Spring 2009 Ivy League Christian Observer

IVY LEAGUE THE

Volume VIII • Issue II • Spring 2009

CHRISTIAN

OBSERVER

Brothers Milton Ochieng, Dartmouth ’04, and Fred Ochieng, Dartmouth ’05, fulfill a promise and open a medical clinic in Kenya.

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Brown’s College Hill For Christ Uses Relational Evangelism Page 32

Veritas Forum at Columbia Provides Dialogue, Answers Page 12

Missions Conference Shines ‘Light’ on Cornell Students Page 36

Harvard Foreign Student Seizes Opportunities to Share Christ Page 25

Penn Veterinary Students Minister Locally, Abroad Page 21

President Picks Princeton Alumnus to Lead Faith-Based Partnerships Office Page 23

Yale Filmmaker uses Hip Hop To Portray Luther’s Audacity Page 11

Brown • Columbia • Cornell • Dartmouth Harvard • Penn • Princeton • Yale

Advancing the Kingdom of Jesus Christ in the Ivy League The Ivy League Christian Observer is published by the Christian Union, an independent Christian ministry.

“John Jay was one of the great architects of American liberty.... I have no doubt that the John Jay Institute will help many of our most gifted young people more fully to understand and appreciate ‘the blessings of liberty’ bequeathed to us by America’s founding fathers.”

Robert P. George, J.D., D.Phil.

Princeton University

THE JOHN JAY INSTITUTE FOR FAITH, SOCIETY AND LAW

announces its

2010 Fellowships The John Jay Institute for Faith, Society and Law is committed to developing the next generation of principled public leaders.

Explore a graduate-level theological, political, and legal curriculum designed for law, government, and divinity students with world-class faculty and visiting lecturers. Fellowships begin with a semester in residence in Colorado Springs, followed by a 12-week placement in a public policy related field in Washington, D.C., various state capitals, or international political centers. Commissioned Fellows join an elite professional fraternity already serving the nation.

We encourage applications from college graduates who seek to pursue their respective callings in the public square.

Application deadline for the Spring 2010 term: October 16, 2009 For more information, visit www.johnjayinstitute.org or call (719) 471-8900.

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INSIDE

ILCOEditor@Christian-Union.org

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Please help us get this magazine into the hands of those who want it. E-mail or write us in order to: • pass along the names of fellow Christian alumni, parents, staff, faculty, or friends who would enjoy this quarterly update from the Ivy League universities.

• update us on any address change you have.

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Editor-in-Chief Matt Bennett, Cornell BS ’88, MBA ’89 Managing Editor Tom Campisi, College of New Jersey ’88 Senior Writer Eileen Scott, Mount St. Mary ’87 Field Reporters Nkem Okafor, Yale Graduate School Jin Wang, Columbia ’10 Elyse Lee, Cornell ’08 Layne Zhao, Dartmouth ’09 Charity Hung, Cornell ’09 Naadu Blankson Seck, Columbia ’10 Sara Woo, Cornell ’00 Photo Editor Pam Traeger Letters to the Editor Please send us your feedback regarding events and topics described in this magazine at the e-mail or regular mail address listed above.

By God’s power and the help of other ministries, the mission of Christian Union is to change the world by bringing sweeping spiritual transformation to the Ivy League universities, thereby developing and mobilizing godly Christian leadership for all sectors of society. Matt Bennett (Cornell BS ’88, MBA ’89) founded the ministry with friends in 2002 in Princeton, New Jersey. To learn more about the ministry, please visit www.Christian-Union.org.

The purpose of The Ivy League Christian Observer (this free quarterly magazine) is to inform Christian alumni, students, parents, staff, faculty, and friends of the Ivy League universities about the spiritual activity on the campuses. Our desire is that you would be encouraged to pray for these universities, give financially to Christian initiatives on the campuses, and use your influence for the cause of Christ.

Cover photo: Craig Parker

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A Mountaintop Experience Ski Retreat Allows Time for Renewal, Relaxation before Spring Semester

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Celebrating a Joyful Noise Annual Festival Highlights Contributions of Black Gospel Music

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ‘The University Meshes Well With Being a Pagan’ Occult Practice of Wicca Has a History at Brown

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Keeping the Faith Penn Faculty Find Encouragement through Campus Organization

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 No Time Like the Present Columbia Students For Christ Share A Platform For Godly Career Planning

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Righteous Anger Student Filmmaker uses Hip Hop to Portray Luther’s Audacity

By Nkem Okafor, Yale Graduate School . . . . . . . . . 11 IN TELLECTU AL EN GAGEM E N T ‘Who Is Jesus, Really?’

Veritas Forum at Columbia Provides Dialogue, Answers

By Jin Wang, Columbia ’10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Uncertainty Leaves Scholar Unfazed Christian Union Fellow Welcomes Tough Questions about Christianity

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Changing the World, One Reader at a Time Ivy League Authors Bringing Fresh Ideas to Marketplace

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Simple Man, Complex Thinker Cardinal Dulles Posthumously Hailed as Hero of the Faith

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 FAITH AN D MEDICIN E Village Sons Return to Open Free Clinic Kenyan Brothers Fulfill Father’s Dream

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Ivy League Christian Observer

Gifted Hands Renowned Surgeon is Subject of TNT Movie

By Nkem Okafor, Yale Graduate School . . . . . . . . . 19 Integrating Medicine and Ministry Brown Alumnus: Pediatrics Is a Golden Opportunity to Share the Gospel

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Animal Care Is Gateway to the Gospel Penn Veterinary Students Minister Locally, Abroad

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 A BOUT MINIST RY Making Christ Known Through Service Catholic Community Convenes at Columbia

By Melanie Eaton, Contributing Writer . . . . . . . . . 26 Time Out for Training Christian Union Staff Gathers for Contemplation and Renewal

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Penetrating Spiritual Indifference Revival is the Topic at Christian Union’s New York City Event

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 An Impacting Movement African-American Ministry Holds National Conference

By Elyse Lee, Cornell ’08 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 A House Undivided Ministries Join Forces to Offer Some Needed TLC

By Eileen Scott Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 R E A C HING OUT ‘Loving People In The Name Of Jesus’ ‘Spring Serve’ Spreads Gospel through Philadelphia Neighborhood

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Breaking the Mold College Hill for Christ Uses Relational Evangelism to Share God’s Love

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Ivy Students Attend ‘Epic’ Conference Participants Take Gospel to Philadelphia Campuses, Streets

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Spring 2009

A Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity Dartmouth College Gospel Choir Performs at Inauguration

By Layne Zhao, Dartmouth ’09 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Learn. Pray. Send. Go. Missions Conference Shines ‘Light’ on Cornell Students

By Charity Hung, Cornell ’09 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 SOCIAL JU STICE Fixing the Hole in Our Gospel A Former Executive Confronted His Commitment by Aiding the Poor

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Pivoting Toward the Faraway Neighbor Gary Haugen Says Rescuing the Oppressed Is Within Our Reach

By Stan Guthrie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Serving the Streets of San Francisco Dartmouth Contingent Puts ‘Faith in Action’ During Spring Break

By Layne Zhao, Dartmouth ’09 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

IN PERSON The ‘Mission’ Continues Ivy League Alumnus Helps Lead Historic Rescue Organization

By Naadu Blankson Seck, Columbia ’10 . . . . . . . 22 ‘Let No Man Despise Thy Youth’ President Picks Princeton Alumnus to Lead Faith-Based Partnerships Office

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Coming To America Foreign Student Utilizes Opportunities to Share Christ

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

DEPARTMENTS News-in-Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 The Mission and Vision of Christian Union . . 50 Ivy League Prayer Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

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Th 7 an 6 29 k 0, yo 00 9 P U I f pl y u f 0 ra pd ea ou or m ye at se 'r co in r e co e n nt u Pa ns ot inu te rt id a i n s er pr g o ne jo ay to f p rs in er p r in p ra ay g ar y us tn w er to er, ith da us y! !

It is God alone who directs the course of the world.

It is only by His power that the 8 Ivy League campuses can be dramatically transformed to increasingly reflect His presence and lordship.

Prayer for the Ivy League is launching a new year-long initiative called “1,000,000 Minutes of Prayer” mobilizing family, alumni, and friends of the Ivy League to pray 1,000,000 cumulative minutes for the Ivy League.

1,000,000 Minutes of Prayer Initiative

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) the Lord says, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” With the Lord’s encouragement in mind, please join together to pray daily for sweeping spiritual transformation across the Ivy League.

To receive a weekly compilation of prayer requests, devotionals, and updates gathered by us from campus ministries, you may signup online at www.christian-union.org/prayer, send an email to prayer@christian-union.org, or write to: Prayer for the Ivy League, Christian Union, 240 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542, indicating your interest for: Spring 2009, Fall 2009, or Both.

BROWN • COLUMBIA • CORNELL • DARTMOUTH • HARVARD • PENN • PRINCETON • YALE

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A MOUNTAINTOP EXPERIENCE Ski Retreat Allows Time for Renewal, Relaxation Before Spring Semester In what is hailed as one of the highlight events just fell over because there was so much snow,” Woyak of the year, members of Christian Union’s said.

PRINCETON Princeton Faith and Action ministry trekked to And, as for the skiing, Emily Harmon ’12 described Vermont during winter intersession for their annual ski reskiing on Killington as “thrilling, terrifying, freezing, and treat. breathtaking.”

Not surprisingly, this year’s five-day getaway to a reBut, the spiritual aspects of the getaway remained censort near Killington lived up to the event’s spirited reputatral. Each evening, Doug Sweeney, professor of church histion. “The trip was the most fun thing I’ve done all year,” tory at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, discussed the said Sophia LeMaire ’11. “You could feel the love of Christ life and teachings of theologian Jonathan Edwards, also a tangibly every time you interacted with another person, former president of Princeton University. Each morning, a whether you were having a conversation about Scripture or student presented a devotional. just playing a board game.”

Furthermore, students spent time in spontaneous prayer In all, fifty-one students and staffers from Princeton Faith for Princeton, and some pledged to commit to prayer and and Action (pfanda.com) ventured January 25 to 30 to Otfasting for the campus upon their return. tauquechee Farm in “During one prayer Bridgewater Corners, session, we were able to about ten miles from the pray for the Princeton pristine slopes of Killingcampus, and there was ton. just this sense that As well, nine stusomething was released dents and two staffers in that meeting,” said from Christian Union’s Scott Jones, a ministry campus ministry at Harfellow with P.F.A. “At Princeton Faith and Action held its annual ski trip in Vermont the end, we all kind of vard also participated in during winter intersession. looked at each other the joint retreat from and took a deep, exhilarated breath. It was truly a ‘wow’ January 23 to 27. “It was really cool to get to know them,” moment.” said Justin Woyak ’09, president of Princeton Faith and AcStudents agreed. The spiritual focus of the retreat “plays tion (P.F.A.). an important part in encouraging students to take a bolder The students enjoyed a plethora of outdoor activities, step in making Christ known on campus through consistent including skiing, ice skating, and snow football. They also prayer and fasting and sharing the Gospel,” according to shared responsibilities in preparing meals for the group— Candice Chow ’09. “We can expect to see God working in duties that involved logistical and organizational expertise mighty ways on this campus.” as well as culinary touches.

