New Testament, we see what happened through the camaraderie and support of the apostles of Christ.

Many other subsequent Christian expressions through the ages have confirmed the necessity of strong relationships to further

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feature section :: fall 2016 Q and A with Mac Pier / 6 William Wilberforce and His Circle of Friends / 8 Networks and Cultural Transformation / 11

Movements and Networks When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

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When God’s people unite—as they did in the Book of Acts—He can accomplish amazing things. Throughout history, He has summoned multitudes of believers to pray fervently, spark great revivals, rebuild broken places, and usher in social justice. In this special section, Christian Union: The Magazine presents three articles that will encourage your heart as you consider the power of movements and networks.

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feature section | movements and networks

Q and A with Dr. Mac Pier The Anatomy of Gospel Movements

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ac Pier is the founder and chief executive officer of the New York City Leadership Center.

Christian Union: The Magazine recently interviewed Dr. Pier regarding his insights on the transformative power of movements and networks.

For the last five years, Dr. Pier and the New York City Leadership Center (NYCLC) have hosted Movement Day, an annual conference that has gathered ministry and marketplace leaders to inspire gospel movements and collaborative ministry in cities around the world. In October, representatives from 86 countries convened in Manhattan for Movement Day Global Cities. The threeday conference addressed the refugee crisis, human trafficking, poverty, fatherlessness, and under-performing education.

Prior to founding the NYCLC , Dr. Pier was the president of Concerts of Prayer Greater New York, “a Christ-centered network of pastors and churches promoting a culture of prayer across racial, economical, and denominational lines.” Most notably, Concerts of Prayer directs The Lord’s Watch, an ongoing, 21-year, 24/7 prayer movement that focuses on four R’s—Revival in the Church; Reconciliation between Churches and Races; Reformation of Society; and Reaching Out with The Gospel.

Dr. Pier’s latest book, A Disruptive Gospel: Stories and Strategies for Transforming Your City, was released in November.

CU MAGAZINE: You have written and

spoken about “The Anatomy of a Gospel Movement,” saying there are three key components: the Foundation of Corporate Spiritual Disciplines (prayer, scripture reading, and fasting); the Foundation of a Leadership Pipeline; and the Activity of a

Movement (church planting, prayer, and humanitarian engagement). Please elaborate on each one.

MAC PIER: I believe that the foundation

of any kind of spiritual movement is the role of united prayer and the role of corpo-

Mac Pier

rate Bible reading. This reminds us that if anything happens, it’s really because God initiates it first. He motivates us to pray.

The way the mystery of prayer works is that He puts in our hearts the things He wants us to pray for because He’s prepared to do something. It is a mystery, but that just seems to be the way God works in the Bible and in the great prayers of the Bible.

Prayer is important at a foundational level—and not just personal prayer, but corporate prayer. The real power of prayer is praying in agreement with other people.

The foundation of a movement takes place when you have an increasing number of

people agreeing on the same thing. There’s real power in agreement, and I do believe that part of what happens in a movement is that we realize that what we do together is actually more important than what we do. Starting with the foundation of prayer and Scripture is the place to start.

CU: Regarding a “Leadership Pipeline,” you emphasize bringing in young leaders to movements. Why is this important?

MP: In his book, Student Power in World Missions, Dave Howard states that most spiritual movements are started by people under the age of 28. That’s why high school and university ministries are critical, and it also corresponds to the greatest challenge facing the church today, the absence of millennial churches.

At a conference in Bangalore, India, Dr. Elias Dantas, a professor in Nyack College’s doctoral program, said the average age for Christians worldwide is 55; the average age for Buddhists is 32; and the average age for Muslims is 25. I think this is definitely true in the Western hemisphere. I don’t know if it true in Africa or parts of Asia, but in parts of the world, this is an important demographic.

CU: What are some key factors regarding “The Activity of a Movement?”

MP: What’s critical is that you have an

alignment of churches—churches that know each other and really want to do something significant together. And that’s been part of the legacy of the annual Pastor’s Prayer Summit that Concerts of Prayer started 25 years ago. Leaders got to know each other after years of praying together.

You have this body of churches, sometimes it’s a denominational group, sometimes it’s a group from a part of a city. And then you

have a big idea. It could be planning; it could be global missions; it could be some kind of social justice or compassion effort.

You have an alliance, you have a big idea, and then you have a world-class partner that has expertise in that arena.

With Concerts of Prayer, we have done a lot of work with World Vision; and they’ve applied their expertise and combined it with a network of churches and there’s a big idea. In the early 2000s, with the impact of the AIDS pandemic, we were able to find sponsors for 11,000 children and each sponsored child benefitted 60 people. If you do the metrics, a network of churches in one city ended up impacting 600,000 people living in HIV and poverty.

That’s a very powerful multiplier.

CU: Do you see this emphasis on prayer,

Scripture, and social action in movements as an example of what the Apostle James talks about regarding faith and works?

MP: Yes, that’s how I would describe it.

creating the relational and strategic capacity to scale a big idea. I think about when Re-

The foundation of any kind of spiritual movement is the role of united prayer and the role of corporate Bible reading. This reminds us that if anything happens, it’s really because God initiates it first. He motivates us to pray… He puts in our hearts the things He wants us to pray for because He’s prepared to do something. big idea of planting a multiplying church in Manhattan and got the network to engage it, pray around it, participate in it, and invest in it. That’s also why I think networks tend to be more vibrant when they’re connected to cities.

I was reading the book of Acts recently and what struck me was how day-to-day life in the first century church would have felt like real struggle, real life and death kind of issues all the time. But because God used the church in cities, Christianity grew from 25,000 at the time of the Ascension to 20 million by the year 312 when Constantine declared himself to be a Christian. Christianity grew 800 times in 300 years. A lot of that took place through the network that had developed in the faith community in cities in the Roman Empire. That’s a little

MP: I would say two bodies of Scripture. I

think there are passages between Isaiah 56 and Isaiah 62 that are a prophetic vision of what a revived city looks like. Isaiah 56:7 says, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 58 talks about the “true fast,” which is the whole theme of justice. There is Isaiah 61, which was Jesus’ inaugural address, when He said, “I came to bring good news to the poor.”

And then Isaiah 62 which is, “Give God no rest; give yourselves no rest”—that’s a real call to prayer. In the New Testament, it’s looking at the Gospel and its movement in the book of Acts, starting in Jerusalem as the capital of the world, and ending up in Rome, the political capital of the world.

You see the centrality of cities in the book of Acts. | cu

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MP: The power of a network is simply

when you think about your ministry over the years with Concerts of Prayer Greater New York and the New York City Leadership Center?

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can happen when networked and engaged leaders unite?

CU: What are your favorite Bible verses

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CU: Regarding Gospel movements, what

bit of what we’re seeing today, as leaders and agencies and churches in New York and other cities become attached to other global cities, this global network begins to develop.

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What makes Christianity Christianity is the incarnation. It’s the presence of God in real, physical expression. It’s when you are meeting the spiritual and physical needs of individuals and communities. James 1:27 talks about real religion and I think that’s why God has prospered groups like World Vision and Compassion International, because that’s the bull’s-eye of what James writes about.

deemer Church was planted in Manhattan.

One of the stories that Tim Keller told me was that they had about 150,000 people within the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) who agreed to pray every day for the successful planting of Redeemer. He said there was nothing like it—before or since— and that really explains the phenomenon of Redeemer. The PCA represented a network, a denominational network. They took the

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feature section | movements and networks

William Wilberforce and His Circle of Friends by richard gathro

Editor’s note: The following article is reprinted with permission from the C.S. Lewis Institute (www.cslewisinstitute.org) and was originally published in Knowing & Doing, the organization’s teaching journal for discipleship of heart and mind. “... unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you?”

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o wrote the aging John Wesley, as a word of encouragement, to William Wilberforce (1759-1833), the member of Parliament who led the campaign to abolish the slave trade in the latter part of the eighteenth century and first part of the nineteenth century. The cause of abolition is probably the activity for which Wilberforce is best known in history. However, it marks only a central theme to approximately forty years of public life and activity.

Wilberforce’s life was filled with one moral and religious project after another.

It was a life of unrelenting activity that included tireless organizing, research, persuasion, confrontation, persistence, and pressure upon the British system. In addition to his abolition work, he was consistently involved in church work that included the Church Missionary Society and the sending of missionaries to India and Africa, the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Proclamation Society Against Vice and Immorality, the School Society, the Sunday School Society, the Bettering Society, the Vice Society and others. His public philanthropic efforts were many, including relieving the suffering of the manufacturing poor, and French refugees and foreigners in distress. He made major

financial contributions to at least seventy such societies, many of them bearing his name as an officer. History records Wilberforce as having been active in numerous reform movements, which included reform in hospital care, fever institutions, asylums, infirmaries, refugees, and penitentiaries. He supported religious publications and education, especially the schools of Hannah More, a close friend and leading reformer of British education.

Much has been written about Mr. Wilberforce and his accomplishments. Indeed, he was a great reformer who overcame

University Library to begin grasping this insight. For example, it was Wilberforce’s circle of friends who shared his deep faith in Christ, particularly Hannah More, who encouraged him to write a “manifesto” of what had taken place in his life and what he regarded as the essentials of the faith.

The lengthy title was A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians in the Higher and Middle Classes in This Country Contrasted with Real Christianity. The book was an immediate success without precedent, with sales of 7,500 copies in the first six months. By 1826, fifteen

The Clapham Circle had many distinctive characteristics. It had no exclusive membership requirements. They gathered together by virtue of their faith in Jesus Christ, love for one another, and out of concern for a variety of moral, social, and religious causes. illnesses to accomplish what he did. He delighted in people and was a strong family man, deeply disciplined in his dedication to Jesus Christ.

Yet something is missing in the accolades that he often receives. This missing piece, is that he was indeed gifted and deserving of admiration, but he could not have done what he did without his circle of friends. Most of the books and articles written about him throughout history often overlook this critical factor.

Wilberforce was part of a unique circle of friends that empowered him, along with Providence, to accomplish what he did.

One only needs to read the 400+ letters to and from Wilberforce located in the Duke

editions had been printed in Britain and 25 in the United States. Translations of the work were printed in French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and German. This publication served as an excellent means of expressing conviction in a society whose courtesies of life and forms of society prevented much verbal expression of religious sentiment.

Throughout history, groups of men and women have banded together for the purpose of promoting what they believed to be critical causes. With the defeat of his motion for the abolition of slavery in 1789, Wilberforce and his closest friend, Henry Thornton, called together such a group around themselves. The common bond that held this “Clapham Sect” together

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loved to entertain and socialize. While Wilberforce and Thornton lived at Palace Yard in London, they kept a virtual “open house” for members of Parliament. A unique feature of the “Clapham Sect” was the desire to live with one another, or in proximity to each other. Always welcome in each other’s homes, the Saints were known to be “good family people.” In spite of the Clapham Sect’s many crusades, life in many ways was centered around their homes, with family and friendships as priorities. This was undoubtedly one of the group’s important sources of vitality.

The village of Clapham, the gathering place, was a prosperous suburb located five miles from the heart of London. The building of a Christ-centered community at Clapham was the vision of Henry Thornton, a banker, philanthropist, and member of Parliament. He bought Battersea Rise House in 1790. This was eventually to become the “headquarters” of the Clapham fellowship. Wilberforce lived with Thornton until Wilberforce’s marriage to Barbara Spooner. He and Barbara then moved into Bloomfield, one of two houses built on the grounds. The other was leased to Charles Grant, another regular member of the Clapham group.

What had begun as an informal group of friends drawn together by common con-

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causes. The spirit of inclusiveness caused was the desire to apply their faith in Jesus Hannah More to remark that those who Christ to personal, social, political, nationworked together on the slavery issue were al, and international matters. The group like “Noah’s ark, full of beasts, clean and made no claim to be theologians, yet they unclean.” The Clapham group’s acquainwere people who regarded prayer and Bible study as serious matters. The Clapham group believed that they were representatives of God’s kingdom on earth and the faithful stewards of all God had given them.

Together, this Clapham fellowship sought to make the British Empire an instrument of social and moral welfare to all people. Throughout their time together, they remained remarkably committed to these goals.

The labels “Clapham Sect” and the “Saints” were given to them by others, the latter by members of Parliament.

No indication of any desire to give themselves a name was reflected in the correspondence and literature of members of the group. The term “Clapham Sect” was not used until later, when the phrase was coined in an 1844 essay by Sir James Ste- William Wilberforce phen. The name originated from the London suburb, tances were many in number, representing Clapham, where many of the group mema broad cross-section of Britain’s leadership. bers chose to live.

Wilberforce and his friends’ organizationThe group had many distinctive charal skills and steadfast purpose carried the acteristics. It had no exclusive membership Saints through many difficulties, but the requirements. They gathered together by fact that the Clapham fellowship “knew virtue of their faith in Jesus Christ, love everyone” was very important to the for one another, and out of concern for movement’s success. Indeed, the “Saints” a variety of moral, social, and religious

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feature section | movements and networks

cerns eventually took definite shape. To this fellowship not only came Parliamentarians William Wilberforce and Henry Thornton, but the aforementioned Charles Grant and Edward Elliot, brother-in-law to William Pitt. Elliot moved to Clapham with the desire for Wilberforce’s spiritual guidance.

William Smith, the Unitarian and Radical Whig, lived in Clapham and was ultimately drawn into the circle. Abolitionist Granville Sharp was also a resident. James Stephen, Master-in-Chancery and member of Parliament from Tralee and East Grinstead, bought a house across the common.

• They were committed to lifelong friendship and mutual submission was the norm.

• Their advocacy was marked by careful research, planning, and strategy.

• They worshiped both privately and publicly, gathering twice weekly at the Clapham Church.

• Their friendships were inclusive and focused on the essentials. For example, Wilberforce was a Wesleyan and his closest friend, Henry Thornton, was a Calvinist.

• They made family life a clear priority

They were mostly rich, living in large roomy houses; but they all were generous givers to the poor. Henry Thornton indeed gave away as much as six-sevenths of his income till he married, and after that, at least a third of it. They could mostly have been of leisure; but they all devoted their lives to public service. They

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were what Wilberforce meant by ‘true Christians.’

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Scholar and former slave-owner Zachary Macaulay and his wife Selina settled in Clapham upon his return from governing Sierra Leone. Upon retirement as Governor-General of India, John Shore (Lord Teignmouth) joined them in 1802. Added to this group was the rector of Clapham church, John Venn, and a stream of visitors, including Prime Minister William Pitt, Parliamentarian Thomas Babington, Reverend Thomas Gisborne, Dean Isaac Milner of Queens College, poet and playwright Hanna More, and Reverend Charles Simeon of Cambridge. Perhaps this circle of friends can best be remembered by these characteristics: • They shared a common commitment to Jesus Christ and a clear sense of calling.

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•

•

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and delighted in each other’s marriages and children.

They kept the “long view” on completing projects. Abolition of the slave trade took 20 years!

They made no dichotomy between evangelism and social action. Their magazine, The Christian Observer, exemplifies this.

Their faith was integral to all of life... family, career, friendship, and more. It was a faith that the younger generation calls, “24/7.” They talked together of a faith that impacted every part of their lives. There were no “compartments.”

They enabled one another vs. trying to “have it all.” They recognized each other’s passions and supported one another in addressing them.

The historian, Sir Reginald Coupland, wrote on the communal strength of the Clapham sect: It was a fraternity—remarkable above all else, perhaps, in its closeness, its affinity. It not only lived for the most part in one little village; it had one character, one mind, one way of life.

They were mostly rich, living in large roomy houses; but they all were generous givers to the poor. Thornton indeed gave away as much as six-sevenths of his income till he married, and after that, at least a third of it. They could mostly have been of leisure; but they all devoted their lives to public service.

They were what Wilberforce meant by ‘true Christians.’

The love of God was the very center of the group’s reason for being together and what became their legacy. From this love sprang a group that changed history. | cu

Networks and Cultural Transformation by scott crosby

“…the key actor in history is not individual genius but rather the network and the new institutions that are created out of those networks.” − To Change the World, James Davison Hunter (pg 38)

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Scott Crosby

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scott crosby is the director of Christian Union New York, a ministry to alumni of Christian Union’s campus ministries and their peers.

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ly through networks, rather than through the efforts of the larger-than-life individual.