Equally significant, the students grew in their relationThe recreational mixture provided ideal opportunities ships with one another, especially between upperclassmen for bonding and frolic. “The snow football was knee-deep, and lowerclassmen. “I was really fortunate to get closer to and sledding was amazing,” said David Leyva, Princeton a lot of the freshmen and other friends I hadn’t seen much ’10. “Some of the time, I just loved to pause and look at throughout fall semester,” said Leyva. everyone having fun. There were so many smiles, laughAs for the picturesque setting, Harmon, who took ading… and face-plant tackles in the snow. One can go blind vantage of opportunities to hike and skate, said she was refrom overexposure to sheer awesomeness.” freshed, invigorated, and inspired by the winter Likewise, some students and staffers called the enerwonderland. “Everything was so pure,” she said. getic football match one of the highlights of the trip, and it LeMaire agreed. “My favorite part was the number of provided some lighthearted moments. “You tried to run and

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ON • CAMPUS stars I could see in the night sky. Without the light pollution, there were more than I would ever see back in Princeton, even in the darkest spot on campus,” she said.

Overall, the trip “really lived up to the hype,” Jones

said. “The activities and social time were great, yes, but students also had a radical encounter with God. That’s really what it’s all about.”

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

CELEBRATING A JOYFUL NOISE Annual Festival Highlights Contributions of Black Gospel Music In addition to the main concert, the weekend festival About 400 people recently packed an auditoalso included a banquet in Willard Straight Hall and a worrium at Cornell University to enjoy uplifting CORNELL ship service in Anabel Taylor Hall. The banquet on Februmusic and messages during the highlight event nd ary 20 featured performances from two Cornell dance of the 32 annual Festival of Black Gospel. teams, Visions of Virtue and Uhuru Kuumba Dance EnsemThe crowd clapped, jammed, and harmonized to the inble; Cornell vocalist Marisa Duncan ’09; and a Washingspirational voices of Da’ T.R.U.T.H. and the New York ton, D.C.-based band, The Agreement. As well, the service Haitian Mass Interdenominational Choir during a concert on February 22 showcased selections from Cornell’s Chothat celebrated the contributions of gospel music. Opening sen Generation Gospel Choir. acts The Spirituals and the Binghamton University Gospel The Festival of Black Gospel, a student organization Choir also performed during the program, which took place with a nine-member executive board, on February 21 in Bailey Hall. planned the musical extravaganza as part “We really did reach out to a lot of of Black History Month. people,” said Patricia Green’10, treasurer “Gospel music is an important part of for the Festival of Black Gospel. “This has black history. It’s another outlet of educabeen going on for thirty-two years, so a lot tion, especially to people on campus who of the community has grown up with the might not know about this part of black concert. They’re always looking forward history,” Green said. “It’s also to celebrate to it.” gospel music.”

This year’s theme centered on the his“We’re up here in Upstate New York. tory and future of gospel music. To reIt’s a good way to bring that culture here. flect recent trends, festival organizers It gives people a chance to experience added a Christian rap artist as a second gospel music.” headliner. Emanuel Lee Lambert Jr., a Along those lines, Darin Lamar Jones Grammy-nominated artist, appears as ’10, co-host of the concert, said he conDa’ T.R.U.T.H. Lambert, a graduate of sidered the appearance of Da’ T.R.U.T.H. The Institute of Jewish Studies and Nearly 400 people attended the 32nd annual Festival of Black to be the highlight of the weekend. “He Philadelphia Biblical University, has won Gospel at Cornell. has always been a role model of mine,” two Stellar Gospel Music Awards.

Jones said. “It was awesome to have a chance to meet As for the New York Haitian Interdenominational Mass him.” Jones also serves as the president of Higher Call Choir, Dickson Guillaume founded the group about twenty Campus Fellowship, The Impact Movement’s outreach at years ago to showcase youthful, talented vocalists in the reCornell. gion. “They had to be on fire for the Lord and share a common The Festival of Black Gospel spends much of the year cultural bond, that is, to be of Haitian descent,” Guillaume fundraising for the annual event. In all, the group raised wrote on the choir’s MySpace site. The group has accompaabout $20,000 from twenty-five organizations, including nied or opened for a variety of artists including Boys II Men, campus groups, university operations, and individuals.

Donnie McClurkin, Liza Minnelli, and Michael Jackson.

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ON • CAMPUS “As a group, we were able to plan the festival a semester in advance, and the execution of the weekend ran smoother than even I expected,” said Vanna Albert ’09, cochair of the festival and musical coordinator for Chosen Generation Gospel Choir.

The feedback from the event reflected the planning ef-

forts as well as the ultimate spiritual purpose. The festival was a “blessing to those in attendance,” said Gabrielle Boley ’09, co-chair and president of Chosen Generation.

Green agreed. “People always love the show,” she said.

“They always look forward to it. They’re really touched by it.”

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

‘THE UNIVERSITY MESHES WELL WITH BEING A PAGAN’ Occult Practice of Wicca Has a History at Brown self-proclaimed pagan said.

A recent report by The Barna Group suggests “It’s very much about recognizing that there is no such that the general public is ambivalent when it BROWN thing as a right path or a right god,” said another student. comes to the occult practice of Wicca.

“It’s just the one that’s right for you.”

“While many adults are not familiar with Wicca, nearly Father Henry Bodah, Catholic chaplain at Brown, warns half of the adult population has reserved having an opinion that Wiccan practices are inconsistent with Christianity, eson that religious group, even though its best-known pracpecially at a college that boasts about “inclusivity.” tices directly contradict the religious faith that they person“The problem we have as Christians is the idea that one ally embrace,” reports Barna. should or could use certain incanAt Brown University, that amtations or rituals or even natural bivalence is obviously evident when herbs, things found in nature, in it comes to a “religion” that practices order to exert control or power over spells and worships nature. the universe,” he said. “That is at Until just a few years ago, the the opposite end of the Christian Brown Heathen/Pagan organization was listed among the spiritual belief that one ought to proceed by offerings on the university’s relifaith [in Jesus Christ]…Believing gious life website; Professor that by keeping rituals one can conRichard Mathiesen, Columbia trol one’s life, that’s not authentic iStock PhD ’72, has been affiliated with Christianity.”

A recent study by the Barna Group says most the New England Coven of TradiAdditionally, while paraphrasAmericans are indifferent to Wicca, which is tional Witches; and prominent ing John Henry Newman, Bodah popular among some students at Brown alumna Phyllis Curott ’76, a New explained that “there is something University.

York City attorney, is a self-pro[Christians] have in common with claimed witch and high priestess. pagans because we believe there are spiritual forces in the Additionally, two years ago, The Brown Daily Herald universe. The difference is Christians believe the victory has already been won. That Jesus Christ has risen from the published an article about Brown students who practice dead.”

Wicca and paganism. The piece also contends that University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson reportedly “presided Chuck Colson, Brown ’53, addressed the dangers and over a Wicca ceremony for a friend’s newborn child.” deceptions present for those seeking the supernatural According to one student profiled in the article, the unithrough Wicca in a 2006 BreakPoint radio program. versity meshes well with being pagan. “It is definitely a “To begin with, we need to understand that Wicca and practice that coincides well with being a young adult, being its power are real,” he said. “The followers of Wicca say a freshman in college, being a woman trying to figure out that they are looking for a spirituality that is real.” how the world works, and who I am, and my place in it,” the Colson recounted experiences young women had during

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ON • CAMPUS Wiccan rituals. One said she is still “haunted by a scary presence,” and others recounted “negative experiences too frightening to describe.”

In his commentary, Colson quotes the book Wicca’s Charm and tells the story of a college girl who left her Baptist faith and was soon alienated by her family and by her Christian friends on campus who never even asked her questions about her “conversion.”

The author and founder of Prison Fellowship exhorted Christians to reach out to those who are lost in the occult. “Is it right for us then to turn our backs on Wiccans, or to treat them offensively?” he said. “What good can that possibly do?

That kind of behavior has never been known to win anyone to Christ—on the contrary, it only turns people away.”

Jennifer Quiroa ’10 recognizes the mutual ground Wiccans and Christians share in their beliefs in the supernatural, however, she says that Brown Christians do not put enough emphasis on winning victories in the spiritual realm.

“I find a lot of Christians at Brown who do not have faith that God works in miraculous ways today,” she said.

“I strongly believe in miracles, in both good and dark forces, in the war that is happening at any given moment in the spiritual realm. Many Christians at Brown are not taking hold of the full supernatural power God gives us. ” According to Barna’s conclusions, societal apathy toward Wicca is setting up young people for spiritual hybrids that threaten true Christianity and their own salvation.

Barna predicts that “Many young adults will not consider themselves to be Wiccan, but will adopt some of its practices and thinking alongside their more traditional religious views and behaviors.”

Barna’s findings also serve as a wakeup call to Christians at Brown and beyond to guard their hearts, and, as commanded in Philippians 2:16, “hold forth the Word of Life” to those who are deceived and perishing.

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

KEEPING THE FAITH Penn Faculty Find Encouragement through Campus Organization ics to help members explore what it means to be a Christian Last year Ben Stein, Columbia ‘66 and Yale scholar in the university. And through the experience of the Law ‘70, released the film Expelled: No IntelliPENN PFCF Director Dave DeHuff, they also come to learn that gence Allowed. The movie extolled the injusopenly sharing their faith on campus is all a matter of timing. tices encountered by some in academia because of their DeHuff has been involved with PFCF for the past nineteen beliefs in Intelligent Design. At Penn, however, the Penn years. He took on the role as field rep with the faculty ministry Faculty/Staff Christian Forum (www.upenn-fscf.org) probecause he believes faculty vides a place where intelliare the “gatekeepers” for the gence and faith in Jesus university and have the Christ at the university is greatest potential to change explored rather than “exthe campuses and “be a pelled.” lighthouse in terms of living The Penn Faculty/Staff out the Gospel.” While he Christian Forum, directed believes faculty can effecby Campus Crusade for tively model how a well-inChrist’s Faculty Commons tegrated life and worldview ministry, is an evangelical, can impact one’s academic interdenominational organidiscipline, over the years he zation that provides faculty has also come to understand and staff with fellowship the university environment and encouragement. The isn’t always accepting of ministry hosts special events The Penn Faculty/Staff Christian Forum holds a luncheon faculty with strong Christian that feature guest speakers for new faculty. views. on a variety of relevant top-

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ON • CAMPUS For example, he spoke of one researcher he knows who was fired from an institution in another state because when his name was “Googled” it was discovered he had publicly allied himself with numerous scientists who dissented from majority interpretation of evolutionary theory.

“Faculty can’t be perceived as too radical in their field,” DeHuff said. “There is a time and a place for everything.

After tenure is safer than before tenure.”

That’s not to say that he encourages younger faculty members to keep their faith to themselves. Rather, he recommends they profess that faith in ways that are not liable to jeopardize their positions.

“Think of how many years those people have invested in their education,” DeHuff said. He doesn’t want to see Christian scholars being fired out of the university, leaving a void. “People who make it that far and have credibility within their disciplines, you want to keep them there.”

As one speaker told attendees at a recent event, “I really sense that being a Christian on the Penn campus is like being a member of the underground church in China.”

While DeHuff admits that the faculty may have to weigh the risk factors of openly sharing their faith, he doesn’t believe they are compromising their faith. PFCF encourages faculty who are reserved about their faith to take a risk and be bolder; but he cautions that they must mix boldness with wisdom, sensitivity, and tact. In doing so, faculty can dramatically impact the university, he believes.

“I really think this university has changed because of the rising influence of Christian faculty on campus,” he explained.

Consider the example of Raymond Townsend, M.D.,

professor of medicine at Penn. He leads a weekly Bible study with students and believes the biggest encouragement for them is to know there are faculty members who actually care about them as whole persons. He also said it’s important for students to see “it’s possible to both have a faith and to succeed in an academic environment.”

By working with the students in the Bible study, Townsend said the students “can see there are people who they aspire to be like who haven’t compromised their Christian principles.”

In turn, Townsend receives that same type of encouragement from his fellow PFCF members. “The forum has been a great source of interaction with other faculty,” he said. “It serves as a nice medium to talk with and encourage other faculty who teach in various parts of the university.”

Townsend has also received encouragement from the “great guest speakers” who have participated in PFCF events, like a recent presenter who spoke about how to “plant the flag of faith” within the healthcare environment.

Whether in medicine or in the academy, the key to integrating work and faith is, apparently, not going too far too soon. “If a Christian in academia is wise and wants to have an influence, he needs to run like a marathon runner,” DeHuff said. He recommends those running toward the prize of sharing their faith do so in a slow, consistent manner rather than overzealously rushing to the finish and ultimately offending those he is trying to reach.

And with the help and companionship found at the PFCF, the faculty and staff at Penn can continue to pass the baton of faith as they keep their eyes on the prize.

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT Columbia Students For Christ Share A Platform For Godly Career Planning Being career savvy is a necessity during stormy economic conditions. As a result, Columbia COLUMBIA Students for Christ (www.columbiastudentsforchrist.com) recently held an outreach event to help multicultural students develop professional strategies and awareness to better weather a tumultuous job market and to introduce Jesus Christ as the source of stability.

Roughly 50 people gathered in early February at Pupin Lecture Hall to hear Jane Hyun, Cornell ’90, the author of Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asian

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Americans. The event, titled “Pursuing the Call: Career Strategies for Turbulent Times,” was sponsored by Columbia Students for Christ in partnership with Columbia’s Multicultural Business Association. A grant from Christian Union helped underwrite the event.

According to Columbia Students for Christ staffer Glennis Shih, Cornell ‘00, the goal for the evening was to provide the Columbia community with “culturally attuned career strategies through a Christian worldview.” Hyun gave tips for finding the right type of job, encouraging stu-

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ON • CAMPUS dents to reflect upon their values, motivating skills, and capanies were losing top employees but weren’t sure why. She reer goals. The author also gave practical advice about what said it may have been due to ineffective communication to do and what not to do when networking and seeking a styles that did not allow for cultural sensitivity. career mentor and gave personal examples of her experiAside from the vocational benefits of the event, Shih ences as vice president of human resources at J.P. Morgan said an additional goal was to give Columbia Students for and director of recruiting at Deloitte & Touche.

Christ an opportunity to be intentional in their friendships.

The most important component of the presentation, acShe encouraged the students to invite their friends to the cording to Shih, was Hyun’s discussion of how her Christevent to discover more about the basis of their own career ian faith helped her make wise career choices. As a result, decisions. It was an opportunity for Christians to share with she said “students were able to extheir non-Christian friends and perience a successful, engaging members of the Multicultural and down-to-earth businessBusiness Association, which is not woman sharing her faith in a very a faith-based organization, that matter-of-fact way,” which was their decisions are rooted in their particularly helpful in reaching out faith in Jesus Christ. to non-Christians in the audience.

“I saw this as a perfect opporHyun challenged attendees to tunity to bring both groups together and hear more about how better understand themselves with faith plays a role in everyday life. questions like “How do you know I’m really hoping we can have fuyour calling?” and “How do you Author and speaker Jane Hyun speaks to ture events together,” Shih said. know what career is best suited for students at Columbia about navigating career In all, said Shih, the event was you?” As a Christian, she spoke choices in tough economic times. a success because it brought in stuabout how her faith helps her andents who otherwise might not have attended a Christian swer those questions and how her professional decisions event. Many students indicated in follow-up surveys that are based upon her belief in God. they would be interested in being a part of a focus group Hyun’s message was an affirmation for Christians who are accustomed to living out their faith in all aspects of their regarding Asian-American issues, identity, and faith.

Through the focus groups and one-on-one meetings, lives and opened the door for non-Christians to explore the Shih hopes there will be more opportunities for conversabasis of their professional decisions and how Jesus Christ tions that can help people along their spiritual journey. Cocan be their source for discernment and decision making. lumbia Students for Christ would also like to develop an Hyun explained how “cultural preferences” such as being on-going relationship with the Multicultural Business Assoegalitarian or hierarchical could help or hinder professionciation and possibly hold more joint events, Shih said. als as they seek to further their careers. She also explained “Through these natural relationships, we hope to share the how eastern thinking can at times be detrimental to worklove of Christ in a relevant and meaningful way,” she said. ing in a western environment and vice versa.

For example, Hyun pointed out that some western comBy Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

Hyun challenged attendees to better understand themselves with questions like “How do you know your calling?” and “How do you know what career is best suited for you?”

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The Ivy League Christian Observer

ON • CAMPUS

RIGHTEOUS ANGER Student Filmmaker uses Hip Hop to Portray Luther’s Audacity So while Luther and Jay-Z have seemingly nothing in comUsing rap and hip-hop mogul Jay-Z’s “99 Probmon, I saw a few tonal and attitudinal similarities.” lems” song as inspiration, Alexander Dominitz, YALE It only took Dominitz a few hours to write the savory Yale ’09, wrote and directed “95 Theses”—a lyrics, a couple of days to record the song, and a few months student-produced rap video focusing on Martin Luther’s to shoot the video with his student team. The entire producreformation of the Church. By using black and white imtion was completed by summer 2008. Although Dominitz ages, handheld shots, cunning lyrics, and creative producand most of the film crew were not Christians, there were a tion skills, Dominitz portrayed Luther’s fury and brash few Christian students who particidialogue between the Church and thepated in making the film. ologians.

“I thought most support would The project is one of many films come from the hip hop crowd,” said made by Bulldog Productions— Dominitz, “and the least support from Yale’s independent student-run film the reformation crowd. But in reality, company. it was the opposite. The reformation “The video is not making a statecrowd appreciated it as well. They ment about religion but about personagree with the premise that Luther is a ality,” said Dominitz. “It’s a brash personality, and the video caprestlessness of the spirit that the video tures that.” tries to encapsulate. There is a com“[However] some people did not parison between Luther and Jay-Z— like the video,” said Dominitz. “They [it’s their] feistiness.” found it insulting to Lutherans, “While writing, I listened to JayCatholics, and even Jay-Z.” Despite Z’s song over and over again,” said the religious irony and potential for ofDominitz. “I found that Luther’s photos courtesy of www.95ThesesRap.com fense, the video received several posivoice sounded just as angry as JayAlexander Dominitz ’09 wrote and tive reviews. Outliving its expected Z’s. I sensed anger in his words or directed the “95 Theses” video.

YouTube shelf-life, “95 Theses” has perhaps ego, perhaps defiance. So received over 40,000 views and conwhen I wrote the song, I tried to captinues to be watched (www.95ThesesRap.com). A Yale proture that angry spirit…I wish I could tell you that it all fessor even used the lyrics to facilitate a class discussion on started with gut-wrenching psycho-historical investigation, the Reformation. but, no. ‘99 problems’ and ‘95 theses’ both have five sylThe video carries multiple layers, making a statement lables.” about reformation and hip-hop culture, and the juxtaposi“The rap is very confrontational and abrupt—in some tion between the two. “If you made a Venn diagram to repcases, revolutionary,” said Dominitz. “Luther is demandresent the target audience, one side would be hip-hop fans, ing, rebellious, and restless. As the song progresses, his and the other would be religious scholars,” said Dominitz. anger evolves. At the beginning, he’s angry at the Catholic “It’s a strange hybridization, and I thought it entirely poshierarchy for selling indulgences. Then he resents other thesible that both camps would emphatically reject the video. ologians for getting it wrong. By the song’s end, he’s angry Happily, that hasn’t really happened.” at the world for using his example to create all these new denominations and for maligning his reputation in history.

By Nkem Okafor, Yale Graduate School

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INTELLECTUAL • ENGAGEMENT

‘WHO IS JESUS, REALLY?’ Veritas Forum at Columbia Provides Dialogue, Answers ing the historical Jesus, stressing the New Testament as a In February, a diverse gathering of people, rangreliable source of history, more reliable than many other ing from professors to musicians, participated COLUMBIA documents. He explained that people often treat the Bible as in Columbia University’s Veritas Forum “guilty until proven innocent.” Craig accentuated the oppo(www.veritas.org), which was an opportunity for the campus site—that the New Testament is a trustworthy source of incommunity to explore life’s hardest questions through the formation. person and story of Jesus Christ and to engage in meaningContinuing the conversation on morality from the first ful and fruitful dialogue. In its fifth year, the forum featured event, a screening of Call + Response, a humanthree nights of events, including thoughtprovoking discussions, a compelling docutrafficking documentary, and a live performance mentary screening, and a sold-out concert.

by Matisyahu packed out Columbia’s Miller Veritas started off with a stimulating Theater on the final night of the forum. Maconversation between Dr. Shelly Kagan, tisyahu, a world-famous artist who blends tradiPrinceton *82, and Dr. William Lane Craig tional Jewish themes with reggae, hip hop, and in an event entitled “Is God Necessary for rock, is a featured artist in Call + Response, a Morality?” Kagan, a professor of philosoprovocative piece on the modern human-traffickphy at Yale University, argued that there can ing industry. Justin Dillon, musician and director be genuine morality without belief in a God. of Call + Response, was also present.

Kagan sketched a framework for a non-theThe Veritas Forum proved to be a large success istic morality in which a right or wrong acand was featured in the Columbia Spectator. Sara tion depends on whether it benefits or harms del Fierro ’10, who played an important role in orpeople. This framework would then be realganizing the concert and screening, was really Dr. William Lane Craig was among the ized through a social contract in which all moved. “Not only was Matisyahu’s music amazspeakers at the Veritas people are part of a moral community. ing, but so was his passion and heart for the cause Forum held at Craig, a research professor at the Talof slavery. The fact that he was so excited to perColumbia bot School of Theology and an apologist, form, just to get people out to see this movie, was contended that for certain things to be truly good or evil, pretty amazing in itself,” she commented. “I know that a lot of God is necessary. “In the absence of God, morality becomes students came expecting just to see a Matisyahu concert, but a social convention,” stated Craig, who asserted that God is they left shocked and inspired upon learning about the gravity necessary for objective moral values, objective moral duof the modern-day slave trade. We’ve already begun hearing ties, and moral accountability. from people who want to respond to the call, who are looking Dr. Craig also participated in the second night’s event, for tangible ways that they can battle human trafficking.”

“Who Was Jesus, Really?” He presented a lecture examinBy Jin Wang, Columbia ’10

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UNCERTAINTY LEAVES SCHOLAR UNFAZED Christian Union Fellow welcomes tough questions about Christianity Students in the Ivy League often approach Christianity with the same intellectual fervor, curiosity, and interrogation they bring to their scholastic pursuits.

To help reach students who view Christianity through an array of complex questions—especially those who feel

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like outsiders—Christian Union has added its first teaching fellow.

Chuck Hetzler, 30, who joined the staff in July, brings both a wealth of academic expertise in biblical studies and pastoral experience focused on youth. As well, the Midwest native recently completed a doctorate of philosophy in New

The Ivy League Christian Observer

INTELLECTUAL • ENGAGEMENT friends at South Mecklenberg High School. However, a Testament from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. classmate, the former Karen Smith, expressed concern and Serving inquisitive students in the Ivy League “fits my offered a support network. giftings and callings,” Hetzler said. “This is a place with a “She had this burden to reach out to me,” Hetzler said. lot of need and potential.”