Peter Berger of Boston University goes perhaps even further than Hunter in his view of culture and the importance of networks. He observes that, “Ideas do not succeed in history because of their inherent truthfulness but because of their connection to very powerful institutions and interests.” The institutions and interests he refers to result from networks of people sharing similar goals and desires.

A key objective of Christian Union New York is the development of overlapping networks of thoughtful Christians pursuing the flourishing of this world through redemptive

means. This particularly includes key professions (finance, education, media, technology, the arts, consulting, medicine, law, etc.) – our work. Work is redemptive as it, in its purest sense, reflects God’s intent and blesses others. It is also, like everything in this world, profoundly broken through sin. Everyone is painfully aware of the brokenness of many of the professions listed above – broken in ways that do not always lead to the flourishing of others; broken in ways that, at times, lead to the marginalization and destruction of others.

Networks of engaged, intentional, spirit-filled Christians are needed in each vocational and social sphere, laboring to remake norms, values, and structures that lead to God’s original intent. Networks that overlap and connect with other networks in similar and different spheres create even stronger networks, and these networks create the movements that facilitate long-term sustainable change—change that is Kingdom-oriented and redemptive, change that allows for Christians to flourish in the work they are called to, and for the world to flourish as the broken things of this world are made whole.

Where these networks already exist, we seek to join them; where they do not, we initiate to develop them. The call to live faithfully and redemptively in this world implies both activism and community in ways that result in transformed lives and a transformed world. | cu

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ne of Christian Union’s core values is Networked and Engaged Leaders. These values describe the elements of activism and effectiveness necessary for leaders to accomplish spiritual objectives that are deeply transformative in scope and depth. There is awareness that individual efforts alone will not be sufficient, and that there is a paradigm both in history and in the Christian faith that recognizes the network as a key element of change.

One of the interesting traits of twentieth and twenty-first century western Christianity is its individual orientation toward faith.

We view faith as a personal faith commitment - my walk with God, Jesus died for me, personal repentance, etc. All these are certainly true elements of how a Christian understands the historic Christian faith.

And yet the broader context is, and always has been, communal. God himself is in community with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Human kind was created in the image of God and also created to be in community. The Church is described as a community of sorts – a body and its component parts. Within the church, the role of liturgy in worship has its roots in this sense of community—that those who come together to worship do so together in the prayers, responsive readings, songs, and confessions of the service.

There are many manifestations of community both within the Christian faith and outside it. Some reflect this part of

our basic nature, while other aspects reflect a more prosaic practicality. Networks fall into this category.

The idea of networks that James Davison Hunter speaks of in his 2010 book, To Change the World, is one of those obscure yet critical pieces of the cultural change equation. A growing body of research shows how culture is formed and changed large-

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chris tian union universities updat e page 14

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from the university to the city

Discipleship & Leadership Development by god’s grace, culture will be transformed as the lives of our future leaders and the universities they attend are impacted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As students who are well-positioned to assume roles of influence learn to seek God, grow in their faith, and develop a thoughtful, Christcentered worldview, they will be prepared to engage culture in a powerful way. This is at the heart of Christian Union’s work at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale.

as these students graduate, christian union’s ministry to its alumni and their peers—Christian Union Cities—will help them take the

God will bring similar change to the U.S. as new networks of leaders emerge and engage today’s culture.

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William Wilberforce and the Clapham Circle in the early 1800s. Pray that

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model was used by the Lord to bring sweeping change to England through

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centers, starting in New York City, their impact will be multiplied. This

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next step. By developing networks of like-minded believers in key cultural

13 Mackenzie Carlson, Dartmouth ’17, (left) and Julia Carlisle, a Christian Union ministry fellow.

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Coram Deo Ministry Celebrates First Graduating Class by eileen scott, senior writer

Three years ago, faculty with Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard Law School, Coram Deo, began reaching out to students and sojourning with them as they integrated faith and law. In May, the ministry celebrated, by God’s grace, steady growth since its inception and

“Being part of Christian Union encouraged me to think as deeply about issues of faith as I did my legal studies.”

—Sybil Sam

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the graduation of some of its original members.

“Emotions of both joy and sadness well up in one’s spirit as we both celebrate our graduates and mourn their departure from local campus life,” said Jim Garretson, Christian Union’s ministry director at Harvard Law School.

Garretson has seen the vision for the ministry come to fruition in many ways. Most notably, he

said, Bible study and interactive discussions around areas of legal interest for the students have proved to be invaluable. He was also thankful for the leadership development exemplified by some of the first members.

“Our charter member students really did yeoman’s service in the personal commitments they made to see the ministry flourish over the past three years,” he said. “It wouldn’t be what it is today without their contributions.”

Through participation in Christian Union’s ministry, Garretson said, students are “recognizing the importance of a Christian worldview formation in relation to the study and practice of law.”

Take recent Harvard Law School alumnus Austin Steelman, who served as the ministry’s president for two years.

“I think a lot of students come into HLS with a commitment to academics and a commitment to faith, but they can be really separate,” Steelman said.

“Christian Union offers an opportunity to integrate them—to sit down with students studying the same

14 Jim Garretson (top right) with members of Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard Law School.

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subjects as you.”

That holistic approach to faith and work is what recent alumna Sybil Sam found particularly inviting.

“Being part of [Christian Union] encouraged me to think as deeply about issues of faith as I did my legal studies. I value that tremendously,” said Sam. “One theme that continuously came up in our discussions was the need to bring our faith and biblical truth to bear on our views on matters of social importance and in all our professional endeavors.”

The ministry’s name, Coram Deo (Latin for “in the presence of God”) reflects the essence of Christian Union’s emphasis on a seeking God lifestyle—one that is rooted in Scripture, earnest prayer, and humility through fasting.

“A strong emphasis on a seeking God lifestyle is accompanied by a resolute commitment to the study of Scripture and active engagement of the mind to apply Austin Steelman, pictured here with his wife Julianne, said Christian Union’s biblical teaching to the study and practice ministry at Harvard Law school helped him keep his focus on faith. of law,” said Garretson.

Using resources and support available through Christian Union, the ministry For example, a year ago Professor Mark Ramoffers rigorous Bible courses, weekly discussion seyer (HLS ’82) spoke at a weekly luncheon for the groups, and lectures featuring leaders in the areas of law students. Ramseyer shared his experiences and faith, law, advocacy, and theology. emphasized the integrity of good scholarship. He Steelman said he also developed great friendships also displayed personal interest in the students’ acand received mentoring which “helped me keep my ademic pursuits. focus on faith throughout the career choice process…

Through such resources, offerings, and events, [The ministry] has really grown and seeing each new the mission of Christian Union is to foster the declass form stronger friendships has been really envelopment of Christian leaders of character who will couraging.” go on to shape the nation—leaders like Steelman, Coram Deo has also garnered attention and who will practice patent litigation in Boston. support from some Harvard Law School faculty.

“I’ll miss the friends and fellowship and stimulating “We have been blessed and encouraged by facconversation of Coram Deo,” said Steelman. | cu ulty who support our presence and value the enrichment that Christian organizations can bring to campus life,” Garretson said.

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Double Duty Hendricks ’17 Works on Law Degree as Undergraduate by eileen scott, senior writer

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Rob Hendricks, a member of Christian Union’s ministry at Cornell, has become the first undergraduate ever to be accepted to the Cornell Law School. He is simultaneously a senior at Cornell and a first-year law student.

Hendricks received a recommendation for the program from Joseph Margulies, a joint professor

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the topic of law. He also points to the impact of his involvement with Christian Union at Cornell and the support and guidance he receives from the ministry’s faculty and students.

Throughout his undergraduate studies, Hendricks consulted with ministry members and leaders regarding their thoughts on law and how a Christian should approach it. Their input, he said, was invaluable and helped to direct his research and conclusions.

“Largely because of the encouragement and the edification I receive from Christian Union and my friends, I’ve felt led to be straightforward about my identity and how the Gospel informs my passion for serving others,” said Hendricks.

The Cleveland, Ohio native also credits Christian Union’s ministry with helping him recommit his life to Christ while at the university.

“Pursuing my own pleasure left me lonely and searching for something more. I didn’t know who I was,” said Hendricks, referring to his Cornell experience prior to involvement with Christian Union.

One night after a Bible course, Jim ThomJim Thomforde, Christian Union’s director of undergraduate ministry, with forde, Christian Union’s ministry director at Rob Hendricks ’17.

Cornell, prayed that God would lead Hendricks to His purpose on campus. He was also challenged by friends to pursue an understanding of in the law school and government department (his who Jesus is and the transformative power of faith. undergrad major) last year, during a window of op“The next night, I attended Vita Fidei (the minisportunity where he wouldn’t have to take the LSAT. try’s lecture series) for the first time and rededicated “From what I understand, my recommendation my life to Christ,” recalled Hendricks. “It’s a moment was based on both my performance in the profesI will never forget. My life has never been the same.” sor’s classes (he taught undergrad Constitutional Law The senior has gone on to hold various leadercourses), specifically my writing, and my extracurship positions with Christian Union’s ministry and ricular activities,” Hendricks said. “They also took currently serves as president. into account my GPA and college entry exam scores “During his three years with us, Rob has grown (SAT and ACT) as proxies for my LSAT.” strong in his faith and in his ability to lead,” said It’s an unprecedented achievement. Hendricks Thomforde. “Rob’s commitment to studying the credits a combination of his willingness to be auBible has inspired him to live a life of Christ-like thentic about his faith and his holistic approach to

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in the juris doctorate program as a member of the class of 2019.

“I [graduate] in the spring, but for all intents and purposes I’m a full-time law student,” he said.

However, because Hendricks is still technically an undergraduate, he is able to continue participating in extracurricular sports and activities.

In addition to his leadership position with Christian Union, Hendricks is also a tight-end for the Cornell sprint football team.

“I simply do my best to play football as Jesus would— as ridiculous as that sounds,” said Hendricks. “I try to be loving and show grace and humility on and off the field.”

That love has matured Rob Hendricks (left) with teammates on the Cornell sprint football team. within Hendricks’ life and has been inspired by 1 Corinthians 13, often referred to as the love passage in the love and service with his friends and the community Bible. “That’s my prayer. That’s my heart cry. I want at Cornell, and it has helped him to think deeply to embody it,” said Hendricks. “But it’s a process, about the implications of the Gospel for law and and I often fall short. Thank God for grace.” public policy.”

And it is by God’s grace that Hendricks continues As an undergraduate, Hendricks wrote two rein his commitment to follow God’s call for his life and search papers on Christian approaches to the law to trust Him in the opportunity that is unfolding. in American political and legal history and applied “I know this was not of my own doing,” he said.

Gospel principles and thought to his academic work “This is a God thing.” | cu for a Constitutional Law class.

In December of his junior year (2015), Professor Margulies offered him an opportunity to start law school a year early, without taking the LSAT. After meetings with the admissions dean and completing some paper work, Hendricks was offered placement

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“Well-Positioned to Lead” Knaus ’17 Has a Heart for Refugees by catherine elvy, staff writer

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A University of Pennsylvania upperclassman is using her international upbringing, fluency in Arabic, and passion for supporting the vulnerable to aid an influx of refugees arriving in Philadelphia.

“I want to make a difference by helping people, so they can see God’s love through me, especially with their tangible, practical needs,” said Aimee Knaus ’17, who grew up with her American family in Jordan and the Togolese Republic.

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Aimee Knaus, Penn ’17, devoted her summer to serving refugees after they arrived in Philadelphia.

“God definitely set me up for it. God has me at Penn for a reason.”

At Penn, Knaus serves on the student executive team for Christian Union’s leadership development ministry.

To lay the groundwork for a career with international, non-government organizations, Knaus is serving as a resettlement intern for the Nationalities Service Center, which assists immigrants and evacuees in the Greater Philadelphia area.

During her internship, Knaus collaborates with

case managers on a variety of tasks, including helping recent arrivals apply for welfare and related matters and assisting them with myriad practical chores involved with setting up households.

In what has been labeled the greatest refugee crisis since World War II, about 5 million Syrians have fled their homeland and about 6.6 million have become displaced internally since civil war broke out in 2011.

In response, President Barack Obama set a goal of allowing 10,000 refugees into the United States.

Despite encountering innumerable bureaucratic hassles, many of the newcomers to Philadelphia maintain positive attitudes. “Each day, I feel like I’m learning something. Some of the families have so much patience, optimism, and hope,” said Knaus.

“They see this as a new opportunity. They are so excited. It changes my perspective.”

Every year, the Nationalities Service Center helps 5,300-plus men, women, and children from more than 100 countries adapt to the Philadelphia region by offering them assistance with legal, resettlement, health, and other practical matters.

As for Knaus, the international studies and business management major envisions herself working abroad on humanitarian causes. After enrolling at Penn, Knaus was struck by how the principles at the core of Christianity point to concrete service on behalf of widows, orphans, and the disadvantaged.

Likewise, Knaus, who attended Ahliyyah School for Girls in Jordan, noted her fluency in Arabic is useful as she tutors new settlers in the fundamentals of English. Her parents also served as English instructors while abroad, and her father even worked as a Bible translator.

Knaus has taught English as a second language since high school, when she also began volunteering to aid the Syrian refugees pouring into her region.

She continued such efforts during breaks in her underclassman years.

In addition to Knaus’ involvement with Christian Union’s ministry at Penn, other activities include the Wharton Middle East North Africa organization,

Penn Arab Student Society, and Amnesty International. During summer 2015, Knaus led a group of undergrads on a venture to Jordan via Penn International Impact Consultants for Generations for Peace.

As for her ever-expanding résumé and heart for exiles, Knaus praised the mentoring she has received via Christian Union’s ministry at Penn in helping to shape some of her professional aspirations. “I’m always looking for ways to grow as a leader,” said Knaus.

Christian Union’s director of undergraduate ministry at Penn noted Knaus has distinguished herself from her peers by her pronounced concern for foreigners, especially asylum-seekers.

“Because she grew up abroad, she is comfortable in the world of internationals,” said Justin Mills, Penn ’05. “She’s seen the plight of people who have been oppressed. She has spent a lot of time in Syrian refugee camps, playing with the kids and experiencing their humanity.”

Likewise, given her background growing up as a Christian in a largely Muslim region, Knaus is comfortable interacting in a variety of ethnic settings.

“She is well-positioned to influence,” said Mills.

In addition to serving as a student leader with Christian Union’s ministry at Penn, attending regular prayer gatherings, and helping with the worship team, Knaus has made it a point to help disciple some of the organization’s female students and bolster their sense of community. “She is very outreach oriented,” Mills said. “Quite a few of the women look up to her.”

In the summer of 2015, Knaus participated in Christian Union’s Lake George School of Christian Thought in Upstate New York, which blends community living with vigorous intellectual discussion.

“She showed a lot of leadership with the logistical elements of the course, and her cross-cultural background enabled her to provide much insight into our discussions,” said Jesse Peterson, a Christian Union ministry fellow.

As for her long-term goals, Knaus simply wants to use her skills and abilities to benefit needy people around the world.

Such aspirations also help fulfill Knaus’ adventurous nature. “I like to be always on the move,” she said. | cu

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“In Thy Light, We Shall See the Light” Christian Union Ministry Hosts Engaging Illumina Lecture Series by eileen scott, senior writer

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Gilliland, a team leader for Illumina, said the leadership lecture series provides Columbia students with “the essential tools needed to approach the world around us.”

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as Illumina (Latin for light), features biblical insight and teaching from a select array of scholars, pastors, and professionals.

For example, last semester Illumina featured a panel discussion on faith, work, and family with three distinguished couples: Adam (Princeton ’09) and Amber Berry (Princeton ’08), Allen (Cornell, BS ’00 and MEng’01) and Angela Lamb (Cornell

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For more than two hundred years, Columbia University’s motto has been: “In Thy light shall we see the light,” based on Psalm 36:9. But according to Jim Black, Christian Union’s director of undergraduate ministry at Columbia, each fall the university explains the motto and its true meaning incorrectly during freshmen orientation.

“Students are told that the meaning of the motto is ‘by the light of you (incoming freshmen), we will all see the light.’ That is a terrible misrepresentation of the biblical text,” Black said.

At its weekly leadership lecture series, however, Black and Christian Union’s ministry at Columbia are rightfully shining the light where it truly belongs—on Jesus Christ. The lecture series, known

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BA ’99), and Greg (Princeton ’92) and Ali Tsai (Northwestern). The panelists represented a range of sectors, including finance, medicine, education, and the non-profit arena. Adam Berry is a vice president at a leading global investment bank in New York City; Amber Berry is a French teacher and department chair at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Connecticut. Allen Lamb works in finance at a small private equity firm; Angela Lamb is the

with “the essential tools needed to approach the world around us.”