“She was a strong Christian—strongly devoted to the Lord Much of Hetzler’s responsibility centers on leading and really well respected. I was drawn into her crowd. That three Bible courses for male students through Princeton was what I needed to grow in Christ.”

Faith and Action (www.pfanda.com), Christian Union’s unNot surprisingly, the pair decided to enroll in a Christdergraduate ministry at the university. He also hosts a ian college and chose Samford University in Birmingham, weekly coffee hour that allows students to probe some of Alabama. They married in May 2000, one week after Chuck Christianity’s tougher issues, and he meets one-on-one with Hetzler earned a degree in business administration and students who seek to explore some of the faith’s more perKaren Hetzler completed a degree in music. plexing questions.

By that point, Hetzler wanted to devote his “My Ph.D. in New Testament has come to life to ministry. He sensed a call “to help people be very useful,” Hetzler said. understand what I had come to understand: this Dan Knapke, Christian Union’s Director of whole Christianity thing is relevant.”

Ministry to undergraduate students at PrinceThree years later, Hetzler finished a master ton, said Hetzler has brought a “tremendous deof divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary gree of academic credibility.” in St. Louis, Missouri, while his wife secured a Likewise, Hetzler is especially strategic in master of music in vocal performance from helping students deal with the types of acanearby Washington University. demic prejudices toward Christianity that can But, the blueprint for their lives was still resonate on Ivy League campuses. He is photo by Pam Traeger being drafted. While at a crossroads, Hetzler pleased to have a position that allows him to Christian Union’s wrestled with whether to explore permanent combine his twin passions of scholarship and first teaching fellow, pastoral roles or pursue doctoral programs. discipleship. He especially relishes his new role Chuck Hetzler, Ph.D., “I had interest in a Ph.D. I felt like practihelps students because the students under his care are “very explore their cally it would be too difficult to pull off with driven and quick to learn.” spiritual questions wanting to start a family,” Hetzler said. “But, Students, in turn, say they appreciate Hetfrom a scholarly the Lord provided a door for me to be able to perspective. zler’s expertise. “It has been indescribably usedo a Ph.D.” ful to me to hear theological problems or To Hetzler’s amazement, he was offered affordable tu‘paradoxes’ explained or dealt with from a Christian perspecition at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Plus, a tive,” said Julia Neufeld ’10, a philosophy major. nearby church proposed a position overseeing youth and Isaiah Miller ’11 agreed. “In the midst of this spiritual music along with a parsonage. turmoil, Chuck has really helped me a lot, not only by proThe Hetzler family added Nathanael in 2005 and Anviding me with detailed and enlightening answers, but also nalise in 2007. Hetzler also completed a master of theology by being very present and approachable,” he said. in 2004.

Hetzler’s own spiritual journey began as a high school Today, Hetzler enjoys his role shaping the lives of some student after his family moved from Quincy, Illinois, to Charof the nation’s brightest students. “It’s exciting for me to be lotte, North Carolina. “I had to go to this new place where I at a place that is an influential hub,” Hetzler said. “Princehad to make friends,” he said. “I didn’t respond well.” ton students go on to occupy places of leadership.”

During his junior year, Hetzler accepted Christ as his “This is why we came to some place so far away—to use Savior after he sensed “a realness” in the parishioners at his our lives the way God wants us to be used for his purposes.”

Evangelical Presbyterian church.

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer His faith briefly floundered as he lacked Christian

Spring 2009

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INTELLECTUAL • ENGAGEMENT

CHANGING THE WORLD, ONE READER AT A TIME Ivy League Authors Bringing Fresh Ideas to Marketplace the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time is for people in all seasons of life, from mothers at home with their children to corporate CEOs and mega-church pastors.

Worldwide, Blanchard’s books have combined sales of more than eighteen million copies in twenty-five languages.

“If you want to be the servant leader that Jesus manChristian works by contemporary Ivy League authors dated his followers to be, then read Lead Like Jesus,” states are proving good companions for those wanting to impact Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Comtheir own character and influence society in a munity Church. “It will change your life and the positive manner. Cases in point are some recent lives of people you are able to influence.” and soon-to-be released works by Ivy graduates The book encourages readers to leave their that challenge readers to create culture, manage personal egos at the door and to live and lead from their lives, and even help children fall asleep. a position that is focused on “exalting God only.”

Andy Crouch’s book, Culture Making: ReBlanchard, author of The One Minute Mancovering Our Creative Calling, explores the relationship between today’s Christian and culture. ager, writes, “Leading like Jesus is a transforma“This book is an attempt to point my fellow tional cycle that begins with personal leadership Christians toward new—and also very old—direcand then moves to leading others in one-on-one tions for understanding our calling in culture. I relationships, then to leading a team or group, and Lead Like Jesus hope to offer us a new vocabulary, a new story, and finally to leading an organization or community.” is the latest a new set of questions,” writes Crouch, Cornell ’89.

“Think about how Jesus would do your job difbook from Ken Blanchard, The book, which received a starred review ferently than you would,” he suggests. “…Jesus Cornell ’61. from Publishers Weekly as well as Christianity wants to do His work in you and through you.”

Today’s 2009 Book Award for Christianity and Another Ivy alumnus whose writings reflect Culture, has also hit home with other prominent his faith in Jesus Christ is Eric Metaxas, Yale ’84.

Ivy alumni making their own impact on society.

An eclectic author, Metaxas’ works range from “As a Christian, as a parent, and as an orgachildren’s books to Christian apologetics. nizational leader, I would like to make a differDescribed by Parenting magazine as “chilence in the world,” states Gary Haugen (Harvard dren’s book author non-pareil,” Metaxas has writ’85), president and CEO of International Justice ten more than thirty children’s books and received three Grammy nominations for Best Children’s Mission. “Crouch not only helps me understand Recording. where that yearning comes from but how to purHis most recent release, “It’s Time to Sleep, sue it with passion, commitment, power, and Andy Crouch, spiritual health.”

My Love,” is a bedtime poem. Booklist magazine Cornell ’89, Additionally, fellow author D. Michael Linddescribed the work as “comforting, fanciful imhopes to offer say, Princeton PhD ’06, states: “People of agery. This gentle, tender offering will buoy chilreaders “a new vocabulary, a faith—now poised to use their influence—have dren with its strong messages of safety and love.” new story, and a much to contribute to the common good as creHowever, this former Veggie Tales writer has new set of ators and advocates, not just as critics and also penned works for grown-up audiences, and questions” in Culture Making. judges…Anyone who cares for the renewal of those titles are making their marks on modern culour culture must read this book!” ture as well. His critically-acclaimed Amazing With his latest book, Cornell alumnus Ken Blanchard Grace, about nineteenth century British abolitionist William ’61 inspires readers to not just follow Jesus Christ, but to Wilberforce, was published two years ago in conjunction lead as He did. Blanchard’s Lead Like Jesus: Lessons from with the motion picture of the same name. The book reBe as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and characALL IVY ter will be as much influenced by the former as the latter—Paxton Hood

I

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The Ivy League Christian Observer

INTELLECTUAL • ENGAGEMENT cently drew acclaim from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Metaxas, currently working on a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, meshes his wit with Christian apologetics in Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About God But Were Afraid to Ask and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About God But Were Afraid to Ask. In these works, Metaxas poses some common questions about God and Christianity asked by both non-believers and believers, an-

swering them in a candid, easy-to-read manner.

In all these titles and many others, Ivy Christian authors are opening doors for Christians and seekers to explore their faith in Jesus Christ and to live out their convictions through their work and vocations.

As Metaxas wrote of Wilberforce in Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God, “Because of one man who took the Bible seriously, the world is forever changed.”

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

SIMPLE MAN, COMPLEX THINKER Cardinal Dulles Posthumously Hailed as Hero of the Faith Avery Cardinal Dulles’ humility and straightGrace: “Although I cannot rival the generous dedication of forwardness belied the fact that he was a promiSt. Paul and Ignatius of Loyola, I am, like them, content to HARVARD nent Catholic theologian. be employed in the service of Christ and the Gospel, “Cardinal Dulles was one of the most brilliant and intelwhether in sickness or in health, in good repute or ill religent theologians in the history of the Church in the United pute…I trust that his grace will not fail me, and that I will States,” wrote Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, not fail his grace, in the years to come.” archbishop of Boston, shortly after Dulles’ True to his word, Dulles, who was ordeath on December 12, 2008. dained a priest in 1956, devoted his life to Born in 1918 in Auburn, New York, Christ. Even when the effects of post-polio Dulles was raised Presbyterian within a syndrome began paralyzing his body and prominent Protestant family. His lineage also crippling his throat muscles until he could includes three U.S. secretaries of state—one no longer speak, the Cardinal continued his was his father, John Foster Dulles, who work. served under President Eisenhower and for A prolific writer, Dulles penned more whom Washington’s Dulles airport was than a dozen books and 800 articles. His named. His uncle Allen Dulles was director love for teaching led him to professorships of the Central Intelligence Agency. at Catholic University and Fordham UniDespite his Presbyterian upbringing, versity. In recognition of his theological Dulles entered Harvard an agnostic. When work, Dulles was elevated to the College he graduated in 1940, however, he was of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II on Febphoto courtesy of Fordham University Roman Catholic. The works of Catholic ruary 21, 2001, making him the first AmerRoman Catholic Cardinal and writers led him back to Christianity, and his ican-born theologian and non-bishop to be prominent American conversion culminated one afternoon while elevated to Cardinal.

Theologian Avery Cardinal walking outdoors in Cambridge, MassaDespite his position within the church Dulles, Harvard ’40, died in December at age 90. chusetts. Dulles said he discovered the hierarchy, Dulles kept his vow of poverty. awesomeness of God’s creation through the According to George Weigel, who wrote a complexity of a single leaf. tribute to Dulles for Newsweek, the humble man was known “It was a matter of becoming aware of this reality beto cross campus wearing a “cheap blue windbreaker” and hind everything that existed,” he stated in a 2001 New York shoes repaired with duct tape.

In a statement released after Dulles’ death, fellow Jesuit Times Magazine interview. “That evening when I got back Joseph M. McShane, president of Fordham University, to my room, I think I prayed for the first time.” stated, “A man of prodigious intellect and great holiness, He wrote of his conversion in the book A Testimonial to

H

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INTELLECTUAL • ENGAGEMENT Cardinal Dulles devoted his entire life to the task of advancing the dialogue between faith and reason.”

And Dulles took care to keep God at the center of that “dialogue.” In a 2004 article on apologetics he wrote for First Things, Dulles stated, “Faith, therefore, is not a simple achievement of reason. It is the work of reason submitting to the word of God, which comes by way of revelation.

God, as the infinite source of all that is or can be, lies immeasurably beyond all that we can infer from the created order.”

In that article, Dulles also commented about the orthodoxy he was known for: “The reluctance of believers to defend their faith has produced all too many fuzzy-minded and listless Christians, who care very little about what is to be believed. Their halfhearted religion is far removed from that of the apostles and the martyrs. It is a degenerate offspring of authentic Christianity.”

During his farewell lecture at Fordham, the Cardinal,

age 90, commented on his declining health: “Suffering and diminishment are not the greatest of evils but are normal ingredients in life, especially in old age…As I become increasingly paralyzed and unable to speak, I can identify with the many paralytics and mute persons in the Gospels, grateful for the loving and skillful care I receive and for the hope of everlasting life in Christ. If the Lord now calls me to a period of weakness, I know well that his power can be made perfect in infirmity. ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord!’”

It is this humble, yet heroic, service that is Dulles’ legacy.