“I am firmly of the opinion that Christians our age, no matter what leadership roles we occupy, still have a lot to learn,” she said.

This fall, Illumina includes an eclectic mix of presenters, including Elias Poppe, an artist and curator on the Upper East Side of Manhattan; David Lamb, associate professor at Biblical Theological Seminary

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McKenna Gilliland ’17 is a team leader with Christian Union’s leadership lecture series at Columbia.

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director of the Westside Mount Sinai Dermatology Faculty Practice and Director of Dermatology for the Institute of Family Health in New York City.

Greg and Ali Tsai are both practicing physicians in New York City.

And the students enjoyed hearing from a wide range of professionals.

“What I liked most about the panel was that it allowed us to hear from people whose educational background was very similar to ours, and who lead the kind of lives that many of us may end up leading in ten to fifteen years,” said McKenna Gilliland ’17. “I think the six panelists gave us very valuable examples of how young Christians in New York City can continue to practice their faith after college.”

Gilliland, a team leader for Illumina, said the leadership lecture series provides Columbia students

in Philadelphia; and Rev. Charlie Drew (Harvard ’72), senior pastor of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in New York.

As classes began in September, Christian Union ministry fellows and student leaders reached out to incoming freshmen and new students with a series of welcoming events, including Illumina. Black kicked off the lecture series by teaching on the Gospel of Mark, which will also be the focus of Christian Union Bible courses this semester. In addition to robust teaching, the lecture series also includes times for prayer and praise and worship.

“These kinds of lectures give us an inside look into the way faith shapes the lives of successful people,” said Gilliland. “They help us to notice the differences between a life lived for God and a life lived in pursuit of other ends.” | cu

Counterfeit Gods Students Examine Idols of the Heart with Summer Study by catherine elvy, staff writer

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The problem with idols is they ultimately disapThe human heart is drawn to idolatry, even point, enslave, and distract from the true fulfillment to the point that seemingly normal desires God longs to provide. “Jesus must become more can become sources of ensnarement. beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to That was one of the themes that emerged when students involved with Christian Union’s ministry at Brown University spent a part of their summer “Jesus must become more beautiful to probing the lessons inside Counterfeit Gods: The your imagination, more attractive to Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the your heart than your idol.”

Only Hope that Matters.

—Timothy Keller The students gathered on Wednesday evenings during June and July at the Judson Center, Christian your heart than your idol,” Keller wrote. “That is Union’s ministry center at Brown University, to diswhat will replace the idols of your heart.” cuss Rev. Timothy Keller’s penetrating examination Not surprisingly, the students of modern idolatry. who participated in the study said “It was a really powerful time for it provided life-changing insights many of our students,” said Laurel into the prevalence of modern idolCopp, a Christian Union ministry atry of the heart. fellow at Brown.

“We learned a new way of In 2009, Keller, a best-selling thinking about idols,” said Tuckauthor, apologist, and noted pastor, er Ziegler ’19. “We found that released Counterfeit Gods, which exwhen something becomes more plains that idolatry is far more than important than anything else in merely bowing to statues. the world, we have replaced God “That ancient concept has never with that idol.” been more relevant,” said Keller, the As well, Ziegler learned that founding pastor of New York City’s inappropriate affections, even for Redeemer Presbyterian Church. commonly accepted desires, often “It’s also a matter of the heart. An “underscore deeper and more rootidol is anything more fundamental Tucker Ziegler ’19 was among the ed, hidden idols” of the heart. than God to your happiness, mean- students involved with Christian Union’s ministry at Brown Suvy Qin ’19 echoed those ing in life or identity.” comments and added how the Of particular relevance to stu- University who explored the thought-provoking lessons inside study highlighted the importance dents, Keller explained how the Counterfeit Gods . of Christian support in tackling “human heart is an idol factory that sins of the heart. takes good things like a successful “A major takeaway from the career, love, material possessions, study was that, as humans, we are always going to even family, and turns them into ultimate things.” be battling idols in our lives,” said Qin. “Trying to While money, sex, and power are the most comreplace those idols with something greater and betmonly recognized idols, Keller pointed out that even ter – Jesus – is not a one-and-done deal, but rather seemingly admirable goals, such as doctrine, political a process that lasts a lifetime.” activism, and allegiance to family, can become a “I found that really encouraging, and it has given rival god.

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me a better understanding of what being a Christian really means in this day and age when temptations are at every turn.”

Ziegler agreed. “Probably most important through our conversations, we found that we cannot overcome our idols alone. We need God and we also need a community to share our experiences,” said Ziegler, a political science major. “This course started a conversation in our community at Brown, and it is one that I am sure helped everyone involved.”

The students at Brown also noted how much

they appreciated the opportunity to study, pray, and worship together over the summer.

“I found the study a great way to connect and fellowship with other members that I did not know as well,” said Qin. “I think that also helps build the foundational relationships that are important for any campus ministry.”

Copp was grateful for the way the students bonded over the summer.

“This study will give us a good foundation for the fall semester,” she said. | cu

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Summer Scripture Study Students Enjoy Overview of Isaiah

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by catherine elvy, staff writer

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The artfully woven narrative of Isafor Jerusalem. iah points to the ultimate master plan Students involved with the ministry noted they for God’s collective people to experience benefited in both spiritual and practical ways from restoration. the intense course.

“The main theme of the book of Isaiah is the “The best part of the summer study is that it destiny of Zion,” said Christian Union Research provided a space for believers to gather and experiand Writing Fellow Nick Nowalk, referencing the ence God in community,” said Brandon Price ’17, Old Testament term that figuratively describes God’s co-president of Christian Union’s leadership develchosen people. “Zion will be redeemed, and all of the opment ministry on campus. “A lot of students feel nations afterwards, too.”

Nowalk offered that insight By studying Isaiah, Cochran “gained a better in June during an introductory session to Isaiah for about 30 understanding of how the story of Israel, the students involved with Chris- Gospel, and modern times all fit into God’s tian Union’s ministry at Harvard plan of redemption for the world…”

University. The students, on campus for courses at Harvard’s undergraduate liberal arts college, devoted part of isolated in the summer. We had the opportunity to their summer to examining the complex, prophetic pray, worship, and fellowship together because of lessons of Isaiah. this study.”

The book, often regarded in Christian circles as The applied mathematics major from California the “fifth gospel,” points to what God’s aggregate internalized some of the key principles behind God’s people should be in the future, Nowalk told Harvard tangible judgment. undergraduates.

“A big theme I took away was how God’s judgFrom June to early August, Christian Union’s ment is always meant for our good,” said Price. “For ministry team at Harvard shared responsibility for example, the end in God’s judgment on Israel was covering the theologically stimulating chapters of never just to satisfy His anger, but rather, it was Isaiah, which promise both judgment and restoration always redemptive. It was [intended] so that they

pel, and modern times all fit into God’s plan of redemption for the world. I came to comprehend better the meaning and significance of Zion and of God’s promises for Zion.”

For Molly Richmond ’18, a co-president of Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard, the study provided a vital resource of weekly recharging.

“I’ve always ranked Isaiah as one of my favorite books of the Bible, simply because of the beauty of the imagery and the richness of the messianic prophecy – never because I’d done an in-depth study,” said Richmond. “This summer, our study was such a great chance to dig really deeply into the history and theology of the book, and I came away encouraged.”

Christian Union Ministry Fellow Jon Yeager said Victoria Cochran ’17 is a leader with Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard. his discussion on chapters 28-35 of Isaiah prompted a stimulating conversation on ultimate allegiance.

“Studying Isaiah equipped our community with “Through this section of prophecies, Isaiah exboth the desire and mindset to tackle difficult books pressed that trust in Yahweh evoked a large degree in the Old Testament, which is important if we are of allegiance, which specifically became clear when truly to understand and share the good news of the Israel, out of fear of outside threats, started looking Gospel,” said Cochran, who serves as director of toward Egypt as its help and defender,” Yeager said. operations for Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard.

“I asked the students to think about our faith “Doing an in-depth study of one of the major in Jesus as an allegiance. In what ways does this prophets had been a desire of mine since last fall, concept mess with our perceived understanding of so I was thrilled when I found out that we would faith? Does it pull together seemingly disconnected be studying Isaiah over the summer.” aspects of the call to follow Jesus and our tangible The chemistry major from Georgia admitted she calling to be citizens?” initially found prophetic literature to be somewhat Ultimately, “we do need to understand where intimidating. “It’s an unfamiliar style of writing, and our allegiance ought to be in order to walk rightly in I constantly questioned the text’s meaning,” she said. the right place at the right times,” Yeager said. | cu “One important takeaway I had from Isaiah was that, while the text was written to people in particular historic times and places, its meaning is not limited to its context. Contextual understanding is important but not necessarily all-encompassing.”

By studying Isaiah, Cochran “gained a better understanding of how the story of Israel, the Goswould turn from their wrong ways and worship Him. In this same way, God’s laws and discipline are always for my benefit.”

Victoria Cochran ’17 echoed those comments and added how much she enjoyed the powerful lessons of Isaiah.

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Eight-Ball Hall Students Fuse Fellowship, Billiards, Bible Devotionals

by eileen scott, senior writer

Informal games of pool among freshmen engaged in Christian Union’s ministry at Dartmouth quickly evolved into times of deep spiritual bonding last year.

The gathering became affectionately known as “Pool and Devos.” On a regular basis, the students would have a Bible devotional time before playing billiards.

“Pool and Devos is this awesome, organic thing that students developed themselves,” said Chase Carlisle, a Christian Union ministry fellow at Dartmouth.

Carlisle said the freshmen would meet up at night at 8-Ball Hall, located in the Collis Center.

of fun and faith. “I think Christian Union is just an amazing ministry on campus that encourages us to keep faith in all that we do,” said Yuen. “This is how an idea such as combining our pursuits of Christ and our daily activities was able to be conceived.”

“We acknowledge how random and out of place devotionals feel in a pool room.”

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—India Purdue, Dartmouth ’19

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Matthew Yuen ’19 said Pool and Devos started when he and a fellow freshman realized they were “addicted” to playing pool.

“Every day, we’d religiously come to the 8-Ball Hall to play pool, but we were not religiously spending time in the Word,” Yuen said. “This was a problem.”

However, the freshmen quickly came up with a solution.

“I said, ‘since we are pretty much here in the 8-Ball Hall every day, why don’t we just read the Word before we play?’ ” recalled Yuen.

Yuen also noted how the pool and devotional time gave the students spiritual enrichment in addition to attending Christian Union Bible Courses and the ministry’s weekly leadership lecture series.

“We did not have to wait for Friday’s lecture series or Sunday’s church service to encourage each other in our pursuits of Christ,” said Yuen. “The existence of Pool and Devos is proof that we can keep Christ in our daily and casual interactions.”

The students note Christian Union’s emphasis on a seeking God lifestyle as a catalyst for the integration

Matthew Yuen, Dartmouth ’19, is one of the founders of “Pool and Devos.”

Fellow pool player India Perdue ’19 agrees. “We acknowledge how random and out of place devotionals feel in a pool room,” said Perdue. “But I think we’ve really capitalized on it. It does really bridge the gap between our daily lives and our spiritual lives.”

Joshua Lee ’17 was not much of a billiards player before coming to Dartmouth.

“I actually do not like pool,” he said. “A lot of people in the Christian community [at Dartmouth], however, loved playing it and wanted that to become a time of fellowship. I joined mainly because a lot of people who helped my growth as a Christian were also a part of the group.”

Additionally, he embraced the idea of witnessing the lighter side of faith. “If I am the Christian I say I am, I need to be rejoicing and having fun in His name. And I am, he said.”

But life on campus isn’t all fun and games, and the casual gathering, coupled with the structured engagement offered through Christian Union, has helped the students navigate the academic and social challenges inherent at a school like Dartmouth.

“For example,” Lee said, “When there were tense emotions (related to race issues) rising on campus last semester, we got the chance to express our thoughts on that [during the devotionals]. Because this space is so welcoming and community-based, I was able to be honest and vulnerable while also knowing that I could learn from what everyone said.”

Additionally, Lee commented that “Christian

Union has provided me with a community and role models with whom I can build formative relationships. I had a senior who sat down with me and prayed before my first night of leading worship, and I had chemistry study groups turn into prayer and confession times.”

And it was in those more intimate and vulnerable moments of community that these students have connected beyond the pool hall.

As the fall semester progresses, the students plan to continue to engage faith and life in a variety of ways, even while trying to sink a straight shot.

“We are a community of people who love Jesus and strive to make Him a part of everything in our lives,” said Lee. “And in our pursuit of Him, He has found us playing pool and having fun.” | cu

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An Ambassador for Christ in the NFL Seth DeValve ’16 Drafted by Cleveland Browns by catherine elvy, staff writer

on the football team looked to him as an example, and he took seriously all that it meant to live for Jesus in a context that was not always easy,” Nielson said.

“Many young men on the football team looked to him as an example, and he took seriously all that it meant to live for Jesus in a context that was not always easy.”

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DeValve, who will play tight end for the Browns, finished his collegiate career ranked tenth all-time at Princeton in receptions and thirteenth in receiving yards. He posted All-Ivy numbers during the 2013 Ivy League championship season, catching 49 passes for 527 yards and four touchdowns.

Corrective surgeries, tied to a foot condition from birth, caused DeValve to miss a series of games in 2014 and 2015, yet he still managed to catch 52 passes in just eight games over the two seasons.

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—Jon Nielson

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When the Cleveland Browns picked Seth DeValve in the 2016 NFL Draft’s fourth round, Princeton University’s co-captain fulfilled the dream of a lifetime while also becoming the highest selected player in his alma mater’s history.

DeValve ’16 described the distinction as an honor and expressed gratitude for the platform his new role with the NFL will provide.

“God places opportunities and gifts in each of our lives,” said DeValve, who played wide receiver and tight end at Princeton.

In April, DeValve, who actively participated in Christian Union’s ministry, became the NFL’s No. 138 overall pick. When the news came, the 6-foot-2, 244-pound, All-Ivy player celebrated at his parents’ home in Manchester, Connecticut. The selection reflected DeValve’s efforts to put together a series of remarkable seasons and an impressive performance at the Princeton Tigers Pro Day Workout.

Not surprisingly, Jon Nielson, Christian Union’s ministry director at Princeton, described DeValve as a “rock” for Christ on campus. “Many young men

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a crucial decision about the role of Christianity in his life. “I could slack off and no one would know,” DeValve said. “I was fortunate to have experiences show me that serving God and being obedient is what brings the most satisfaction and joy.

Princeton actually turned out to be a huge answer to prayer.”

On campus, DeValve quickly immersed himself into Christian Union’s Bible Courses, and he assisted with the worship team at the weekly leadership lecture series. Such involvement, as well as mentoring from Christian Union ministry fellows, supplied a wealth of “sound biblical counsel” and “incredible relationships.”

It also provided “context for me to grow spiritually and to have people speak into every step,” said DeValve, also a multi-talented musician. “I was leaning on these people. They’re incredible servants of God and ministers of God.” In addition, DeValve led a Bible study for Princeton football players and demonstrated a radically different approach to the typical college party life,” said Nielson. He is accustomed to setting an example among teammates. And, “given his size, strength, When the Cleveland Browns picked Seth DeValve, Princeton ’16, and quickness, I firmly believe he has a during the NFL Draft’s fourth round, he became the highestchance to have a long and successful career selected player in history for the Tigers. in the NFL.” Still, DeValve’s overarching “hope and foundation is Jesus Christ – even above football,” Nielson added. defined by being a college football player.”

“What I was put on this earth to do is to serve As for his new role, DeValve is thankful for the and bring glory to God,” DeValve said. “I will do that opportunity to be an ambassador for Christ. through playing football for as long as He provides “I’d love to start a Bible study among my teamthe opportunity.” | cu mates,” he said.

The youngest of four brothers credits the input he received from Christian Union’s ministry at Princeton for helping to enrich his relationship with Jesus Christ and shape his leadership abilities.

“My testimony is not so much about how I came to know the Lord, but how I’ve made my faith my own,” said DeValve. “I was very fortunate to have many godly examples in my life, including my parents and my brothers.”

After matriculating into Princeton, DeValve faced

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Still, if his collegiate football career would have been cut short, “it would have been OK,” the engineering major said. “God would have directed me somewhere else where I would serve. I was never

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A Seasoned Mentor Chitra Kovoor Is New Ministry Fellow at Yale by catherine elvy, staff writer

The Episcopal Seminary at Yale. “Our home is full of young people, music, and lively conversations around good food. We have been mentoring faculty and students here at Yale for the past several years.” ministry.

Also during her time in Connecticut, Kovoor has “This seems to be something pulling at my heartvolunteered with Integrated Refugee Services and strings,” said Chitra Kovoor, who hails from India Immigrant Services, supported in pastoral ministry, and spent most of her adult life in the United Kingand lived in an international missions community dom. “At this stage, I’m still called to be working at the Overseas Ministries Study Center. with young people.”

Jane Hendrickson, In August, Kovoor Christian Union minisjoined Christian Union’s try fellow at Yale, highteam at Yale, where she is lighted Chitra Kovoor’s drawing from experience influence on students who in mentoring students at attend St. John’s Episcopal Birmingham, Bristol, and Church. “She has a pasDelhi universities. She has sion for the Gospel and more than three decades sees the Yale community of diverse ministerial and as a true crossroads city, professional experience, where future leaders from including youth, college, all over the world come ministry, academic, and and might encounter corporate endeavors, manChrist,” said Hendrickagement and leadership son. development, missionary The wealth of experitraining, English-language ence Chitra Kovoor brings instruction, and counselto her role as a minising. try fellow fits Christian As well, Kovoor and Union’s mission of leaderhusband George are no Chitra Kovoor, a Christian Union ministry fellow at ship training. “Mentoring strangers to the Yale comYale, brings vast experience in international and has been a big part of my munity. In 2013, Rev. campus ministry. life,” she said.

Canon George Kovoor acAs she ministers to cepted a position as rector Yale students, Kovoor, who has a master of business at St. John’s Episcopal Church in New Haven. The administration from Bangalore University, is able to position has allowed the pair to support students via relate to students who are likely eventually to manage teaching, prayer, and hospitality, efforts that are close corporate, academic, and family responsibilities. to their hearts as the parents of three young adults.

“I’ve lived through some of those pressure-cooker “We have lived and served in Christian ministry at moments,” said Kovoor, who also is an accomplished Yale University and have made some very strong and tennis player and pianist. significant friendships in the local churches and in the “Chitra is a great role model as a mother, wife, town,” said George Kovoor, who is also an adjunct and minister and extremely gifted as an evangelist,” professor at Yale University and fellow at Berkeley: Christian Union’s newest female ministry fellow at Yale University brings a wealth of experience in international and campus

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George Kovoor, who has traveled to 94 nations and enjoys sailing, is a chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II and general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of the Anglican Communion.

For her part, Chitra Kovoor ministered in three regions of the United Kingdom between 1990 and 2013, including Birmingham, where she also served as academic dean of the Christian Union launched its leadership development ministry at Yale University in Centre for Management 2010. and Mission at the University of Birmingham and the Church Mission Society within Crowther said Hendrickson. “She makes natural connections Hall. with everyone she meets, and the students who know “As a Christian pilgrim, you don’t just wander her love her.” aimlessly,” she said.

Kovoor, who is multi-lingual, brings considerable Adjusting to multiple careers and ministry efforts background in reaching out to international stuacross India and England and now the United States dents. She handled international student outreach has taught Chitra Kovoor a lot about dependence at St. John’s Episcopal (near Yale) and Christ Church on God. “The very journey is shaping who you are,” Clifton near the University of Bristol. she said.

Hendrickson agreed and expressed special grat“Our home is full of young people, music, and itude for Kovoor’s dedication to Christ. “Chitra is lively conversations around good food. We an incredible example of a faithful, fun, and fervent seeker of God and servant of God’s people. She is have been mentoring faculty and students here incredibly humble despite enormous personal and at Yale for the past several years.” professional experience,” said Hendrickson. “She —George Kovoor is a joy to be around and an incredible gift to this ministry.”

For Chitra Kovoor, service to students and “We’ve had the tremendous privilege of actually women remains central to her life’s calling and she crossing cultures and training others to cross cultures realizes “how important it is to have a role with as well,” she said. young people.”

Ever adept at handling fresh challenges, George “This is an exciting time for me to be at Yale,” Kovoor currently is transitioning to a position at she said. | cu Saint Paul’s Parish in nearby Darien. Before arriving in the United States, George Kovoor lived in the United Kingdom for 25 years as an Indian missionary and presided over two colleges: Crowther Hall at the University of Birmingham, and Trinity College in Bristol.

christian union cities

Transition Team CU New York Holds Welcoming Events for Young Professionals by catherine elvy, staff writer

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hristian Union’s ministry for professionals in on weekdays and some on weekends, and ministry New York City hosted a series of events to welleaders hope eventually to create networking opporcome freshly minted graduates of leading universities tunities for believers by geography and industries. to the commercial capital of the world.

During the fall, participants will study First John.

This summer and fall, Christian Union New Helping recent graduates transition to the workYork City held receptions aimed at providing young force is critical, as studies show a large percentage of beprofessionals with spiritual and practical support lievers walk away from church attendance during their systems as many settle into adjustment to the workforce, Christian Union New York new careers, especially in especially when it involves reManhattan’s financial sector. offers community groups settlement. “They jump into “We’re intentionally helpwork, and it’s overwhelming, aimed to serve young ing people connect. Some especially in moves to the people who come here are adults with schedules that bigger cities,” Crosby said. self-sufficient and some who “When it’s high pressure and often hamper participation long hours, it’s hard to sustain.” come are overwhelmed,” said Scott Crosby, director of Jeremiah Gill, a healthcare in church small groups.

Christian Union New York public relations official who (CUNYC). previously interned with Christian With the exception of those who atUnion, echoed those comments. tended undergraduate programs in Man“It can be tough to transition to the hattan, most of the recent grads “need New York City workforce,” Gill said. new spiritual community,” Crosby said.

In the city’s intense corporate cul“They have to learn a new job and learn ture, many newcomers encounter an how to live in a city that can be pretty “unbalanced focus on work that leaves brutal to people of faith.” people without the means or time to At the CUNYC Welcome to the City parties at meet other people, do fun things, or develop themlocations in Uptown, Midtown, and Downtown, selves outside of just work skills,” Gill said. For ChrisCrosby explained how the ministry uses volunteers tians, it can be especially tough to encounter fellow to offer mentoring, as well as regular Bible courses. believers in the commercial arena.

During the 2015-16 year, nearly 30 professionals took Gill noted how he appreciates Christian Union’s part in studies that probed Hebrews. efforts to provide ongoing intellectual enrichment.

As the ministry enters its fifth year of outreach “After college, it is rare that you are able to listen in New York City it is focusing on accommodating to a professor/speaker and learn about a new topic the needs of future leaders. About half of regular and then engage with other participants about their attendees also participated in Christian Union’s thoughts,” he said. ministries at influential universities.

To meet this need, CUNYC presents a steady In particular, the ministry offers community diet of forums, salons, and conferences, including groups aimed to serve young adults with schedules the Nexus Conference for Professionals in the spring. that often hamper participation in church small Crosby aims to encourage emerging adults to groups. “By and large, they’re not able to be involved view their vocational endeavors through the lens of in a church small group,” Crosby said. faith. “We’re walking with them as they step into Some of the Christian Union groups meet early this,” he said.

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Dylan Ketcham, Peter Callahan, and Andrew Xu at one of Christian Union New York’s salons in 2015.

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As well, Christian Union encourages participants to perform regular community service. “We want them to engage culture in a variety of ways,” he said.

Crosby wants believers of all ages to know they are called to reach and transform culture, and he eventually hopes to establish similar ministries in Washington, D.C., Boston, the San Francisco Bay area, and other key cities.

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Many recent grads, especially those who were involved in vibrant campus ministry, crave community among young adults in their new settings. “Some transition better than others. Some have spent two or three years in spiritually intense communities,” Crosby said. “They have to build ‘community’ in the midst of new community and all that comes with living in a new place and starting work.” | cu

If you enjoy Christian Union: The Magazine, and would like updates between issues, please subscribe to the ministry’s eNewsletter, Christian Union News, here:

http://www.christianunion.org/subscribe

NEXUS: PROFESSIONAL THE CHRISTIAN UNION CONFERENCE FOR PROFESSIONALS

Professionals, supporters and Christian Union alumni are invited to attend a weekend of strong biblical teaching, intellectual engagement, dynamic worship, Spirit-filled prayer, and fellowship with like-minded Christians who are seeking cultural transformation.

APRIL 7 – 9, 2017 • STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT

LEARN MORE: NEXUSPROFESSIONAL2017.ORG

ministry partner spotlight

Giving to Impact Tomorrow’s Leaders

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r. Vincent and Dian Naman have lovingly served side by side over the course of 31 years (and counting) of marriage. Together, they have raised four godly children and have made a significant impact on their community through their professional endeavors, service to their home church, and their commitment to furthering Christ’s Kingdom.

Vincent is a graduate of Princeton University (’82),

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Dr. Vincent and Dian Naman and family

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Dian of Columbia (’84). Growing up in a middle class neighborhood of New York City, Vincent was encouraged to pursue the best education possible. Similarly, Dian, who migrated from Jamaica to New York at age 14, was taught never to take for granted the opportunity to receive an education. The couple passed on to their own children this high value for education, and all four of their children graduated from top-tier institutions. This commitment to academic excellence also inspires their community in Columbus, Georgia, where they have been featured in local magazines and other media outlets.

Vincent, a plastic surgeon, has been practicing since 1995, and since 2002 has led a plastic surgery center in Columbus, Georgia. Dian (RN) has served the practice since its launch as practice administrator, where she facilitates smooth operations, including assisting in the operating room.

A deep-rooted faith in Christ is evident in the Naman family. “As a couple, we have always looked to God as our

source of all that is good. We go to church together and serve together.” Their faith also informs their parenting as they sought to shape children who “always know the difference between God’s instructions for our lives and what is culturally acceptable.”

The Naman family approaches life and vocation with grace, poise, ambition, joy, excellence, and unshakeable faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Dian has always kept Matthew 6:33 close to her mind and heart: “but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Christian Union and the Naman family crossed paths when Vincent and Dian’s son Luke (Dartmouth ’15) became involved with the ministry at Dartmouth. “By then we had already sent two children to Ivy League schools,” Vincent explained, “and we had a strong sense that there was a need for such an organization on these campuses.”

“When Luke became involved with Christian Union at Dartmouth, we were quite impressed.

He developed a sense of belonging, gained a sense of community, and had a level involvement that was life changing.”

Familiar with the challenges Christian students face at leading universities, the Namans were struck by the difference in what was available to Luke and his peers: “Christian Union provided a wonderful outlet for students trying to maintain their faith in a secular environment.”

During his time at Dartmouth, Luke participated in spoken Word: The Ivy League Bible Memory Challenge competition, sponsored by Christian Union and others.

Christian Union hosted the event to encourage students to embrace the value in memorizing Scripture. For “The Man in the Mirror,” Luke and his co-winner, Joshua Echebiri ’14, wove together 35 verses taken from 13 books of the Bible, including six verses from Ecclesiastes and seven from First Corinthians. The duo’s compelling performance took first place. This, along with Bible courses and mentorship, had a profound effect on Luke’s spiritual development.

As parents of a student active in the ministry, the Namans developed something of an insider’s perspective of the program and effectiveness of the ministry. Thanks to this, the family discovered the vision of Christian Union

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Ministry fellows on the ground interacting with stuand their personal generosity aligned beautifully: “We dents on campus is the core of Christian Union. Students hope the next generation of leaders will boldly follow the are learning what godly fellowship is and are engaging in narrow path of righteousness; that godly behaviors will rigorous Bible courses, lecture series, conferences, and have become well established habits before these children other outreaches on campus. These gifts support and become tomorrow’s leaders.” solidify the personal relationships being built every day.

In a sea of potential giving opportunities, Christian More kingdom resources make it possible to place more Union stands apart to the Namans. They believe that highly qualified, full-time ministry fellows on campus Christian Union “reaches tomorrow’s leaders at a point to help students become exceptional Christian leaders. when laying a good Christian foundation will have a treMore ministry fellows mean more students have access to mendous impact on the path of their lives and careers.” all that Christian Union offers at these otherwise highly Vincent and Dian emphasize that timing is everything: secular schools. “if a young person could develop a love for God at an The growth of Christian Union, now operating at early age, it could change their whole life.” nine of the nation’s leading universities, including Brown, Vincent reflected, “As a graduate of Princeton UniColumbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, University, I’ve been impressed with the accomplishments of my fellow alumni over the past 35 years and their In a sea of potential giving opportunities, Christian Union tremendous sphere of influstands apart to the Namans. They believe that Christian Union ence. Those that have placed “reaches tomorrow’s leaders at a point when laying a good their faith in the forefront have had a remarkable imChristian foundation will have a tremendous impact on the pact. We can envision that path of their lives and careers.”

Christian Union will greatly increase this impact in the versity of Pennsylvania, Yale, and, as of fall 2016, Stanyears to come.” ford, is made possible by friends like the Namans, who Vincent and Dian have experienced the joy of giving give generously and joyfully. The growth is evidenced on through their financial support of Christian Union, which Princeton’s campus, where the Christian Union-resourced they believe is “vitally important” to the future of AmerPrinceton Faith and Action is the largest student-led orgaican culture and God’s kingdom. Creating a pattern of nization on campus – religious or otherwise. It is seen at generosity through their giving habits has allowed them the University of Pennsylvania, where, in its fourth year “to put our money where our heart is and serves as an on campus, ministry fellows expect to add an additional example to our children.” four Bible courses and reach a total of 120 students by the The Namans have opted to keep their gifts to Chrisend of the 2016-17 academic year. This summer alone, tian Union unrestricted, although financial partners have eight ministry fellows were added to the Christian Union the option of directing gifts to the campuses where the team, bringing the total ministry faculty size to 36, with ministry serves. Their decision allows Christian Union to plans to add at least two more this fall. strengthen aspects of the ministry where it is most needed.

The Namans’ generosity, and the thoughtful and sacriTheir support of the overall mission has an immediate ficial gifts of other friends, facilitates the transformational and direct impact on the life-changing ministry of Chriswork, with God’s help, that is happening every day on tian Union. One of the areas of greatest need ministry these campuses. The ministry is profoundly grateful to wide is simply increasing the number of ministry fellows the Naman family, and the many other financial partavailable to work with the ever-increasing numbers of ners, who make it possible to develop Christian leaders to students eager to study God’s Word in-depth and grow transform culture. | cu as Christian leaders.

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brown 35 columbia 39 cornell 4 2

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harvard 4 8 penn 51 prince ton 5 4 ya l e 5 7

students at yale university

reports from some of america’s most influential universities

The Spiritual Climate on Campus The following articles were written to keep readers informed about the spiritual atmosphere at some of America’s leading universities. Some stories will encourage you by highlighting ways God is working through other (non-Christian Union) ministries and alumni. Other articles— on news, trends, and events—are included to help motivate you to pray for these institutions, their students, faculty, and staff, and for all of the Christian ministries that work at these schools. ......................................................................................

BROW N | On Campus

The Apollos Project B ROWN ALUMN US IS HE LPIN G PARE NT S MAKE D IS CIPLE S

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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family life is “very normal.” Meaning, “We have our ups and downs.”

After matriculating into Brown in the early 1980s, Bettis questioned the core foundations of his upbringing, but came to realize the evidence for Christianity is overwhelming. “I know the struggles I had growing up, even in a Christian home,” said Bettis, who hails from Birmingham, Alabama. “I wanted to pass the Gospel on to my kids.”

Given his passion for instilling Christian beliefs in upcoming gen-

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ly-released book, The Disciple-Making Parent: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Raising Your Children to Love and Follow Jesus Christ.

Through The Apollos Project, Bettis speaks at churches and conferences, mostly via seminars aimed at parents, youth ministers, and other parental figures. As well, he has written a variety of apologetics and family discipleship coursework for his training sessions.

Still, Bettis wants to assure interested moms and dads that his own

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Brown University alumnus wants Christian parents across the nation to know they have an extraordinary responsibility. Namely, they have been given the privilege of raising offspring to follow and adore their Heavenly Father.