As Pope Benedict stated upon Dulles’ death, “I pray that his convincing personal testimony to the harmony of faith and reason will continue to bear fruit for the conversion of minds and hearts and the progress of the Gospel for many years to come.”

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

Save the Date! • May 28 – 31 Christian Union’s

REUNIONS ‘09

SATURDAY, May 30 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Brunch and Open House, Wilson House Celebrating Christian Life at Princeton.

SUNDAY, May 31 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – Worship Service, Nassau Christian Center Featuring testimonies from Major Class Reunions

Karen Buxbaum '93 with family

Worship Service Reunions ‘08 (left to right): George Gallup, Jr. '53, Dr. Archie Fletcher '38, George Vergis '83, Roland Warren '83

For more information contact Lorri.Bentch@Christian-Union.org or visit www.Christian-Union.org/reunions

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The Ivy League Christian Observer

FAITH • AND • MEDICINE

VILLAGE SONS RETURN TO OPEN FREE CLINIC Kenyan Brothers Fulfill Father’s Dream The village of Lwala suffers the same plights as other impoverished African communities with DARTMOUTH diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. But the story of this small part of Kenya is not one of death and despair; rather, thanks to two of the village’s native sons, Lwala is a story of love, commitment, and hope.

When the people of the tiny village sold their cows and chickens to raise $900 to pay for Milton Ochieng’s airfare to the U.S. to attend Dartmouth, they had only one request: “Don’t forget about us.” And he hasn’t. Milton, Dartmouth’04, and his younger brother Fred, Dartmouth ’05, have worked tirelessly to build a medical clinic in the remote village that is saving lives and also honoring a life lost.

The Erastus Ochieng Lwala Memorial Health Clinic is named after Milton and Fred’s father who, like their mother, died of AIDS. It was their father’s dream to build a clinic so people wouldn’t have to travel hours on dirt roads in wheelbarrows and on the backs of bicycles to get to the nearest hospital. At their father’s funeral, Milton and Fred told the village they would fulfill that dream.

Upon graduating from Dartmouth, each brother attended medical school at Vanderbilt University—Milton is now a resident at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Fred is in his third year at Vanderbilt.

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Despite the grueling demands of medical school, living in a foreign country, and grieving their parents’ deaths, the two brothers, along with supporters from across the U.S., managed to open the clinic on April 2, 2007, turning their father’s dream into reality.

Approximately 1,500 patients visit the clinic each month. Many come from other villages, with some walking six days to get there. They receive general outpatient care, maternity care, immunizations, malaria prevention, and treatment for AIDS and tuberculosis. Most patients receive services free of charge, while others pay the equivalent of approximately 75 cents. And it’s already saving lives.

For example, while visiting the clinic, Milton and Fred delivered a baby via cesarean section. They had only an instruction manual and the guidance of an obstetrician who directed them by phone. Later, they realized the baby’s mother was the daughter of a woman who had died in labor while being taken to a hospital in a wheelbarrow. Milton had witnessed the tragedy as a young boy and it played a part in his decision to become a doctor.

According to the brothers, they’ve been able to handle all the pressure through the Christian faith their parents shared with them, and by God’s strength and provision.

“There are tremendous challenges and I am comforted to know that when we seek God, He will continue to bless us

Dr. Milton Ochieng, Dartmouth ’04, and his brother, medical student Fred Ochieng, Dartmouth ’05, built a medical clinic in their home village of Lwala, Kenya.

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FAITH • AND • MEDICINE abundantly and continue to open doors. Whenever I get fatigued, I am reminded to continue waiting upon the Lord,” said Fred.

“I find comfort in the Lord’s work,” said Milton, “God has been with us every step of the way and really surprised us. I never know what He has around the corner.”

Even during the grief of losing their parents, they found comfort in the Lord.

“After losing both parents, I was so heartbroken,” Fred said. “But I asked God to use our brokenness to bring healing to others. As (the music group) Selah sings, I knew that, “only God could take these empty shells and make us whole again.”

The brothers have also found comfort from the Dartmouth community. “Dartmouth is a special place for me,” said Milton. “Their support was phenomenal. It’s a little village by itself.”

Additionally, Fred found great support for the clinic through his brothers and sisters in Navigators at Dartmouth (www.navigators.org). With the assistance of Regional Director Craig Parker, Navigators helped raise the seed money to build the clinic. Other Dartmouth alumni are members of the Lwala Alliance Council, founded by the brothers, which oversees the clinic.

According to Alliance Executive Director Joel Wickre ’03, “It’s an alliance of communities learning from one another, helping one another, allied with one another to bring change…This is also God’s approach to us. In humble, mutual sacrifice, we experience God.” Caitlin Reiner ’06 is education director for the Alliance and became involved with the project after visiting Lwala in 2005. “I couldn’t not be involved. I was deeply connected

through my relationships with other Lwalans; as with any friendship, their joy became part of my joy, their pain part of my pain. There was never a conscious decision to be involved...It unfolded out of the solidarity that comes from love and friendship,” she said.

Others, including some high-profile names, have become involved as well. The band Jars of Clay provided financial backing for the clinic through its non-profit organization, Blood: Water Mission. Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Princeton ’74 and Harvard MD ’78, spoke at a clinic fundraiser at Vanderbilt. And then there’s reporter Barry Simmons, who, after interviewing Milton, quit his job with a Tennessee television station to produce a documentary about the brothers’ journey. “Sons of Lwala” (www.sonsoflwala.com) has been viewed around the country and has raised roughly $250,000.

The Ochieng’s story has generated media attention from networks like CNN, NPR, MSNBC, and ABC News, which selected Fred and Milton as its “Persons of the Week.”

“I think what makes Milton and Fred’s story unique is that it doesn’t end with Milton and Fred—and it’s not only their story. It’s the story of their entire community tackling the challenges they face, celebrating each other’s accomplishments as their own, and working together to shape their future,” said Caitlin.

And so, for those who ask where God is amidst the suffering in Africa, they need only look toward Lwala, where miracles happen every day by way of hope, dedication, and compassion of the village’s sons who didn’t forget their people.

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

“I think what makes Milton and Fred’s story unique is that it doesn’t end with Milton and Fred—and it’s not only their story. It’s the story of their entire community tackling the challenges they face, celebrating each other’s accomplishments as their own, and working together to shape their future.”

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The Ivy League Christian Observer

FAITH • AND • MEDICINE

GIFTED HANDS Renowned Surgeon is Subject of TNT Movie film, she told Carson, “You can be anything that you want Faced with the decision to perform a complito be in life. God will not abandon you…You just have to cated cranial separation, Dr. Ben Carson said, YALE see more than what you see.”

“I’ll do it.”

Carson began to excel to the top of his class and graduated With a relentless faith and fervent trust in God, the Yale with honors from high school. He strived to become a physialumnus (’73) used his gifted hands to undertake one of his cian and attended Yale University, where he earned a degree in greatest feats in life—successfully separating twins conpsychology. He entered the Medical School of the University joined at the back of their heads. As the 33-year-old direcof Michigan, where his interest changed from tor of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins psychiatry to neurosurgery. After medical school Hospital, Carson received worldwide attention he became a neurosurgery resident at Johns Hopin 1987 as the first surgeon to successfully kins Hospital. By age 32, he became the hospisave both twins in this operation. His 22-hour tal’s director of pediatric neurosurgery. procedure made medical history.

Currently, Carson is a full professor of neu“The brain is a miraculous organ,” said rosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery, and pediCarson. He later successfully performed two atrics at the Johns Hopkins School of similar operations and mastered other surgical Medicine. He has served as director of pediinnovations such as the first intra-uterine proceRenowned physician atric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Childure to relieve pressure on the brain of a hyDr. Ben Carson, Yale ’73, is the subject of dren’s Center for almost 25 years. In 2008, drocephalic fetal twin, and a hemispherectomy, the television movie President George W. Bush awarded him with which removed half of the brain of an infant Gifted Hands. the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nasuffering from uncontrollable seizures. tion’s highest civilian award, for his work as a surgeon and “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” made its debut for improving the lives of America’s youth. U.S. News & on Turner Network Television (TNT) in February. The movie depicts how Carson’s faith in God brought him World Report named him as one of America’s Best Leaders, through his toughest times and remained a constant source and he has received numerous honors and awards, includof strength in his life. Academy-Award winner Cuba Gooding more than 50 honorary doctorate degrees. Outside of ing, Jr. plays the renowned physician. his clinical work, he is the president and co-founder of the Having grown up in a single parent home with an uneCarson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of ducated mother, Carson was no stranger to difficulties. He all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian responded to his life of dire poverty with low self-esteem, accomplishments. a violent temper, and disdain for education because he beCarson has three bestselling books, including a memlieved he was dumb. Nonetheless, his mother believed in oir, Gifted Hands, and a motivational book, Think Big. In his potential. When he struggled in school and was teased Think Big, Carson addresses his personal philosophies of by classmates, she encouraged him by saying, “You can do success that incorporate hard work and a faith in God. anything they can do, only you must try to do it better.” She In an interview, he said that each surgery, each accomencouraged him to achieve beyond his own expectations. plishment gives him an equal sense of satisfaction: “If I Her confidence in him ignited his own passion and love for look back over my entire career, all of the incredible surgereducation, medicine and God. ies, intra-uterine surgery, conjoined twins, hemispherec“I have a wonderful mother,” stated Carson during an tomy, brain stem tumors…If someone were to ask me what interview. She challenged her children to strive for excelis the most memorable—that is a very easy question for me. lence and was determined to turn their lives around. Even The answer is the last case that I just did. Whatever that last though she only had a third-grade education, she required case was—that is the most spectacular.” her sons to read two books a week, write reports on the “When I go out there and see that family who has been readings, and reduce their television watching time. In the on pins and needles and I tell them that [their] youngster is

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FAITH • AND • MEDICINE awake, [their child] is doing well, [their child] is asking for [them] and I see the look of relief on their face, I realize I have been privileged to play such an important role as giving that person longevity and quality of life. There is no bet-

ter feeling than that. That is a present, a current joy that wipes out all of the other ones, and I look forward to the next time that I can do it [again].”

By Nkem Okafor, Yale Graduate School

INTEGRATING MEDICINE AND MINISTRY Brown Alumnus: Pediatrics Is a Golden Opportunity to Share the Gospel Rich Han was young in his faith when he en“I was concerned and scared about being ostracized,” tered Brown University. A newly committed Han admits. “I told the team I didn’t judge them for it, I BROWN Christian, Han was admittedly concerned about simply couldn’t do it.” While the attending physician attending what he calls “one of the most liberal colleges.” thought Han was ignorant for his beliefs, he was permitted But the environment did little to shake the future physician’s to abstain from participating in the procedure. faith, and within those four years, Han ’95 helped plant the However, his colleagues who participated in the aborGospel on campus and more deeply within his own heart. tion found the experience disturbing. “Theoretically feelWhen Han, a Korean American, first arrived at Brown, ing it’s a choice and then witnessing it was different,” he he didn’t realize his future wife Solim (’94) and other Chrisexplained. tian students had been praying for campus revival. As a reToday, Han continues to rely upon his faith in Jesus sult of that prayer, there was an increased Christ when dealing with the joys and sornumber of Korean-American students conrows of caring for God’s littlest children. gregating on campus for worship. He be“Faith enables me to practice medicine came part of the team that helped plant the without fear,” Han said. “Any seasoned docProvidence Presbyterian Campus Church. tor will tell you ‘medicine is much bigger Since then, Han has gone on to be part than I am’…For a child to suffer because of of three successful church plants. He is what I might have missed is enough to drive currently considering a fourth, despite the anyone insane. Faith is the only thing that demands of building a solo pediatric pracsets me free. I believe in an all-present God. tice. But for Han, ministry and medicine If a child gets sick or dies, there is a greater Pediatrician Dr. Richard Han, are not separate callings. purpose or meaning in that.”