Chap Bettis, Brown ’84, is crisscrossing the Northeast and beyond via his ministry, The Apollos Project, to teach parents how to embrace this responsibility.

A blogger and conference speaker, Bettis is the author of the recent-

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erations, Bettis left the pastorate after about a quarter of a century in 2013 to focus on sharing his burden for par-

some fervent Christians. Those believers, mostly upperclassmen, made it a point to provide intellectual answers

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Chap Bettis (Brown ’84), pictured here with his wife Sharon and family, is teaching parents how to embrace their responsibilities as God’s primary disciple-makers via his ministry and latest book, The Disciple-Making Parent: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Raising Your Children to Love and Follow Jesus Christ.

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ents to seize their roles in discipleship.

“The Great Commission is the North Star of our parenting,” said Bettis, the father of four young adults. “I know where I am aiming.”

During Apollos Project seminars, Bettis hears frequent laments from concerned parents of youths and young adults who have walked away from their faith. As such, Bettis longs to see offspring of all ages become like Apollos, an early Christian who was zealous in spreading Christ’s Gospel, and is referenced in chapter 18 of Acts.

Bettis asks parents and parental figures to consider how much they are actively reflecting Christ’s Gospel in their households and beyond. “Am I living the example?” he asked.

As for Bettis, his decision to attend Brown was pivotal in the development of his faith. While participating in Brown Christian Fellowship, he met

to some of his probing questions and to direct him to their ministry’s book table, which was stocked with a wide selection of compelling literature.

Watching the examples of “soldout” upperclassmen impacted Bettis, who eventually served as president of Brown Christian Fellowship (blogs.

Likewise, when Bettis embraced the supremacy of the Gospel message, he made it the focus of his personal and vocational endeavors. “If true, I should give my life to it,” he said.

After a year of theological training at Columbia International University in South Carolina, Bettis returned to Rhode Island to help plant a church in New England’s secular landscape, before eventually serving as its pastor.

“I became aware of the need to stay and plant a church,” said Bettis, who is pursuing a master of divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

New Covenant Christian Fellowship initially met in Greater Providence, before relocating in 2006 to Attleboro, Massachusetts, about 12 miles from Providence.

Since passing the baton at New Covenant, Bettis has functioned as an elder for Grace Harbor Church in Providence, and is a blogger for The Gospel Coalition. Grace Harbor’s college ministry serves about 40 students from the area, including a dozen from Brown. “The blessing is to have churches close by, where college students can connect. It’s an age when students often take a vacation from church,” he said.

Not surprisingly, Bettis has a heart for the challenges of campus ministers,

“Brown was formative in my life, in terms of making me a more committed Christian. The campus ministries were formative in pushing me all in.” brown.edu/bcf ). “I was exposed to smart, strong, brilliant thinking,” he said. “Brown was formative in my life, in terms of making me a more committed Christian. The campus ministries were formative in pushing me all in.”

many of whom play a critical role in the lives of college students. Christian parents “may not express it, but you are an answer to prayer,” said Bettis regarding campus ministers.

For young believers who come

from unchurched homes, Bettis offers tangible encouragement. “Family upbringing is not destiny,” said Bettis.

“Your Heavenly Father is much more powerful and has more influence. You have the chance to break the chains and build a family that honors the Lord.”

As for his input to parents of college students, Bettis notes they should value the continued spiritual life of their sons and daughters over material success.

“As a Christian parent, I’m not just worried about their grades,” said Bettis.

“I’m also worried about whether they

are flourishing spiritually.”

More importantly, Bettis wants both parents and future parents to understand their callings. “Scripturally, God’s primary disciple-maker is the parent,” he said. | cu

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BROW N | On Campus

Love in Action B ROWN S TUDE NT IS IMPAC TE D BY TUTORIN G , S E RVIN G

By Alana Felton, Brown ’18 Editor’s note: The following story is reprinted with permission from Cornerstone, A Christian Journal of Literary Arts at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Alana Felton is a junior concentrating in Slavic Studies.

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But even more surprising was how my relationship with Dorbor developed.

Now, each week when she sees me, she hugs me. She is happy to see me, and I am just as excited to work with her. It is not that tenth grade math is riveting or that revisiting topics such as allegories, rhyme, and onomatopoeia are particularly enlightening, but that I have noticed I am actually making a difference in her life, and she is changing my life. Through LIA I found a friend. We are from very different backgrounds. I am a country girl from a rural public school in Central Pennsylvania who is studying at an Ivy League University, and she is an inner city high school student and a child of Liberian refugees. Yet, despite all odds, God found a way in His divine providence to connect us.

Although I had joined LIA from a somewhat selfish standpoint of wanting to feel good by doing good, God had transformed that desire into a passion for tutoring. Almost unbeknownst to me, He had changed my heart to make me want to serve Him by serving Dorbor. In Matthew 5:16, Christ calls us to “let your light shine

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hen I walked into Trinity Presbyterian Church on the first day of tutoring with Love in Action, there was a crowd of children playing rambunctiously. They were all running about, giggling, squealing, tickling one another, and braiding each other’s hair.

A group of elementary-aged girls were in the corner dancing to their favorite pop songs, while a group of boys were chasing each other. I was a bit nervous being surrounded by so much energy at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

The leaders of Love in Action (LIA) led me over to one of the oldest girls in the bunch, Dorbor, and said that the two of us would be working together.

They thought it would be rewarding and sentimental to have us paired together for four years until we both graduated.

I was surprised by how quickly Dorbor warmed up to me. She excit-

edly led me to her workspace and we immediately jumped into her math and English homework. I remember asking her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she said, “I want to go to Duke to study biology.” I was surprised by how clear her vision for the future was. When I first heard about LIA, I was told that most of the students came from the homes of Liberian refugees who were not used to the American school system and needed extra help with their school work. This was also true for Dorbor, but she was incredibly focused on achieving her goal in a way I had not expected.

As the weeks passed, I realized that this desire for success actually came from her parents’ heritage as refugees. Her mother had invested time, money, and energy into her daughter’s education, because she had never had that. I realized that tutoring Dorbor was part of a plan that had already been set in motion.

Pieces began falling into place. Her grades in math steadily increased. Her writing skills flourished as she sent me papers to look over during the week.

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before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

I had always heard Matthew 5:16 and wondered what exactly my light is. But, from working with LIA and specifically with Dorbor, I have realized that my light is my passion for serving the Lord. This is a passion that the Lord gives to me and that I use in order to give back to Him. God

gave me the opportunity to work with Dorbor, and He uses her cheerful, encouraging spirit to build me up, just as He uses my education and desire to help to build her up.

Hebrews 13:16 says, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” This verse points the focus back to God from whom all good things come. I have no right to keep my time

to myself as it was never wholly mine, but God’s. In fact, the sacrifices we make are really just returning to God what belongs to Him. His rewards for our sacrifices are even greater than the time, money, and energy we give up. I have come to realize that the time God has given me at Brown is a gift and that through this gift I must share with others, and LIA has become an extremely rewarding way of doing just that. | cu

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Catholic Community Hosts Freshmen Retreat

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The Brown-Rhode Island School of Design Catholic Community held a retreat for freshmen on September 9-10 in Bristol, Rhode Island.

The Catholic Community (www.brownrisdcatholic.org) provides numerous opportunities for students and staff to engage their faith while at the university,

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including participating in liturgical life, small groups, study groups, and community fellowship activities, as well as engaging in local service projects.

The Sharps’ War The John Hay Library at Brown hosted a screening of Defying the Nazis: The Sharps’ War, a documentary that tells the story of Waitsill Sharp and alumna Martha Sharp ’26. During

World War II, the couple left their own young children to serve with the Unitarian Church and help Czechoslovakian refugees escape from Nazi control. Later, they returned to Europe to help refugees flee France.

Artemis Joukowsky III, grandchild of the Sharps, produced the film. His mother, Martha Sharp Joukowsky ’58, is Professor Emerita of Old World Archaeology and Art and Anthropology at Brown.

COLU M B I A | On Campus

An Historic Appointment

B U R K E ’ 8 2 N A M E D D I R E C T O R O F H O LY S E E P R E S S O F F I C E

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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Pope Francis, the first Jesuit to Columbia University alumnus Paloma Garcia Ovejero will fill Burke’s and veteran journalist recently vacated position as vice director of the become pontiff, also is the first from took over as head of the Vatican’s press press office. The appointment marked Latin America.

As such, the selection of the newest office, marking the first time for a U.S. the first time for a laywoman to hold heads of the papacy’s communications citizen to lead the prime communi- the role, according to Time.

The magazine termed the selection team, who each took office in August, cations position.

In July, Pope Francis I tapped Greg of the duo of foreign journalists as also reflects a push toward diversity.

Burke (Columbia ’82, MBA ’83) to “noteable,” as Italians typically fill key “The deputy director is a Spanish woman, so we have English replace Italian Jesuit Federico and Spanish covered. English, Lombardi, who retired after a I think, is important for the decade as director of the Holy global audience, and Spanish See Press Office. “I am thrilled, is certainly important for the and yet find it a bit daunting Catholic audience,” Burke told at the same time,” Burke told Catholic News Service. “About America: The National Catholic half of the Catholic population Review. worldwide speaks Spanish, so Burke’s new position is cruthat’s an important sign.” cial to shaping the papal message, In 1998, Ovejero began and he stressed the importance serving as chief editor of the of teamwork in communications Spanish Radio Broadcaster, efforts as he assumed one of the COPE, and, in 2012, she also most visible roles in the church. began working as a Rome corre“We certainly have a good team, spondent for television stations starting with the top. Pope FranColumbia University alumnus Greg Burke ’82 and newspapers. cis has simply been a master at has taken over as director of the Holy See Press As for Burke, the middle getting the message out,” Burke Office. child of six attended Jesutold America. “It’s an honor to it-run St Louis University High be working for him.”

In 2012, the Missouri native slots as administrators of the Roman School. Later, Burke earned a degree became a special communications Catholic Church. Likewise, Religion in comparative literature at Columbia, adviser in the Vatican’s Secretarist of News Service said the appointments where he also subsequently studied State, a few years before Pope Francis signal a “more outward-looking ap- journalism.

After his academic endeavors in appointed him to serve as vice director proach from the city state, which has of the press office in December 2015. long been criticized for having a bur- New York City, Burke worked for In all, Burke has spent nearly three densome administration dominated United Press International, Reuters, and other outlets before he was disdecades in Rome, including work as by Italians.”

Burke noted the dual appoint- patched to Rome as a reporter for Naa journalist with Time magazine, Fox News, and National Catholic Register. ments of American and Spanish tional Catholic Register. In 1990, Burke In another surprise move on the journalists reflect the pope’s efforts to began writing for Time, and he was heels of Burke’s appointment, the reach out to Catholics across corners a correspondent when the magazine named Pope John Paul II as its Man Vatican announced Spanish journalist of the globe.

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of the Year.

From 2001 to 2012, Burke served as correspondent for Fox News in Italy, and his duties sometimes expanded to include coverage of wars and other international conflicts.

Some of Burke’s more newsworthy assignments included reporting on the passage of Pope John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI. In 2012,

news agencies regarded Burke’s hiring as a communications expert for the Vatican as part of a strategy to bolster international public relations after a series of scandals.

Burke, who speaks English, Italian, Spanish, and French, is a numerary member of Opus Dei. At a press conference to announce his appointment, Burke highlighted

how Pope Francis prayed about the selection of the leading voices of his communications team.

“The purpose of my work is very clear, to serve the pope,” Burke said.

Although it was somewhat expected, Burke expressed gratitude for his new, visible role. Burke said it was “an honor to have been given this trust of the Pope,” according to news reports. | cu

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COLU M B I A | On Campus

“How to Be a Radical” H A N N O N ’ 12 E X H O R T S C R O W D AT C O R P U S C H R I S T I C H U R C H

By Luke Foster, Columbia ’15

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their more developed form would be simultaneously attractive to me and novel to me?”

He offered a new generation of Columbians advice on “How to Be a Radical,” but any who thought his talk would offer merely tactical instruction were disappointed. Many Columbians pride themselves on being heirs to the violence of 1968, but Hannon underlined, “The Columbia

On sexual ethics, Hannon stresses that God has redeemed all Christians, that everyone has disordered desires, and classifying people by sexual orientation prevents moral clarity.

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o a full house of Columbia students, alumni, and curious New Yorkers, Frater Urban Hannon spoke in Corpus Christi Church on September 14. Hannon attended New York University School of Law and left to become a Norbertine novice at St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, California, where he is in formation for the priesthood. He graduated

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from Columbia in 2012, and the September talk marked his return to the Columbia Catholic Ministry that nourished his undergraduate faith. In preparing to speak, he asked himself, “What did I need to hear in college? What thoughts did I have in incomplete form that, in

protest–counter-protest fetish is the furthest thing from what I have in mind.” He entreated his audience to go deep into the roots of Catholic thinking and find there a Christian wisdom to transcend the false antitheses of the secular world’s battle lines: “Disagreement is like a mirror. When

we let them pick a fight with us on their terms, we let them turn us into simply their inverse image, which is going to be just as distorted as the original.”

Hannon sees many of the issues that drive debate in our day—abortion and sexuality being particularly unavoidable for students on campus—as framed in ways that necessarily exclude the fullness of Christian truth. “Abortion is seen as a conflict of rights between autonomous individuals, but that’s just a bad setup of the issue. That battle misses the point of familial relationships,” Hannon said.

He noted that the issue should not be framed as a legal dispute between the “right to life” and the “right to choose,” but as a violation of the intimate, loving link between mother and child.

On sexual ethics, Hannon stresses that God has redeemed all Christians, that everyone has disordered desires, and classifying people by sexual orientation prevents moral clarity. “Both heteronormativity and the gay-rights

agenda take the same thing for granted: that the sex of the objects of our most frequent lustful desires reveals some fundamental facet of our being, our sexuality.” He entreated his audience to stop thinking of people as “gay” and “straight,” and instead to encourage the chastity of all brothers and sisters in the Church by saying to them, “…have we forgotten that Christ Jesus was tempted in every way, but without sin?—‘If you had any idea what each of us is tempted to on a daily basis, you wouldn’t be

so embarrassed. And that’s all okay, because our hope isn’t in us anyway.’”

Four thinkers, for Hannon, point the way toward transcending the sorry mud-slinging of culture and recovering a fuller sense of Christian truths: Denys Turner in theology, Alasdair MacIntyre in ethics, Patrick Deneen in politics, and Thomas Merton on Christian life. Merton, the famous 1938 Columbia graduate who converted to Catholicism and became a Trappist monk, holds particular significance for Hannon.

“So much of his story is my story.

He offers the most real and compelling account of monasticism in contemporary America, with the focus on love and love lived out in prayer,” Hannon said. “Above all, there is the pursuit of truth, the pursuit of Truth.

Our religious life is ordered to loving our God and loving each other—a robust common life of sacrifice for our brothers.”

For Hannon, it is only in loving one another radically that we come to know that God is love. | cu

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Transcending Politics in the Pro-Life Movement

Zakheim ’70 Writes About Nehemiah

2016 :: christianunion.org

Dov Zakheim, Columbia ’70, recently wrote a book that explores how Nehemiah balanced his role as governor of Persian Judea and his religion commitment.

In the introduction to Nehemiah: Statesman and Sage, Zakheim writes, “I admired Nehemiah as a man who made a lasting mark both as a statesman and as a religious leader, one whose activities offered an enduring example for later generations to emulate.”

The former Under Secretary of Defense has been an adjunct professor at Columbia, Trinity College, and Yeshiva University.

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In October, a pro-life student organization at Columbia University staged a panel discussion to coincide with the 2016 election season.

Columbia Right to Life (columbiartl.org) held a forum entitled Transcending Partisan Politics in the Pro-Life Movement in the Mathematics Building. The panelists included Charles Camosy, a Fordham University professor; Maria Maffucci, director of Human Life Review; Carol Crossed, a philanthropist and leader of Feminists Choosing Life; and Mollie Hemingway, a senior editor at The Federalist. Christopher

White, director of Catholic Voices USA, served as moderator for the panel discussion.

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COR N E LL | On Campus

Pre-Orientation Acclimation CHESTERTON HOUSE WELCOMES FRESHMEN WITH RETREAT

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

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efore student orientation at Cornell this semester, Chesterton House helped orient freshmen to what’s ahead with a retreat that emphasized the integration of faith and campus life.

The pre-orientation retreat attracted 13 freshmen. They came from throughout the United States, including one American who grew up in Kuwait. The students and their parents initially met at Ches-

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Chesterton House, a center for Christian studies at Cornell, hosted the retreat for the second consecutive year, as ministry staff members and upperclassmen arrived early to help freshmen acclimate to life in Ithaca, New York.

“Students were given a picture of a thriving faith on campus and some practical steps to having such a faith,” said Barbara Weston, director of undergraduate ministries at Chesterton House. “I think God showed up [at the retreat] by meeting students in their fears and anxieties.”

terton House, but then parted, with students heading to a nearby church for the night and parents remaining

puzzle which could only be solved by bridging the gap between faith and reason. They also shared dinner together, followed by a panel of upperclassmen who discussed their experiences at Cornell. One spoke about engaging with a professor who was highly antagonistic to Christianity and suggested how to engage respectfully and thoughtfully in conversation in such situations.

The freshmen also enjoyed a trip to a local ice cream store, where the upperclassmen were “peppered with questions.” The next morning, the students prayed together and a local pastor gave a devotional message about spiritual discipline.

For the 24 hours of the retreat, there was no internet connection and only sporadic cell phone service. Yet, according to sophomore Joshua Jeon, who volunteered to help with the event,

“Students were given a picture of a thriving faith on campus and some practical steps to having such a faith.”

—Barbara Weston at Chesterton House for a discussion with its director, Karl Johnson.

Students participated in getto-know-you-games, including a

there was “a sense of coziness that was distinct and could only exist because of shared belief in Jesus Christ.”

The retreat was particularly ben-

eficial in two key areas: establishing community and showing the freshmen how to live as Christians on campus.

Additionally, many of the students who were on the overnight have continued to be involved in other aspects of the Chesterton House ministry.

“I think the biggest benefit of the pre-retreat is to connect new students to the Christian community,” said Jeon, who attended the retreat last year. “When I was a new student, I

found it very helpful to find Christian friends, upperclassmen, and mentors prior to starting the school year.”

The retreat also served as a primer on how to seek the kingdom first at the secular university.

“I think the retreat helps them to [understand] that they are owned by Christ and only Christ,” said Jeon.

“This is an important message for new students who can be tempted to believe that they are Cornell stu-

dents first.”

At the retreat, Johnson gave a presentation to the students regarding 15 tips for living as a believer at Cornell, including “Think upon Jesus/Think Christianly,” “Swim Upstream,” and “Seek Wisdom not Sex.” “This presentation gave the new students something to consider, something to think deeply about as they start their college experience,” said Jeon. | cu

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COR N E LL | On Campus

A Fellowship Fair

BARBECUE EVENT AT CORNELL DRAWS OVER 500 STUDENTS

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

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2016 :: christianunion.org

And that’s exactly what COAH seeks to accomplish: “to know Jesus and make Him known.” The vision “is the ongoing process of mobilizing the whole Body of Christ at Cornell and in Ithaca to strategically focus all of its resources on reaching the whole campus with the whole Gospel, resulting in the redemption of society and the transformation of the community.”

Ndereba is encouraged by the unity he has witnessed at Cornell during the last couple of years, and especially leading up to the barbeque.

“Many of the leaders in these ministries were already excited and preparing for this event over the summer,” Ndereba said.

The Fellowship Fair was partially underwritten by a Christian Union grant.

Like his fellow COAH team members, Ndereba desires to see

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n August, Campus On A Hill at Christ, and answer any questions Cornell, an umbrella ministry, in- they might have.

“We’ve had many students learn troduced freshmen to the Christian community by hosting a Fellowship about Christ during this event,” said Fair Barbecue that was attended by Ndereba. more than 500 students.

Cornell’s campus ministries and local churches in the Ithaca region set up information stations for the annual event as Campus On A Hill (COAH) brought together the Christian community.

The cookout was held at North Campus on Balch Lawn, an ideal location for reaching a significant number of new students.

“Without a doubt, this event has always been a great opportunity for new students to meet organizations that they call family for the rest of their college lives,” said David Ndereba, a member of the leadership team at COAH. Additionally, the barbecue was a platform for believers to interact David Ndereba, Cornell ‘17 with non-believers, speak about

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unity be a catalyst for a powerful move of God at Cornell.

“The Bible calls for the body of Christ to be united and provides an analogy of the body of Christ as an actual body,” said Ndereba. Each ministry, he said, is like a body part that has its own “style” of connecting students with God and attracting different members.

Additionally, each member of COAH is also involved with other

ministries and various churches.

“We do not and will never have the intention of being a fellowship ourselves,” he said. “Being involved in the Christian community is imperative to the team, as there is no other way that a member will be able to have a pulse of the community at large.”

COAH will continue hosting social gatherings, lectures, and discussion groups that will build on the success of the barbecue and will continue to

unite believers and welcome non-believers in order to advance the Kingdom of God on campus. In the fall, the ministry hosted “Light,” an annual night of praise, exhortation, prayer for the nations, and resources for summer missions trips.

“Really, we’re a small group trying to do a big job,” said Ndereba, “But since our mission is near and dear to God’s heart, we believe that His hand moves powerfully to get it done.” | cu

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“Walking in the Spirit”

The AMP Movement AMP Movement, a Christian hip-hop group, performed at Cornell this fall as part of its East Coast tour. The group describes itself as “a collective that seeks to engage culture through hip-

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This semester, the Navigators ministry at Cornell is sponsoring a series of discussions around the theme of “Walking in and with the Spirit.” The first discussion (“Am I Christian Enough?”) kicked off the series and included a cool ice cream treat. The second part of the series, “Trusting in the Spirit,” was held on September 29 and dealt

with being prepared to give an answer when people question the validity of Christianity.

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Cornell students enjoy a break in between classes.

hop with lyrical influences that are rooted in deep Christian tradition.”

The free concert was sponsored by the Cornell Student Activities Funding Commission, Campus On A Hill, Bethany Christian Campus Church, and Chinese Bible Study. Measureless, an a cappella group at Cornell, also performed at the event.

D A R T M OU T H | On Campus

Run in Such a Way as to Win the Prize

D’AGOSTINO ’14 HONORED AT OLYMPICS FOR HEROIC ACT

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

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Despite having torn her ACL in her right knee, D’Agostino prayed through that last grueling mile to complete the race. She credited God’s strength with carrying her across the finish line.

“I knew God was able and I wasn’t,” she said. “I’m just thankful to be a witness to that power that wasn’t my own.”

And she was rewarded for that witness. During the closing ceremonies, D’Agostino and Hamblin each received the Pierre de Coubertin Medal, which is given to athletes who exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship.

Although Olympic rules allowed Hamblin and D’Agostino to advance to the final in the 5,000m competition, an MRI revealed D’Agostino had a complete tear of her ACL. There would be no final run for this champion. Instead, she went Photo Credit: Wikimedia on to cheer for her American Abbey D’Agostino at the Rio 2016 Olympic teammates and for Hamblin, Games her new friend.

D’Agostino was known for that kind of camaraderie and sonal relationship with Him and to leadership when she was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes glorify His power to others.”

No one could have imagined the (FCA) at Dartmouth. Her perspecoutcome of that Olympic race three tive on running changed as her faith years later; nor the athlete’s intuitive grew and she realized that true success response that served to glorify the would not be possible without God’s Lord to a watching world. But her blessing.

Kent and Denise Dalhberg, poise and dignity in sharing God’s presence in her life and in her agony ministry directors of Integrare at Dartmouth, are not at all surprised served to exemplify her words. words were almost prophetic.

“I am learning to trust whatever is God’s will for my races, rather than imagine the possible outcomes,” she said. “For me, this platform is an incredible way to strengthen my per-

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2016 :: christianunion.org

s Abbey D’Agostino, Dartmouth ’14, ran the 5,000-meter heat at this summer’s Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, her eyes were on a gold medal.

With just over a mile to go, D’Agostino was feeling controlled and mentally focused when, suddenly, she was on the ground after tripping over a fallen runner. After she got up, however, D’Agostino turned back, not forward.

Rather than continuing to run as she had always been coached to do, D’Agostino reached out a hand of compassion to Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand.

And in that second, everything changed about D’Agostino’s future as an Olympic competitor. It became an iconic moment that reverberated worldwide and offered an opportunity for the Topsfield, Massachusetts native to proclaim God’s glory.

“Everything happened so fast (in that moment). I got up and my first instinct was, ‘OK, turn around, we have to finish this,’ ” said D’Agostino on the TODAY show. “I don’t think that was me, I think that was literally the Spirit of God in me [saying], ‘Let’s go!’”

After the race, she explained to reporters that—although her actions were instinctual—“the only way I can rationalize it is that God prepared my heart to respond that way.”

In a 2013 article in Christian Union: The Magazine, D’Agostino spoke of hoping someday to make the Olympic team. In retrospect, her

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with D’Agostino’s strong witness at the Olympics. Denise, a volunteer leader with FCA when D’Agostino was a sophomore, continues to have regular touch points with the athlete, including an encouraging three-hour breakfast prior to the Rio games.

“During ‘Sophomore Summer,’ Abbey and some of her class of ‘14 teammates got involved with Denise in a discipleship Bible study that continued for them the next two years,” recalled Kent Dahlberg. “Through the mentoring process, in-depth exposure to God’s Word, and fellowship with

other believers, Abbey came to faith in Christ.”

“Having grown to understand the vital roles of a daily time with God, discipleship, worship, and community, Abbey has continued to embrace these practices after graduation as a professional athlete based in Boston.”

While running for the Big Green, D’Agostino became the Ivy League’s all-time most decorated athlete in track and field and cross country. At the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships, she became the first American woman to win both the 3,000m and

5,000m titles. D’Agostino was a fourtime individual national champion and nine-time All-American over three seasons of competition.

After graduation, she earned a New Balance sponsorship. And after the Olympics, she gained millions of fans around the world.

“I think the qualities people see as heroic and altruistic, those come from God,” she said in a piece for Runners World. “I’m glad He’s chosen me to be an instrument of that and to react that way in the moment.” | cu

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D A R T M OU T H | On Campus

The Gift of Translation MERCADO ’11 INSPIRES SOPHOMORES AT SUMMER CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

By Jessica Tong, Dartmouth ’17

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very summer at Dartmouth, sophomores are required to stay on campus and take classes. During the “Sophomore Summer” term, students are notorious for taking advantage of swimming in the Connecticut River, cliff jumping, and hiking. This unique season has also been known to unite Christians from various campus ministries through the student-run Summer Christian Fellowship (SCF).

One of the highlights of SCF’s large group meetings was a message from alumnus Alex Mercado ’11 and his wife Megan. The couple shared with students about their work with Wycliffe Bible Translators and encouraged them to contribute their gifts and passions to the kingdom of God. While at Dartmouth, Mercado was involved in Navigators (www. dartmouth.edu/~navs/), a campus ministry that taught him to develop

Alex and Megan Mercado

and prioritize strong relationships with others. He later joined Cru (www.crudartmouth.org) and eventually became the ministry’s president.

While studying computer science, he also found the technical background needed for the layout of the

Dartmouth Apologia, a journal of Christian thought. He was able to hone his graphic design skills at the Apologia—skills that would later come in handy with his work as a UX Software Developer at Wycliffe.

After graduation, Mercado resolved to take a year off to “see more examples of what it looked like to live missionally.” By divine providence, he found the headquarters for Wycliffe Bible Translators while on a one-week ministry trip with Cru in Orlando, Florida. He met his tobe wife Megan in Cameroon while working with Wycliffe, and the two married in July 2014. Alex joined

Megan at Wycliffe full-time in April 2015 as a software developer. He had always hoped to find a ministry where he could use his technical skills. At Wycliffe, he found a place where his technical skills could contribute to missions.

The Mercados announced that they will serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Kenya this fall. Alex Mercado will work as a Language Technology Consultant, and Megan as a Language and Education Consultant. Alex will focus on information management and interfaces for Bible translators who “know the language [for the Bible to be translated into] well” but “have very low digital literacy.” Megan will work with Kenyan educators and others in more rural areas, training them in practices and techniques to increase literacy outcomes for children.

Hallie Reichel ’18 was impressed

with the Mercados and how their steps were ordered.

“I enjoyed hearing how God led him to that work, though it hadn’t been Alex’s plan at first,” she said.

“Since I am not quite sure what I would like to do after college, it was great to hear about how he found the path God had for him. [Now] I do not need to stress or limit my options for the future because God has a way for me to add something to His kingdom, as well.”

Joe Brackbill ’18, a sophomore who led the large groups for SCF this summer, said it was sobering to realize that thousands of languages still do not have a Bible translation.

“I am extremely thankful for the work of Wycliffe and other Bible translators,” said Brackbill.

Reichel ’18 recalled that her favourite part of the talk was when “Megan read a beautiful passage from Exodus

35:4-29 about how all the Israelites (artisans, carpenters, weavers, metalworkers, etc.) contributed different aspects to the tabernacle of God… There was a long list of how the Israelites generously brought what they could for God’s glory. In fact, they brought so many gifts that they had to be told to stop. I loved how Megan encouraged us to view this image in our own community and world in the present day.”

The Mercados were delighted to find that students demonstrated great gratitude in hearing about their work at Wycliffe, and even expressed interest in potential internship opportunities. They left Dartmouth with the encouragement to students “not to count yourself out of what God is doing across the globe. You may not feel like you’re typical for doing something, but that doesn’t mean He doesn’t have a plan for you.” | cu

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Daughtry ’84 and Dhillon ’89 Speak at Political Conventions

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Mark Connolly, a New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate and 1979 alumnus of Dartmouth, is seeking to help reinstate one

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Connolly ’79 Seeks Recognition of “Animal House”

of the most notorious fraternities within the Greek System. Alpha Delta, the inspiration for the raucous movie Animal House, was de-recognized by the college in 2015 for a long history of disciplinary violations, including hazing, serving alcohol to minors, and hosting unregistered parties.

According to the Associated Press, Connolly wants his former fraternity reinstated once members prove they are upstanding members of the community. If elected governor, Connolly would become an ex-officio member of the board of trustees for the University.

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Two Dartmouth alumni spoke words of faith at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions this summer.

The Rev. Leah Daughtry ’84, who served as the chief executive officer of the Democratic convention, told attendees, “We have a moral obligation, grounded in our common values, to live not as islands unto ourselves, but in a beloved community with each other.”

Attorney Harmeet Dhillon ’89, chairwoman of the Republican

Party in San Francisco, delivered an invocation during the Republican Convention, praying that God would “protect us from evil and create prosperity for all Americans” and “give us the courage to make the right choices, to make common cause with those with whom we may disagree, for the greater good of our nation.”

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H A RVA RD | On Campus

Bicentennial Celebration

DIVINIT Y SCHOOL MARK S MILE S TONE WITH VARIOUS EVENTS, E XHIBITS

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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arvard Divinity School is celebrating its bicentennial throughout the 2016-17 academic year with a series of events aimed at paying tribute to its fascinating past, as well as its goal of promoting religious literacy and service.

“The bicentennial will allow us to reflect on this rich history, even as we envision anew the school’s mission for the future,” said Dean David Hempton, an Irish historian of evangelical Protestant Christianity.

The nation’s first nonsectarian theological school plans a series of activities, awards, and exhibits, culminating with commencement on May 25.

Founded in 1816, the divinity school is one of Harvard’s earliest professional schools. The nation’s second president, John Adams, a Harvard alumnus of 1755, was among the first donors.

While bygone generations of students, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, performed academic chores by candlelight, the institution now offers courses to 40,000 students worldwide who come from a variety of Christian, non-Christian, and non-religious backgrounds. Emerson, a Harvard College alumnus of 1821, pursued additional studies at the theological school in the 1820s after his beloved aunt impressed upon him the need to maintain the family tradition of a Rev. Emerson occupying a Boston pulpit.

As the divinity school marks 200 years as an institution, its scholars point out the origins of theological tutorship at Harvard date back to the very inception of Harvard College in 1636.

“After God had carried us safe to New England and we had builded our

houses, provided necessaries for our livelihood, reared convenient places for God’s worship, and settled the civil government: One of the next things we longed for and looked after was to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches, when our present ministers shall lie in the dust,” the college’s founders noted.

As Harvard grew, training for religious leadership was paramount to its original mission. In fact, the college’s first named professorship, and the oldest in the country, was the Hollis Professorship of Divinity.