Brown ’95, enjoys integrating faith into his medical practice.

“My practice of medicine has been my Han faced that reality first-hand when calling,” Han said. “Pediatrics is a golden a healthy 8-month-old patient suddenly opportunity to share the Gospel.” became ill and died within 48 hours. “It was a heartThat’s not to say that Han sets out to evangelize every wrenching journey for me and the parents,” he confides, family, as he sees many with non-Christian beliefs. Still, there particularly as the child was similar in age to his own son. is something decidedly Christian about the physician whose But the parents were also believers, and he said their mutual shingle, Cornerstone Pediatrics, even speaks his faith. faith pulled them through.

“I prayed with the parents in the ICU and helped them “I’m not overtly trying to proselytize, but people recognize that I’m different,” he said. make the decision to let their child go. It was a horrible And that uncompromising difference is particularly applace to be.” parent in an era of bioethical conundrums.

One night he was on call in the emergency room and a As a young resident, Han was required to do a rotation in tiny victim of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) was Obstetrics and Gynecology, which meant participating in brought in. The baby was cold and blue and obviously not abortions. Unable to separate his moral beliefs from his vocagoing to recover. “We ran through the code as a measure to tion, Han asked to be excused from the procedure. No easy reshow the family we were trying,” Han recalls. Ultimately, quest for an aspiring doctor being evaluated by his superiors. he had to call the time of death.

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FAITH • AND • MEDICINE “It was like when you read in Scripture about when the babies in Jerusalem were killed and it was described as ‘Rachael is weeping,’” he explained as he recalled the “gutwrenching scream” of the grieving mother.

“Medicine doesn’t have anything to offer there,” Han admits. “There is only grace and God through Jesus Christ.”

Thus, as a Christian, the physician who was helpless to save the child was able to care for the family.

“We wept together,” he said. “We prayed right there in the hall.”

But Han doesn’t only pray through the tears, he prays through joys as well. Like being asked to pray with the family of a newborn about to leave the hospital. And whether through sorrow or joy, he gives the glory to God. And as the children come to him, Han continues to stand apart from the bioethically liberal pack, honoring God by planting seeds of hope, compassion, and faith within the lives he works to heal.

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

ANIMAL CARE IS GATEWAY TO THE GOSPEL Penn Veterinary Students Minister Locally, Abroad listic world view,” he said. “Occasionally they have profesA group of Christian professionals and students sors who will belittle Christians…They get the feeling these at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary PENN smart people don’t believe, so believing isn’t intellectually Fellowship are using their veterinary skills to ‘up there.’” help people, locally and abroad, to know God’s love.

The UPVF provides a venue for them to interact with A graduate ministry, the University of Pennsylvania VeteriChristian faculty who encourage them in their faith and exnary Fellowship (UPVF) is a chapter of the Christian Veteriemplify that the Gospel is intellectually sound. “It encournary Mission (CVM). According to Christina Tolman, director ages them that nobody has anything intellectually up on the of student outreach for the Seattle-based organization, the misGospel,” Atchison says. sion is “to challenge, empower, and facilitate veterinarians to In addition to providing encouragement serve others through their profession and livand spiritual respite for the students, the UPVF ing out their Christian faith.” also carries the missional component of the The Penn chapter brings students together once a week as an “oasis” amidst the national organization. According to Atchison, intense rigors of vet school, says the UPVF’s more than a half dozen students have gone on faculty advisor, Dr. Michael Atchison. Somemissions trips, mostly to Central America. One times students spend a lunch hour doing student even went back to Nicaragua for a Bible study, sometimes they read an article, short-term trip after graduation. and sometimes they share testimonies.

Through the CVM missions opportuniFor veterinary student Michelle Zappaties, students and veterinarians work closely costa ’11, the ministry is about support. with community members to help them bet“Support is one thing you cannot take ter care for their livestock and thereby better for granted in veterinary school,” she says. care for their community and families. As a Christian veterinarian Dr. “I knew that I needed the support from the result, the students and veterinarians are able James Ferguson shares his faith through his vocation.

One who brought me here…It’s great to to share the Gospel through the relationships know that I have people with me that believe they establish within those communities. and think more like I do—a more heavenly versus worldly But sharing their faith through their vocation is not remindset.” served only for those vets doing international missions.

That worldly mindset is a common one the students face “As a veterinarian, we have many opportunities to witwithin the scientific community at Penn, says Atchison. And ness to people every day,” Zappacosta said. “Often, clients that’s what makes the UPVF so relevant. think of us as part of their family or as friends; and we work “Sometimes [students] get hit from an atheistic, naturaclosely with other doctors, technicians, and receptionists.

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FAITH • AND • MEDICINE Those in your hospital get to see how you react to mundane things and catastrophic things. How you respond to things can really show others who you are and who you live for.”

It’s that integration of faith and vocation that University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine faculty member Dr. James Ferguson, Penn VMD ’81, exhibits in his professional life as professor of clinical studies.

“What we do in the workplace is part of what God has given us to do. How we express that in the workplace isn’t separate from what we do on Sunday—praying for discernment, guidance, for fellow co-workers, and praying that all the decisions we make in the workplace would bring honor to God.” For the veterinary students and professors, the workplace also includes the classrooms they share with their

non-believing peers. “They are missionaries on their own campuses,” said Tolman.

Ferguson admits that some of his peers think he is “foolish” for his Christian faith. But that doesn’t bother him, in fact, he prays for them. He also prays for a small group of students he meets with on a regular basis, some of whom are not Christian. He gave each of them Tim Keller’s book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, as a Christmas gift with a note asking that they promise to read it.

Therefore, while only a handful of the more than 100 veterinary students at Penn belong to the UPVF, it appears that they, along with their faculty mentors, know what it means to use their skills in science and caring for animals to share the Gospel with the people of their campus, and the world.

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

IN PERSON

THE ‘MISSION’ CONTINUES Ivy League Alumnus Helps Lead Historic Rescue Organization “I’d like to stay here as long as I feel I’m contributing.”

Thomas Hall, Princeton ’58 and Harvard Given his affinity for founder Jerry McAuley’s stated inM.B.A.’63, is a son of New York with an eye PRINCETON tent to “clean people up on the outside, while God cleans for financials and a heart for serving others. As them up on the inside,” it looks like Hall’s got tenure. director of development at the New York City Rescue MisSince 1872, the New York City Rescue Mission sion, he also has a unique vantage point when it comes to (NYCRM) has been providing the Gospel of Christ, food, today’s economy; Hall recently noted that giving is actushelter, and clothing, as well as an emoally up for some individuals. tional, psychological, and physical support “Less than 2 percent of our budget is base for men whose life circumstances government money, and that is strictly for force them to the streets. food. Another 75 to 80 percent is from inNYCRM, America’s first rescue misdividuals, and the rest is from foundations, sion, has endured while others have shut corporations, and churches,” said Hall, their doors. Executive Director James who worked at Wall Street firms for 25 VarnHagen says he talks to many who years before coming to the New York City wonder why NYCRM didn’t follow suit: Rescue Mission. “I have seen a lot of cases “They ask why we spend so much time of late where people have given more than and effort on doing this when our tax dolthey have in the past. We’re dealing with lars are doing it. They have completely such a basic need—shelter and food—that lost sight of the evangelical opportunity. given the restrictions, people have moved photo by Scott Abbott As a liberal posture crept into the Church, this up in their pecking order.”

Tom Hall, Princeton ’58 and Harvard M.B.A.’63, is the director [we heard more saying] ‘do the social Hall, who first studied chemical enof development at the New York gospel but don’t necessarily get involved gineering and then realized he didn’t City Rescue Mission. with the spiritual end of things.’ That’s want to pursue science for a living, says,

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IN PERSON the temptation; it is easier to feed people than to get on a one-on-one basis and find out where they are with God.” Hall says when someone walks in the door, “the first issue is the person taking responsibility for where they are.”

From that point, there are a couple of offerings, beginning with spiritual development. Those who are prepared to take full advantage of what the Mission has to offer stay onsite for up to a year and are put to work. “We have a lot of jobs,” says Hall. “Part of recovery is doing something on a regular basis and being relied upon. [That] isn’t necessarily something that’s been a part of their lives.” There is also an educational component. “Some cannot read or write, so we get them basic skills. Others want their GED and there is other interest in learning more about computers. It’s quite a comprehensive program.”

Since last summer, the mission’s meal count has risen 20 percent, and monthly food pantry counts are double what they were last year. NYCRM has 100 beds and 40 sleeping mats and has recently completed a renovation of its kitchen, food storage, and dining room, enabling them to store more food and provide more food service. The offices are being remodeled, and future plans are for the addition of three floors, a plan Hall says, “would double our

capacity of residents and transient services. That is going to be a multimillion-dollar venture. We have been named in an estate as residual beneficiaries, which should be worth several million, and that will open an opportunity for us to seek other support. It’s probably a three to five year plan.”

VarnHagen recalls an instance when a man walked in the door, clearly agitated and itching all over. “His immediate need was relief from lice. We gave him a bath and treatment for his condition and he came back day after day thanking us for that. We deal with hunger more than we do with lice, but everybody understands hunger. We often say a changed life often starts with a hot meal.”

In another instance, a pianist was asked to come to the Mission to play during one of their nightly services. There, the musician heard the men give testimonies, and he began to question himself, asking how these men who had so little could be happy while he had food, clothing, and shelter and didn’t feel the same. “He went home to his apartment, knelt down, and accepted the Lord,” said VarnHagen.

“Sometimes, while we’re meeting the needs of the downand-outers, we get the up-and-outers also.”

By Naadu Blankson Seck, Columbia ’10

‘LET NO MAN DESPISE THY YOUTH’ President Picks Princeton Alumnus to Lead Faith-Based Partnerships Office Nine years ago, Joshua DuBois, Princeton *05, was an undergraduate student at Boston UniverPRINCETON sity. Today, he works for the President of the United States.

This February, during the National Prayer Breakfast, President Barack Obama, Columbia ’83, Harvard Law ’91, announced DuBois’ appointment as director of the White House Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. A Pentecostal minister, DuBois oversees the organization designed to serve as a “resource for nonprofits and community organizations, both secular and faith-based,” according to the White House. DuBois previously served as religious affairs director for President Obama’s political campaign.

DuBois first became politically active while at Boston University in 1999 when he stood in front of a Boston Martin Luther King Memorial holding a sign for 41 hours. Each

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hour represented the number of times an unarmed immigrant named Amadou Diallo was shot by four New York police officers. It was also during college when DuBois, the son of an African Methodist Episcopal minister, went deeper into his own faith and found his spiritual home at a small Assemblies of God Church in Cambridge.

“Initially, I was not interested in reintegrating myself in a Christian community, because I figured I knew it all, growing up in the church,” DuBois said in a Boston Globe interview. “But what I didn’t really know was how to have a personal relationship with Jesus.” Despite DuBois’ faith in Jesus Christ and his political activism and campaign experience, his selection to head up the high-profile office has raised some eyebrows due to his age and perceived lack of experience. According to a January Washington Times article, religious leaders “expressed concern” over the appointment because “Mr. DuBois, 26, has no experience working

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IN PERSON cause of those kind of regulations…” with charities.” The article also reports that his name is unDuBois told the Associate Press that “The big picture is familiar among some of the country’s major denominations. that President Obama believes faith-based and smaller sec“We’ve never heard from him,” Assemblies of God ular neighborhood organizations can play a role in Amerispokeswoman Juleen Turnage told the Times. “I wonder can renewal. They can work with the federal government what kind of connection and validity he’ll have with to address big problems. We’re also churches.” Catholic Charities and going to make sure we have a the Family Research Council were keener eye toward the separation of also reportedly unfamiliar with church and state.”

DuBois.

And expect Christian groups to President Obama sees otheralso be watching with a keen eye to wise, stating that “Joshua undermake sure their rights are not tramstands the issues at stake, knows the pled. people involved, and will be able to In his new position, DuBois also bring everyone together—from both serves as executive director of the the secular and faith-based commuPresident’s Advisory Council on nities, from academia and politics— Faith-Based and Neighborhood around our common goals.”

Partnerships. The 25 council memJohn DiIulio, Penn ’80 and Harbers serve for one year, and include vard Ph.D. ’86, was the first pick five Ivy League alumni: Judith N.

by President George W. Bush (Yale Vredenburgh, Penn ‘70, president ’68 and Harvard Business School Joshua DuBois, Princeton *05, was recently selected to head the White House and CEO of Big Brothers/Big Sis’75) for the same job. “He is smart.

Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood ters of America; Rabbi David N. He is calm. He is steady,” said DiPartnerships.

Iulio in a New York Times article. “I Saperstein, Cornell ’69, director and counsel, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; Fred think he’s very close to the new president. He’d be a good Davie, Yale M.Div. ’82, president of Public/Private Venguy to do it.” tures; Melissa Rogers, Penn School of Law ‘91, director of President Obama believes there is need for the office Wake Forest School of Divinity Center for Religion and and that it can be effective under his administration. Still Public Affairs; and Richard Stearns, Cornell ’73 and Wharin question is how the new office will handle church and ton MBA ’75, president of World Vision. state matters differently than the previous administration.

While the effectiveness of this new faith-based initia“Most churches have concerns they’d be forced to hire tive may continue to be debated, what is certain is that the people who do not believe or follow their church’s core young minister who found his activist voice on a Boston mission,” said Tom McClusky, vice president of governstreet corner has much to consider from his new vantage mental affairs for the Family Research Council, in the point on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Washington Times. “Traditionally, not a lot of conservaBy Eileen Scott, Senior Writer tive groups have worked with the faith-based office be-

“The big picture is that President Obama believes faith-based and smaller secular neighborhood organizations can play a role in American renewal. They can work with the federal government to address big problems...”

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IN PERSON

COMING TO AMERICA Foreign Student Utilizes Opportunities to Share Christ ing friends to events, talking to roommates—and even to atheA Ghana native is using his new stomping ists—about the Gospel, and is rarely silent about his faith.” grounds at Harvard University as a mission HARVARD Damaris Taylor ’12 echoed Nowalk’s comments. field. “[Malm] always has a smile on his face, and he will alCarl Malm ’12 isn’t reserved about sharing his Christways bring you up. That charisma is needed to mobilize peoian faith, even on a campus that represents this nation’s pinple as to why we are so excited about Christ,” Taylor said. nacle of academic elitism—and one that could be Malm has a “fervor—his energy is crazy.” But, he mainconsidered hostile terrain for evangelism. tains a “cool-mind demeanor” when sharing his Christian “I’m not the most politically correct person,” Malm faith with nonbelievers, Taylor said. “The sincerity he has quipped. “I don’t have too much of a problem sharing.” about loving God comes through.”

Malm also is using his faith to play As for Malm’s commitment to another important role at Harvard. The prayer, much of that originates from neurobiology major serves as the his family background. Malm deprayer and revival catalyst with Chrisscribed his mother, Evelyn, as an intian Union’s campus ministry. tensely spiritual woman who has A self-described prayer warrior, endured a series of hardships.

Malm dedicated his life to Christ when “Sometimes, struggles make you he was sixteen years old. Today, he very committed,” Malm said. “My leads a team of students in praying for mother went through a lot. That’s why revival at the country’s oldest and I have faith that is so strong.” most revered university.

While Malm is deeply spiritual, he “All of the campus ministries seem lightheartedly relates that his decision to be marshalling up for revival,” to attend Harvard came down to a coin Malm said. “There’s a new move of Ghana native Carl Malm, Harvard ’12, toss. the Spirit on the campus.” is unabashed about sharing his faith.

During his gap year following Over the summer, Malm learned of boarding school, Malm took college entrance exams and Christian Union’s Harvard outreach from Ministry Fellow applied to Harvard and Yale. When he was accepted into Nick Nowalk, who contacted him via Facebook. both institutions, Malm prayed and flipped a coin to deterMalm embraced the opportunity to participate in cammine his matriculation. pus ministry because he understands the necessity of Christian companionship. “I knew what bad company could do, “My oldest brother wanted me to go to school in the so I was really looking for a good group,” he said.

States. He convinced me to apply,” Malm said. “My parIn particular, Malm said he appreciates Christian ents were obviously enthused about [choosing Harvard] but Union’s commitment to tackling the intellectual issues asnot about me being so far from home.” sociated with being a believer in the Ivy League.

So far, Malm’s adjustment to a new campus and coun“I fell in love with the philosophy,” he said. “I see that try has been fairly smooth. “I thought it would be a lot more I’m able to defend the faith more to people who have quesdifficult,” he said. “It’s not too much of a cultural shock.” tions and to answer questions from students. It strengthens For now, Malm, who hopes to study medicine at Harmy faith.” vard before returning to Ghana, is focused on helping seFurthermore, as a pre-med student, Malm said he apcure the foundation for Christian Union’s campus ministry. preciates opportunities within the ministry to probe the “I’m glad I can render my services. It’s always been my compatibility of science and Christianity. desire to be used as God wants me to be used,” he said. “It’s Not surprisingly, Nowalk described Malm as “naturally been fantastic.” bold and outgoing—a natural evangelist. He is constantly invitBy Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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MAKING CHRIST KNOWN THROUGH SERVICE Catholic Community Convenes at Columbia of the Columbia Catholic Ministry, it is certainly an asset The Catholic Ministry at Columbia University and is, at its core, the foundation of the ministry. (www.columbia.edu/cu/earl/ccm) celebrated the COLUMBIA Most events are open to the student body public and Lenten season with several special events and newcomers. In March, an on-campus retreat was led by Fr. also continued, in the tradition of Mother Teresa, to reach James Sullivan, O.P., an American Dominican priest. out to the poor.

“Fr. James preached at the daily mass and spoke at greater The Columbia Catholic Ministry serves both graduate length during adoration in the evening, last Monday through and undergraduate students. The congregation regularly has Wednesday, about three of St. Paul’s letters and what St. Paul approximately 200 to 300 students and faculty members in can teach us about faith, hope, and charity during Lent,” said attendance for Sunday mass.

Alyssa DeSocio ’09, president of Columbia Catholic UnderThis ministry is also heavily involved with community graduates. outreach—some students Daily masses were held teach religious education at at St. Paul’s Chapel, and Ascension Catholic School nightly masses at the on Tuesday evenings and Church of Notre Dame.

Saturday mornings, and “In addition to our others assist in a soup Lenten vigil night of kitchen and help tutor prayer, we prepared for students after school at Easter by praying the StaSt. Joseph’s Covenant in tions of the Cross every Harlem.

Friday evening,” explained St. Joseph’s Covenant DeSocio. is an affiliate of the MisAfter the students sionaries of Charity, one of prayed together, they went several faith-based organiover to Ford Hall, the zations inspired by Mother Students with the Catholic Ministry at Columbia serve at St. Catholic graduate student Teresa’s work. The MisJoseph’s Convent, an affiliate of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa. residence, for a “simple sionaries of Charity was supper.” begun in 1946 in response Ford Hall, located just off Columbia’s campus, is a to Mother Teresa’s inspiration and calling to make Christ place that “builds community and furthers spiritual growth known to the destitute through her service. through shared responsibility, study, service, and prayer.”

“The Missionaries of Charity is an international reliResidents prepare communal meals, undertake household gious family of pontifical right composed of active and tasks, work to engage the larger Columbia community, and contemplative branches with perpetual public vows of worship together. chastity, poverty, obedience, and wholehearted and free Whether worshipping, praying, serving each other or service to the poorest of the poor, leading each sister to the community at large, students at Columbia Catholic Minthe perfect love of God and neighbor and making the istry exemplified the compassionate, sacrificial love of Church fully present in the world of today,” says the orgaJesus Christ during the Easter season. nization’s website.

Although community involvement is not a requirement

By Melanie Eaton, Contributing Writer

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A B O U T • M I N I S T RY

TIME OUT FOR TRAINING Christian Union Staff Gathers for Contemplation and Renewal ened to engage and minister to people that I’m in relationFor a week in January, Christian Union ministry ships with [and] who ultimately become friends of the minmembers, some from as far away as Texas, came istry in some way.” together at the Wilson House in Princeton for its Nick Nowalk, a ministry fellow at biannual staff training.

Harvard, spoke about Facebook and its “One of the best things about our usefulness for campus outreach. He emtraining was getting to know so many phasized the site as an opportunity to of the staff [members] on a more perinteract with students where they spend sonal level,” said Christian Union Event their time—on the computer. There was Coordinator Jim Jenks, who traveled also fervent prayer for attendees and the from Georgia. ministry as a whole. Given the chalThis year’s training included a preslenging economic times and their imentation by Vern Poythress, professor pact on non-profit organizations, of New Testament Interpretation at ministry members prayed for God’s Westminster Theological Seminary. blessing on Christian Union and Ivy Poythress earned a Ph.D. in mathematLeague campus ministries. ics at Harvard in 1970. In his talk on George Taylor (Yale ’68, MDiv. science, creation, and how faith in God ’71), director of public affairs for the makes science more extraordinary, he Boston area, said he “especially apprenoted that “science ought to be in worVern Poythress, Harvard, Ph.D.’70, ciated the times of prayer and just seekship of God.” He also said that since huspoke about God and science to ing the Lord. To me, it’s just so mans want control over their own lives, those attending Christian Union’s quarterly training. important to be doing the Lord’s work scientists often rebel against their natuin His way, under the direction, anointral instincts to worship Him and end up ing, and power of the Holy Spirit.” worshipping nature instead.

The training was also a time for building camaraderie, For Christine Johnson (Princeton ’81), director of pubas ministry members shared meals and a friendly American lic affairs for the Southeastern United States, the presentation provided more stimulus than what she experiences on Idol-inspired karaoke competition. In a close competition a daily basis. “Coming to training provides me with the with Jim Jenks, Ministry Fellow Chuck Hetzler won the ability to be intellectually engaged on a level I don’t have favor of the three judges for his stirring rendition of The in the community of believers I worship with. What I learn Commodores’ “Easy (Like Sunday Morning).” here will be relevant to [future ministry work]. I’m strengthBy Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

PENETRATING SPIRITUAL INDIFFERENCE Revival is the Topic at Christian Union’s New York City Event God is bringing the nations to the neighborhoods of New York City, according to Dr. McKenzie Pier, president of the New York City Leadership Center and Concerts of Prayer Greater New York. “We have an opportunity to see this city filled with faith,” he said.

“God is using this city to be a catch-basin for the world.”

Spring 2009

Pier discussed the challenges of igniting revival in the world’s third-largest megalopolis when he addressed the New York City Christian Union on January 14 at the Harvard Club, where he also highlighted the importance of prayer in revival.