In 1721, London merchant Thomas Hollis established the professorship, which included the rights to graze a

cow in Harvard Yard, according to university lore.

In 1811, Harvard organized the first graduate program for ministerial candidates. In 1816, it established a divinity school to further the study of “Christian truth.” The divinity school became Harvard’s second professional school, trailing the medical program, which was founded in 1788.

In addition to Emerson, other notable alumni include: • S amuel Longfellow, the hymn writer, clergyman, and brother of the famed poet, graduated from Harvard College in 1839 and completed his theological studies in 1846.

• Edmund Hamilton Sears, who completed his theological studies at Harvard in 1837, is best known for penning the poem that became the words to “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” the beloved Christmas carol.

• Stephen Charles Mott is a retired clergyman, author, and scholar of biblical studies and social ethics.

Mott, who earned a doctorate in religion from Harvard in 1972, served as a professor of Christian social ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary for about a quarter of a century before his retirement in 1995.

• Stephen A. Hayner, a former president of InterVarsity Christian Fel-

lowship, earned a master of theological studies from Harvard in 1972.

In 2015, the president emeritus of Columbia Theological Seminary passed away at 66 after a remarkable career in church and academic settings, including adjunct terms at Gordon-Conwell Theological seminary and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

• Princeton University Professor Robert George, Harvard Divinity ’81, Law ’81, was once dubbed “the country’s most influential conservative Christian thinker.” George’s lengthy credentials include service with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights,

and the President’s Council on Bioethics.

In commemorating the divinity school’s bicentennial, administrators point to the institution’s legacy of service.

Such an emphasis was outlined in December 1815, when Harvard President John Kirkland penned a letter to solicit funds to establish a divinity school that, among its efforts, would educate those who provide consolation in affliction and death.

At the behest of Kirkland, who completed his own training at Harvard in 1789 before studying divinity at Princeton University and law at Brown University, donors raised

$30,000 and soon established the Society for Promoting Theological Education in Harvard University.

On Oct. 18, 1816, the group voted to approve instructional plans for the “Theological Seminary of the University.” They declared that “every encouragement be given to the serious, impartial, and unbiased investigation of Christian truth, and that no assent to the peculiarities of any denomination of Christians shall be required either of the instructors or students.”

One hundred years later, the divinity school used that date to observe its centennial, and the modern institution is following suit with a yearlong commemorative effort. | cu

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H A RVA RD | On Campus

A Liminal Looking Glass

S H AW ’ 17 I M P L E M E N T S R A P M U S I C I N T H E S I S

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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mindset.”

Not surprisingly, Shaw’s thesis also reflects his family’s rich spiritual legacy.

Shaw’s father, Alan Shaw, Harvard ’85, is an assistant professor in computer science at Kennesaw State University and pastor of Christ First Community Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia. In addition to numerous academic and professional credentials, the elder Shaw is drafting a book on parenting insights, especially aimed at those raising African-American sons. Shaw’s mother, Michelle Shaw, Harvard ’85, Law ’89, is director of Eastside Academic Studies in Tucker, Georgia.

Though he entered Harvard’s

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household in suburban Atlanta. “I wanted to connect those things into telling stories.”

For the production, Shaw is drawing from the wealth of insights he has gained from his literary and extracurricular activities, especially his current stint as managing editor of The Harvard Ichthus, a student-run Christian journal. The thesis, entitled Liminal, “definitely has Christian themes running through it and biblical references in it. That’s what I know and what I bring to the table,” said Shaw, whose first name means “in honor of God” in Nigerian.

“I’m not afraid to reference what I know. [The thesis] will deal with things in a very definitely Christian

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rap enthusiast is using his poetic talents to explore the African-American experience as part of his thesis at Harvard University.

English concentrator Obasi Shaw ’17 is penning the lyrics to a rap album for a creative project that probes the overlapping nature of the major periods of African-American history and how the intertwined themes are embedded in much of modern black culture. Shaw’s thesis also reflects the inspiration and deliverance of the Gospel.

“My thesis is a rap song that gives a complex understanding of what’s going on in black consciousness in America,” said Shaw, who grew up in a faith-filled and academic-centric

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of the five traditional categories of African-American history—slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow, civil rights, and modern—continue to shape some of the contemporary black experience.

Shaw chose to utilize rap for his thesis because he “wanted to write within a genre that represented the theme of the work.”

“While poetry, as we generally study, is often very European, the rap form is something that was born and continues to be a predominantly black form of art,” he said.

As for the content, Shaw described it as “a surrealistic story of a young guy who meets this older guy who has this power to see within the souls of black people.”

The resulting narrative Photo Credit: Jake Belcher, courtesy of Office for the Arts at Harvard has the power to cross genObasi Shaw ’17 is using rap to explore the Africanerations into the modern American experience as part of his thesis at Harvard. psyche. “Though we are free, we still feel enslaved in many ways,” Shaw said. than it ever was before,” he said.

Likewise, Shaw points out that the Along those lines, Shaw’s deeply ingrained beliefs also are shaping his concept of liberty can reflect multiple post-graduation career aspirations, meanings.

Still, “freedom is something you which include plans to serve disadvantaged American communities af- cannot have in isolation,” said Shaw,

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Crimson orbit firmly rooted in his faith, Shaw notes he has taken ownership of his Christian commitment since matriculation. “My relationship with God has become a lot deeper

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Shaw chose to utilize rap for his thesis because he “wanted to write within a genre that represented the theme of the work.” ter an initial season in the computer industry to help repay student loans.

“The end goal is service work in a low-income community,” said Shaw, who is earning a minor in computer science.

As for his thesis, it attempts to express how the connecting forces

highlighting the efforts of Harriett Tubman.

During His far-reaching ministry, Jesus Christ illustrated such principles.

“In the same way, Christ says the greatest among you is a servant. He says He came, not to be served, but to

serve. We are called to service. He said the truth will set you free,” Shaw said.

“In following Christ and giving of ourselves to serve others and love others, we can find the same freedom that Christ is talking about. That’s the way we should view our lives and our service, in terms of love.”

Just as Tubman modeled Christlike leadership, Shaw said he senses a divine calling to minister in needy neighborhoods. “I have a strong sense this is what God wants me to do,” said Shaw, who noted he especially was touched during the summer when he ministered and tutored in South Africa during a five-week visit.

“I have a heart for the love of people. That’s been on my heart for a long time. I can only point to Him.” “I don’t want to live a life of comfort. I want to go where I see there is need,” said Shaw. “I want to do my best to bring Christ’s love. He cared very much for people in every aspect.” | cu

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“Lessons for Following Christ at Harvard” Henry Li ’16, the former managing editor of the Harvard Ichthus, left returning students with an exhortation as he graduated in the spring.

In an article entitled “Lessons for Following Christ at Harvard,” Li presented four key points for students to consider. “Beware of Harvard’s liturgies. Harvard tells us we should be something that the Gospel does not,” he wrote.

Li also exhorted students to pray constantly, serve fervently, and think communally.

P E N N | On Campus

The Locust Walk J O U RN AL S E E K S T O E N G AGE C AMP U S AR O UN D FAITH I S S U E S

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

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The Augustine Collective, which promotes collaboration and encourages startups at other schools. The Augustine Collective hosts an annual conference.

Michael Ruan ’18 is the business manager for Locust Walk, the new Christian journal at Penn.

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Locust Walk is one of the more recent additions to The Augustine Collective. The fall issue explored the topics of freedom and identity, and addressed themes that resonate with incoming freshmen.

Future feature articles will address how God’s holy nature justifies His wrath, and what the Gospel looks like across different cultures.

“We look forward to receiving a wide range of responses and a lively discussion to follow,” said Ruan. | cu

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ed humans should live in unity, just as the beings of the Trinity do. According to Ruan, the Christian reader might not have given this article a second thought, but this non-Christian writer made a strong case for why humans are inherently united and should love each other, even without a theological viewpoint.

“We hope such discussions will lead readers to examine whether their own principles are the most coherent in light of competing world views,” said Ruan.

University Chaplain Rev. Charles Howard, Penn ’00, is encouraged by Locust Walk and the commitment of the students to engage the campus around faith.

“Penn has been blessed to have a number of very strong student-led publications over the years,” he said. “Likewise, God has blessed our university with a vibrant and diverse Christian community. To see good fruit like Locust Walk result from the integration of these two communities warms my heart.”

The students originally launched their content digitally (www.penn christianjournal.com) and the Web site will be updated weekly. Print versions of Locust Walk will be released in the fall and spring.

“Print publications are held to a high standard of quality, easily distributed, and regularly released,” said Ruan.

Similar Christian journals are published at other leading institutions throughout the country and are part of

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hristian students at the University of Pennsylvania have launched a new journal that bears the name of an iconic campus location.

Michael Ruan ’18, the business manager of Locust Walk: Penn Christian Journal, said the publication is designed to invite discourse around faith, culture, and campus life.

Locust Walk refers to the path through campus that leads to classrooms, dorms, fraternities, churches, and other locations.

“The name Locust Walk is close to the hearts, bodies, minds, and souls of the Penn community,” said Ruan.

The journal is targeted toward Christians, as well as other faith groups on campus, including Muslim, Jewish, and Humanist organizations.

However, Ruan explained, the overall aim of the publication is to present the truth of the Gospel.

“By giving this journal a Christian identity, we want our audience to know the reason for our pursuit of dialogue,” said Ruan. “Regardless of your faith background or worldview, we will invite you into an open, honest discussion because of the way Jesus Christ has modeled this type of cross-cultural engagement for us.”

For that reason, having a mix of Christian and non-Christian writers is vital to the journal’s goal of bridging different faith groups. Presenting this kind of diversity in thought requires the staff and readers to consider deeply the veracity of what they believe.

Ruan cites one non-Christian who recently wrote an article that contend-

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P E N N | On Campus

Easing Puerto Rico’s Burden

P E N N L AW P R O F E S S O R N A M E D T O F I N A N C I A L O V E R S I G H T B O A R D

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

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niversity of Pennsylvania Law Professor David Skeel was recently appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico.

whatever expertise I may have in a very practical way.”

Skeel is the S. Samuel Arsht Professor of Corporate Law at Penn. A speaker at Veritas Forums on the campuses of leading universities, the

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David Skeel is the S. Samuel Arsht Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, a position he has held since 2004.

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The board was established by the bipartisan Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), and signed into law by the president in June to address the economic crisis in Puerto Rico and to provide the commonwealth with the resources and wisdom needed to restructure its $70 billion debt and embark on a path to economic recovery.

“I was thrilled to be appointed to the oversight board,” Skeel said.

“I’ve been thinking and writing about financial distress and related issues for nearly thirty years. The appointment is a rare opportunity to make use of

distinguished professor is the author or co-author of several books on law, including Debt’s Dominion: A History of Bankruptcy Law in America; The New Financial Deal: Understanding the Dodd-Frank Act and Its (Unintended) Consequences; and Icarus in the Boardroom.

In 2015, he wrote his first apologetics book, True Paradox: How Christianity Makes Sense of Our Complex World.

“I believe that each of us has a responsibility to give an account for the hope that is in us. We can’t do this effectively unless we think through the kinds of questions that every-

one wrestles with,” Skeel said. “In the university setting, we can’t meet people where they are unless we are engaged in the intellectual life of the community.”

Skeel has received the Harvey Levin award three times for outstanding teaching, as selected by a vote of the graduating class.

On the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, Skeel joins Arthur Gonzalez, a senior fellow at New York University’s School of Law; Jose Ramon Gonzalez, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York; Ana Matosantos, former budget director of California; Carlos Garcia, former president of Puerto Rico’s Government Development Bank; Andrew Biggs, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute; and Jose Carrion III, co-founder of Carrion, Laffitte & Casellas, Inc. “With a broad range of skills and experiences, these officials have the breadth and depth of knowledge that is needed to tackle this complex challenge and put the future of the Puerto Rican people first,” President Obama said. “I thank these individuals for making the decision to serve the people of Puerto Rico as members of the board. The task ahead is not an easy one, but I am confident Puerto Rico is up to the challenge of stabilizing the fiscal situation, restoring growth, and building a better future for all Puerto Ricans.”

The board will work with the peo-

ple and government of Puerto Rico to create the needed foundation for economic growth and to restore opportunity to the 3.5 million Americans of Puerto Rico.

According to Bloomberg News, the federally appointed control board will oversee the commonwealth’s budget and any debt reduction, which can now be enforced by a court, similar to a municipal bankruptcy. PROMESA shields the island from bondholder lawsuits as it works on a plan to repair its finances and restructure its debt burden.

While the road to financial recovery may be arduous, Skeel is embracing the challenge of helping to redeem a nation in crisis and renewing hope on the island.

“Financial distress obviously is a

reminder of the tragic fallenness of the world. But it also can lead to a new beginning,” Skeel said. “When things seem most hopeless, sometimes hope breaks in. In my view, there’s a

that created the oversight board will contribute to a new beginning and a brighter economic future for the people of Puerto Rico. Those of us on the oversight board are well aware

“With a broad range of skills and experiences, these officials have the breadth and depth of knowledge that is needed to tackle this complex challenge and put the future of the Puerto Rican people first.”

—President Barack Obama remarkable similarity in this respect to the Gospel, the promise that our fallenness and despair are not the end of the story.”

“My prayer is that the legislation

of the seriousness of the problems and the difficulty of the decisions we will have to make, but we’re hopeful that we will be able to help contribute to a solution.” | cu

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Newman Center Welcomes Freshmen

Finding Purpose

2016 :: christianunion.org

“What is the purpose of your life?” That’s the question that was explored during a presentation sponsored by Asian Baptist Student Koinonia at Cornell.

Harvard Chaplain Rebekah Kim was the guest speaker for the event that took place

on September 16 in Houston Hall. Asian Baptist Student Koinonia is the college ministry of Philadelphia Mission Baptist Church. The ministry is dedicated to studying the Bible, buildingChrist centered relationships, and “sharing God’s love with all in the Penn community.”

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On August 27, the Penn Newman Catholic Community joined with students from other Christian organizations at the University of Pennsylvania to stage a camp night.

The event, aimed at introducing freshmen to Christian organizations on campus, featured a campfire, s’mores, music, and games.

Among other activities, Penn Newman (newman.upenn. edu) also put together a kick-

off barbeque and a paintball activity. As well, the ministry is encouraging students to attend its weekly dinners at 6 p.m. on Thursday nights at the Newman Center.

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PR I N C E T O N | On Campus

Vicar of Education

N E W C AT H O L I C C H A P L A I N L O V E S T O T E A C H

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

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here is a new Catholic chaplain represent the values Christians and at Princeton University and the Jews brought to their new home. AcNew Jersey native brings to the po- cording to Zeis, the exhibit will be sition a passion for education and a “a place to celebrate the things we all reverence for the ultimate teacher— hold dear and sacred.”

Jesus Christ.

This summer, Father Gabe Zeis assumed the role of chaplain for the Aquinas Institute.

In addition to his duties at the university, Zeis also serves as the Vicar of Catholic Education for the Diocese of Trenton. The Franciscan priest comes to Princeton from St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, where he served as president for ten years.

According to Zeis, the role of the Aquinas Institute on campus is two-fold. The ministry engages students’ interest in doctrine and sharing Father Gabe Zeis is the new Catholic chaplain groups, and also fosters disat Aquinas House. cussion around ecumenism and diverse communities.

“We try to bring forward the The Aquinas Institute will also ofCatholic intellectual tradition to the fer a variety of speakers throughout university,” he said. the academic year who will address For example, in November, Aqui- issues of faith, culture, and worldview. nas will host an exhibit entitled “The Printed Word: Faith Aspirations of a Young Nation.” The exhibit features artifacts that speak to the faith, desires, and dreams of immigrants who came to the United States in search The roles of Chaplain for the of religious freedom.

Aquinas Institute and Vicar of EduAmong the roughly 100 items on cation for the Trenton Diocese offer display will be personal Bibles dating a busy theological, catechetic, and back as far as 1700. These precious ministerial undertaking for Father relics include family genealogies and Zeis. But it is work that is a natural

extension of what this educator and priest does best—teach.

From the age of five, Zeis had an innate passion for education. “I always wanted to be a teacher,” said Zeis. “I used to dream of it.” While other kids played games, he stood in front of a toy blackboard and mock classroom playing teacher. Zeis said he “made a pain” of himself as he would stand at the teacher’s desk making suggestions of how the lesson could be even better.

When he got to high school, Zeis saw empty trophy cases as blank canvases to depict history. He suggested to the administrators that the cases be used for educational displays and worked with the school librarian to create informational showcases about local history such as Native Americans in New Jersey and the battle of Trenton. He also joined Future Teachers of America.

When he started college at St. Francis, he became interested in the priesthood. “I loved the Franciscan Community.”

His love of education and love for Jesus Christ was the perfect combination.

“We try to bring forward the Catholic intellectual tradition to the university.”

“If you get to know Jesus, you get to know what it is to be a great teacher,” he said. “I understood Jesus to be the greatest of all teachers. If I wanted to teach well, it would be at the feet of Christ.”

Zeis started his career teaching English at Bishop Egan High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. He also developed curriculum for adolescent literature and worked with academically-challenged students before going on to teach at Saint Francis Preparatory School in Pennsylvania. At St.

Francis College, he taught Hebrew and Greek.

Additionally, Zeis, who holds three master’s degrees, is the former dean of students and principal at St. Petersburg Catholic High School in Florida and served on the board of trustees at The Franciscan University

in Steubenville, Ohio.

Despite his varied roles, Zeis says he has and always will remain an educator. Whether as Catholic chaplain at Princeton or standing before a congregation giving the homily, Zeis always looks for teachable moments.

“That is my love,” he said. | cu

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PR I N C E T O N | On Campus

Kindred Spirit

A C A P P E LL A G R O U P C E LE B R AT E S 25 Y E A R S

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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picturesque town in the Appalachian Mountains will serve as a base for the group to stage a series of appearances, mostly to churches and even some nursing homes, in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia.

“We get to experience hospitality and be in the community,” said Smitherman, who explained that a

rich spiritual heritage. In 1991, Dee Hausman ’94 founded Kindred Spirit in response to a divine prompting to create a Christian a cappella group on campus. Since then, members have enjoyed a wealth of opportunities for fellowship, testimonies, and worship.

Smitherman said the group formed an alumni association to facil-

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Members of Kindred Spirit are celebrating their organization’s 25th anniversary with a new compact disc.

member’s home church will host the Princeton students.

In related news, Kindred Spirit formed an alumni association over the summer to help recognize its

itate networking and updates among its 150 or so graduates and to stage gatherings to coincide with Princeton Reunions. “Princeton is very notable for its reunions,” said Smitherman, a

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embers of Princeton University’s Christian a cappella group will celebrate their organization’s 25th anniversary in style.

Among the highlights, Kindred Spirit (princetonkindredspirit.com) plans to release an anniversary compact disc, and the group plans a tour of Tennessee and other southern states over the university’s fall break.

“It’s an exciting time to be part of Kindred Spirit,” said Owen Smitherman ’17, president. “We have so many things happening.”

As for Kindred Spirit’s CD, Home Awaits features 10 studio-recorded songs, plus two bonus tracks from its appearance at Break It Down Boston 2016. In April, Christian a cappella groups from campuses across the Northeast, including Princeton, Harvard, Cornell, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, and Penn, gathered for a day of worship and fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Home Awaits, the group’s first CD since 2006, will feature disc and electronic formats, Smitherman said.

This fall, Kindred Spirit will travel to Johnson City, Tennessee. The

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bass. “We had a great response from alumni of all classes.”

Also on the agenda, Kindred Spirit is preparing for a Christmas concert

auditions and they even serenaded them with hymns. “We’re super excited about our new members,” said Smitherman. “I see a lot of passion

“I’ve been passionate about Kindred Spirit since I was accepted as a freshman. “It’s been a large part of my Princeton experience.”

—Owen Smitherman ’17 with Princeton University Gospel Ensemble (www.princeton.edu/~puge), and the group plans to venture to Harvard University to participate in Break It Down Boston 2017.

As well, upperclassmen with Kindred Spirit were thrilled to welcome their freshmen members after fall

and commitment.”

As the Texan’s term as president approaches its twilight in December, Smitherman described his time in Kindred Spirit as one of the highlights of his years at Princeton, especially his participation in arch sings, gospel jams, and the like.

“I’ve been passionate about Kindred Spirit since I was accepted as a freshman,” said Smitherman, who also is active in Princeton Evangelical Fellowship (pef.mycpanel.princeton. edu). “It’s been a large part of my Princeton experience.”

More importantly, Smitherman said Kindred Spirit sticks to its core mission of spreading the Gospel and providing encouragement.

“Music is something that really resonates with college students, both inside and outside the Christian community. It’s a form of worship with an emotional connection point,” said Smitherman.

“There’s really a large music scene at Princeton. We serve a higher purpose. We’re using our vocal talents for the purpose of praising God.” | cu

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A Princeton University women’s water polo player and U.S. Olympic gold medalist is paving inroads for African-American women in the world’s top tier of swimming events.

Ashleigh Johnson ’17, who is part of Princeton’s Christian community, helped the U.S.

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Johnson ’17 Wins Gold

Garage Giveaway for Internationals

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women’s water polo team secure its second consecutive gold medal at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

Johnson was the first AfricanAmerican member of the U.S. national women’s water polo team.

“Playing on the stage I was able to play on and being able to be seen by other African-American women has been just a great thing for us in this sport,” Johnson told ESPN’s The Undefeated.

U.S. Olympic gold medalist, Ashleigh Johnson ‘17

The Princeton chapter of International Students, Inc. recently partnered with area churches to stage its 33rd annual

Garage Giveaway.

On Sept. 10, the ministry held the event at Lutheran Church of the Messiah to assist the myriad students and scholars who just arrived for courses at Princeton University. The students, who hail from diverse corners of the globe, need household basics, including silverware, bedding, small appliances, furniture, and the like, as well as bicycles.

Since 1976, the Princeton chapter (isionline.org) has focused on acquainting foreign nationals with their new campus base and helping them to establish relationships. In August, the ministry also launched a 40-day prayer initiative.

YA L E | On Campus

Vita et Veritas P R O - L I F E C O N F E R E N C E AT YA L E C O N T I N U E S T O F L O U R I S H

By Luke Foster, Columbia ’14

O

2016 :: christianunion.org

one day (Friday evening through the audience came from far and Saturday afternoon) to make it more wide, Choose Life at Yale also hopes accessible to attendees from out of to see Vita make an enduring impact town.” That collaboration with the on Yale’s campus. Behling declares, “small, but dedicated community of “We want to share that people have pro-lifers” on each of the other campuses is key to the potential of Vita— Tokarz noted that fruitful synergies emerged between Yale pro-lifers and the Ave Maria University attendees, who were inspired to bring new speakers to campus and host larger events.

Elizabeth Tokarz ’17 and Evelyn Behling ’17 are the co-directors of Tokarz high- Vita et Veritas at Yale. lighted the opening address by the keynote speaker, Reggie Littlejohn, a pro-life perspective and that it’s leas one of most impactful moments gitimate. People are afraid to be open of the conference. An alumna of Yale about it on campus because of the Law School, Littlejohn “works against backlash they might receive. But in forced abortion in China, defending my experience, people have really been refugees and exposing the victims of respectful. I don’t think I’ve lost any the one-child policy.” She presented friendships because of it. People are images and anecdotes that immediate- willing to hear the perspective about ly conveyed the scope of the tragedy of the life of babies in the womb.”

Demonstrating the veracity of her abortion. Other conference sessions, from Jennifer Lahl’s presentation on own statement, Behling observes, “We the exploitation of the international pro-life students are used to having fertility industry to the student essay our views challenged, so we have to contest, tied in closely to Littlejohn’s be much more rhetorically sharp and themes. Ifeoma Aunkor denounced knowledgeable in the debate than the population control agenda im- pro-choicers.”

Video, audio, and images from the posed by Western aid agencies on conference will be posted at www.lifeSub-Saharan Africa.

Though the subject matter and andtruthatyale.com. | cu

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n the weekend of September 30 and October 1, Choose Life at Yale hosted over 200 people for its annual Vita et Veritas (“Life and Truth”) pro-life conference. Students from Harvard, Brown, Columbia, Baylor, Georgetown, Princeton, Tufts, the University of Pennsylvania, George Mason, St. Louis University, Villanova, Ave Maria, Rutgers, and Providence College converged on New Haven to hear an array of academics, journalists, and activists.

The theme, “Fetal Rights Are Human Rights: Abortion and Other Reproductive Controversies across International Borders,” challenged the largely American audience to think through the implications of the dignity of human life across the world. The conference was founded in 2013 by Yale alumna Courtney McEachon ’15 to create a forum for pro-life viewpoints to be heard as intellectually credible in the secular academy. Christian Union has been a major sponsor of each annual iteration.

Evelyn Behling and Elizabeth Tokarz, both seniors at Yale, served as co-directors of Vita et Veritas for the second year running. Behling stressed their effort to serve students from beyond Yale. “We’ve tried to do different themes each year to keep it fresh; this year, we brought in perspectives on what it means to be pro-life on an international scale,” she said.

“Initially, the conference took a full Friday and Saturday, but in years since, we’ve compressed it down to

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YA L E | On Campus

Running to Daylight F O R M E R N F L P L AY E R W I L L I A M G R E E N , B R A N D O N S H E R R O D ’ 1 6 INSPIRE STUDENTS

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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from his siblings. As well, his father dealt with substance abuse and an older brother was sentenced to prison on charges tied to a shooting during a robbery, according to Yale Daily News.

Still, Green’s grandfather pastored a local church, which provided a source of spiritual support. As well, Green funneled his inner anguish into achievements on the football field. He scored multiple All-American honors while at Holy Spirit High School, before receiving an athletic scholarship to Boston College.

In 2001, he was named Big East OffenPhoto courtesy of Yale Daily News. sive Player of the Year Former Boston College and NFL running back William Green at Boston College. In recently shared his testimony with student athletes at Yale the 2002 NFL draft, University.

Green became the 16th pick when the Cleveland a multi-ministry event at Yale Uni- Browns selected him in the first round. versity.

However, instead of basking in the Green, who teamed up with for- privileged life of a pro athlete, Green mer Yale basketball standout Brandon sought to fill the void and hurt in his Sherrod ’16 for the gathering, appears life with alcohol, drugs, and partying. on campuses across the nation via As a result, his personal demons imUSA Youth Outreach ministry. pacted his performance on and off On September 12 at Linsly-Chit- the playing field. tenden Hall, Green described the In 2003, the NFL suspended the hardships and chaos of his childhood running back for four games for violatin Atlantic City, New Jersey. ing the league’s substance-abuse policy.

In addition to losing both of his Green also made headlines for a doparents to AIDS, Green was separated mestic dispute with his then-fiancee.

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arly in the fall semester, former NFL running back William Green shared his captivating testimony with students who attended

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“All the things I had dealt with as a child, all the torment, all the nightmares, all the difficulties we had seen, all of that was coming up in my life,” said Green.

As his life spiraled downward, Green turned to God after his wife confronted him with his personal and spiritual state.

For Green, only a relationship with Christ could usher in peace and fill the emptiness that money, alcohol, and fame failed to satisfy.

“I told myself a lie—that money, fame, and the NFL would make me happy,” said Green. “In this life, a lot of times, we think that money and professions and higher positions can take the place of God.” Green played four seasons for the Browns, gaining 2,109 rushing yards.

Today, the ordained minister and motivational speaker shares his testimony across the country at churches, schools, and the like.

At Yale, campus ministries, including Athletes in Action (chaplain.yale. edu/athletes-action) and Yale Christian Fellowship (chaplain.yale.edu/ yale-undergraduate-christian-fellowship), hosted the former football star’s recent talk.

Among the students, Colleen McCormack described Green’s transformation as impactful. “It was really encouraging to hear his testimony, especially as an athlete,” McCormack said.

The soccer player from New York noted most athletes struggle with per-

formance anxiety. “To be reminded that we have an identity secure in Christ is always powerful,” said McCormack.

McCormack’s comments echoed the sentiments expressed by Sherrod during Green’s appearance.

“We wanted really to encourage the kids that are already involved in

in the Yale process. Whether they are freshmen or seniors, there is always time and room to grow and turn your life around to Christ.”

Sherrod, who was a key leader with Christian Union’s ministry at Yale, played forward for the Bulldogs and also toured the world with the university’s renowned Whiffenpoofs a

“I told myself a lie—that money, fame, the NFL would make me happy.” some of the campus ministries…,” said Sherrod, as reported by Yale Daily News. “We also wanted to provide those students not involved in the organizations an opportunity to come to Christ and grow in their faith, regardless of how late they are

cappella group. Last season, he helped propel Yale to its first Ivy League Championship since 1962. The underdog squad then upset Baylor in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to mighty Duke in the second round.

As for Green, the motivational speaker and his family recently moved to Montrose, Colorado, from Berlin, New Jersey, where Green works for USA Youth Outreach. During July, he also coached the Football and Faith Pro-Youth Football Camp in Montrose.

Following Green’s inspiring visit to Yale, Jacob Mitchell ’18 said he was struck by how the former NFL player’s account of his personal deterioration and subsequent transformation is resonating far beyond the football field, even in the halls of top-tier universities.

“I was amazed at how Christianity impacted his life, even amidst his success in the NFL. Green found his meaning in God, not in football, money, or any other aspect of the world,” Mitchell said. | cu

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Elie Wiesel Remembered

:: christianunion.org

The nation’s oldest graduate school of theology is pursuing plans to form a partnership with

2016

In July, leading universities paused to pay tribute to Elie Wiesel, acclaimed author and Nobel Laureate, after his passage at 87.

Wiesel served on Yale Library’s

Andover Newton Seminary to Merge with YDS

Yale Divinity School.

Under the initiative, Andover Newton Theological School would phase out its Massachusetts campus and fully launch as Andover Newton at Yale, as a school within a school, in 2018.

The proposed merger occurs as mainline Protestant seminaries have encountered declines in denominational attendance. Money from the sale of Andover Newton’s hilltop campus would help Yale Divinity School move toward its goal of offering tuition-free studies to most students by 2022.

Congregationalists founded Andover Newton in 1807 after noting a shift in theologies at Harvard University.

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Elie Wiesel

honorary board of advisors for the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies. The center houses 4,400-plus recorded interviews with Holocaust survivors and witnesses.

Wiesel’s 1960 autobiographical novel, Night, established him as a leading scholar of the Holocaust.

Among his extensive credentials, Wiesel held faculty positions at Yale and other institutions.

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pa rt ing shot

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Columbia University

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Thank you!

Through your generous giving, Christian leaders are being developed to change culture.

Kylen Soriano

y, class of 2018

brown universit

geles, California Hometown: Los An aduate Basketball; Undergr ub Cl ); y nt og de ol si Bi re : -P or Maj 015-16 Co vising : Christian Union (2 logy); First-Year Ad no Campus Activities ch te io (B e in ic e rative Med ring the rest of my lif du an th s ar Research in Regene ye o tw t le and in the las

ian bubb n more ip. I lived in a Christ n, my faith has grow rsh ow Br wo g in led d nd an te at p ou am gr h ener. “ Because I church, went to yout en more of an eye-op e be th ve in ha up ’t dn ew ul gr I co r. n as a believe ly did. Brow at kids my age actual ople in the sodidn’t really know wh le in fraternities, pe op pe , es rti pa at le y bubble. peop if I had stayed in m conversations with an th ith , fa th e or wi g m in d be ha e elf I’v Two years later, uldn’t imagine mys , people whom I co ity un m st souls. m co ce sti ju cial my heart hurts for lo e us ca be go to d re ou.” da I would have never never “holier than th s at th wa s es su ac Je pl . e ds th en in fri ht were outcasts. an I do believing I’m called to be a lig es. His best friends ore skeptic friends th ut m tit os ve pr ha I d . an es es rti iev pa th So I go to dined with with just priests. He n community, He didn’t hang out pressed in my very ow ld.” op d an en ok br e th y job to seek o my mission fie e Christ, then it is m that my college is als ize gn co re I e us ca If my goal is to be lik be My faith has grown, like Jesus did in His.

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a ssociate professor of biblic al and systematic theology

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TEDS faculty are gifted men and women who represent a wide spectrum of international backgrounds, church and

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ministry involvements, and evangelical theological positions, but they are united around the centrality of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and the inerrancy and authority of Scripture. They minister as much through research and writing as through local church involvement, but their primary ministry is teaching and caring for our students.

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