Immigrants from South America and Africa are helping

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A B O U T • M I N I S T RY at the dawn of a major revival that shook New York City. to change the spiritual landscape of one of the most unIn that era, more than 30,000 men were “idle” and reached—but globally influential—cities in history, accorddrunkenness was “rampant,” according to historical acing to Pier. The voices of immigrant believers are part of a counts. As well, the issue of slavery split the young nation. divine strategy to penetrate a deep-rooted culture of spiriBut one individual, businessman Jeremiah Lanphier, tual indifference. Their influence is increasingly apparent. initiated daily noontime prayer meetings that sparked an About 75 percent of churches in New York City have outbreak of prayer across New York City and eventually the started since 1970, and the majority of those are immigrant country. The Fulton Street Revival launched a movement churches. Among the demographics, recent counts point to that helped birth nearly 1 million conversions nationwide about 2,500 Hispanic churches and another 140 African and played a role in establishing the congregations.

Third Great Awakening.

“There’s usually an inverse relaAlong those lines, Pier hightionship between affluence and spirlighted the Old Testament account itual receptivity,” Pier said. “The of Nehemiah. God used this single Christians that are immigrating are man to restore safety and order to coming in from a posture of having the ruined city of Jerusalem around much fewer material possessions 445 B.C. but a much greater spiritual dependNehemiah, a devoted leader who ency.” fervently interceded for Jerusalem, As well, immigrant believers and a remnant of believers rehave connections to reach their unsponded to a divine challenge to churched peers. “It creates a pretty build the city walls, even in the face significant evangelistic opportuDr. McKenzie Pier, president of New York of opposition and hardship. nity,” he said.

City Leadership Center, spoke about igniting revival within the city at the New The account of Nehemiah illusFurthermore, the influx of zealYork City Christian Union event at the trates that prayer, service, and leadous newcomers could profoundly Harvard Club. ership go together. “Nehemiah touch the nation’s cultural capital. teaches us what are the fundamentals that God uses to bring “There really is a great opportunity as we are able to influabout a revival in a particular city,” Pier said. ence, encourage, and shape the Christians who are immiThe parallels are striking, Pier noted. grating into New York and to disciple leaders in places of Today, just 0.5 percent of Midtown, Manhattan’s iconic culture,” said Pier. commercial, news, and entertainment powerhouse, is evanAs for some of the issues tied to diversity, “prayer is one gelical. And, at a broader level, Greater New York City is thing that more than anything else connects us to one ancharacterized by shocking socio-economic disparity among other,” he said. its 18.8 million residents.

Since 1987, Concerts of Prayer has organized and proHowever, the potential of revival in the municipal giant moted a stream of corporate prayer for New York City and has global consequences. Five of the country’s six major beyond. Ultimately, prayer is the key to spiritual as well as media outlets are headquartered in Midtown. And, 10 percent economic revival, Pier told the audience of 50-plus at the of the world’s economy is rooted in a corridor that stretches Harvard Club of New York City. between Manhattan and Albany, New York, Pier said.

Along related lines, the current fiscal downturn has Just as Nehemiah pleaded for his ancient city, Pier—aubrought enhanced opportunities to share Christ’s Gospel, thor of The Power of a City at Prayer—encouraged believespecially to those who labor in the financial sector or have been impacted by its meltdown. ers to petition God for an awakening in the country’s most Likewise, Pier is quick to compare the spiritual and populous city. monetary challenges of today to those that existed in 1857

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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AN IMPACTING MOVEMENT African-American Ministry Holds National Conference to be able to attend this year’s Impact conference. I learned Students from Penn and Cornell joined 1,200 so much from the speakers, and I really felt like I was there other students and professionals who gathered in ALL IVY for a reason…It was also rewarding to go out and speak to Atlanta for the Impact Movement’s (www.imthe people of Atlanta and discuss their views of Jesus Christ pactmovement.com) biennial national conference in late Deand religion. To know that over 200 people accepted Christ cember. Attendees heard from various speakers, participated was mind-blowing.” in an urban outreach project, and met students from other ImIn keeping with Pastor Mason’s teaching, sharing the pact chapters across the nation during the six-day event.

Gospel was not just a one-time experience on Outreach Day. Mission: Possible, the theme of this year’s conference, Students from Penn and Cornell left the conference inspired to was derived from Matthew 19:26: “Jesus looked at them participate in regular outreach activities on their college camand said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all puses and in the surrounding cities. Penn students made plans things are possible.’” for regular, monthly evangelism on Speakers challenged students Penn’s campus and in the city of to think about what seems imposPhiladelphia. sible in their own lives. Author, Gabrielle Boyle, Cornell ’09, speaker, and singer Michelle McKsaid, “Attending the Impact coninney-Hammond led a session on ference has invigorated, inspired, love, love relationships, and intiand charged us to take the truth of macy with God. Pastor Eric Mason Jesus Christ to our campus. We shared that the good news about plan to use this newness to evanevangelism is that the Gospel is not gelize in creative ways…mirrora one-day experience but a contining the evangelistic opportunity ual process. Other seminar topics the conference outlined, we have included “Get off the Roller Charles Gilmer, Penn ’81, (at podium) and his Coaster: Live by the Spirit” and scheduled consistent campus outwife Rebecca, Penn ’80, (standing) addressed reach on our campus.”

“More than Hugs and Handshakes: Ivy League students and alumni at the all Ivy For the students from the Penn What Biblical Unity Looks Like.” luncheon held during the Higher Call Impact Conference this winter. and Cornell chapters, networking True to the name of the organwith other Impact chapters was ization, an “impact movement” among their goals for the conference. They were able to acdid occur. On December 30, all 1,200 attendees canvassed complish this, in part, through the Ivy Luncheon, an event the city, going to juvenile detention centers, distributing sponsored by Christian Union during the conference. For the boxes of food to individual homes, and conducting open air third consecutive year, Mikaela Levons, Princeton ’04, evangelism. Penn students went to a park near their hotel to helped organize the luncheon for students to share their exminister to various homeless people there. Some Cornell periences as Christians in the Ivy League. Boyle said, “Attenstudents led two men to Christ. Trina Smith, Wharton ’10, dees expressed the power of thousands of college students said, “It was quite an amazing and eye-opening experience excited about the Lord. Many shared that in a secular world as we got to talk with Muslims, pantheists, and people who it feels as though they are the only ones traveling this Chrisknew the Bible almost better than we did!” tian journey. They appreciate all of the dynamic speakers and As a result of similar conversations and kind acts perbelieve the conference has positively affected their lives. Othformed by students attending the conference, 217 people ers are extremely excited and thankful for the funds.” came to accept Christ as their Savior.

Kathleen Isaac, Penn ’09, said, “It was truly a blessing

By Elyse Lee, Cornell ’08

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A HOUSE UNDIVIDED Ministries Join Forces to Offer Some Needed TLC

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(www.Christian-Union) and College Hill for Christ at Dartmouth (www.collegehillforchrist.com) arrived at the Hinkson home, but not to hang out. As Jesus counseled his disciples, they traveled light. Upon arrival, they dropped their backpacks in the entry foyer, picked up paintbrushes and tools and began reviving the home that will in turn serve so many.

By the time they were done, the team had primed and painted the large living room and an upstairs bedroom, took down old wallpaper and repaired the front door. Jon Hinkson, who likened the experience to an old-fashioned barn-raising, said the work done by the ministry team would have taken him and Anita 150 hours to complete alone.

The work was a labor of love for Chris West, ministry director of College Hill for Christ at Dartmouth. “I really love Jon and Anita,” he photo by Eileen Scott said. “They’ve been amazing Chris West, Director of contributors to the overall efChristian Impact at fort of Campus Crusade for Dartmouth, traveled from New Hampshire to help many years. [After seeing] fellow ministers Jon and the series of unfortunate Anita Hinkson. events and drama they’ve been through the past couple of years, I wanted to do something tangible to support them.”

More than one campus ministry came together to help the Hinksons, a fact not lost on the veteran. “People imagine that there’s a sense of competition between different groups,” he said, adding that when there are challenging situations, there is immediate kinship.

“It really doesn’t matter,” agreed Laaurie Knapke, a Christian Union ministry team member. “We’re all in this together, serving God and trying to reach the Ivy League.

It’s so appropriate that we would all pull together. We all work for God and so we’re all partners in that.”

But the time together was not all work. “You couldn’t have so many brothers and sisters in the Lord together and not have praise and worship,” Hinkson told the team as they took time out for their weekly staff meeting. Hinkson also led the group in an a capella version of “Crown Him with

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In addition to seeking transformation of their campuses, college ministries also share a comYALE mon bond—a love for the Lord and their neighbors in ministry. Recently, that camaraderie was demonstrated in an act of service.

Jon Hinkson, Princeton ’85, and his wife Anita, Yale ’88, have lived in New Haven, Connecticut for more than 15 years. Long-time ministers with Yale Students for Christ (www.yalestudentsforchrist.org), the couple currently works with the Rivendell Institute (www.rivendell institute.org). Famous for opening their doors to those in physical and spiritual need, the Hinkson’s home has been a haven for students, missionaries, and weary travelers. photo by Eileen Scott This fall, however, the Hinksons moved from their Dan Knapke and Scott Jones (Cornell ’04) of flood-prone inner-city resiChristian Union were part dence to a house on higher of the team that helped ground near Yale Divinity renovate the home of fellow ministers, Jon and School. The catalyst for the Anita Hinkson of Yale’s move was mold in the baseRivendell Institute. ment that was making Anita, who suffers from an autoimmune disorder, sick. But the couple acquired a new set of challenges with the move.

Their new residence is a 1928 English cottage-style home complete with stained glass windows and an arch-shaped front door. While charming, the home was affordable because of its need of renovation. Since they had already made a longterm commitment to ministering to the Yale community, the Hinksons were happy to invest the time to recreate the house as another resting place. However, with Anita’s daily health issues, and Jon’s hectic ministry schedule and limited do-ityourself experience, the work proved daunting. So when the Hinksons joined other Ivy campus ministers at the Ministry Prayer Conference sponsored by Christian Union last December, they shared their situation and asked for prayer, which happened on the spot.

Shortly after the New Year, they also got helping hands.

Staff and ministry members from Christian Union

A B O U T • M I N I S T RY Many Crowns.” “It was good fun to be able to sing hymns, pray together and knock out a lot of work,” Hinkson said.

For Princeton Faith and Action Fellow Lorri Bentch, Princeton ’91, helping the Hinksons was an opportunity to give back for the help she and her husband received from church members when they bought a run-down home in Princeton. She calls it “painting it forward.” If Jon Hinkson

has his way, that momentum will continue. “I hope this could be a regular type of thing,” he said. “If we need to ‘raise someone else’s barn’ I’ll grab my hammer and overalls.”

As for the Hinkson home, it has hosted several guests since the helpers left, and the newly fixed front door continues to remain open for others in need of hospitality.

By Eileen Scott Senior Writer

REACHING • OUT

‘LOVING PEOPLE IN THE NAME OF JESUS’ ‘Spring Serve’ Spreads Gospel through Philadelphia Neighborhood Ten members of Penn Students for Christ spent plentiful industrial jobs to a troubled community with a reppart of their spring break partnering with other utation for drug and crime issues. In the last decade or so, PENN campus ministries and a local church to serve however, activists and developers have targeted sectors of residents of an inner-city community in Philadelphia.

Fishtown for gentrification.

The students were among 30 or so representatives from In addition, students also cleaned the church where Liberti meets and cooked dinner for the congregation on the final ministries at Pennsylvania, Temple, and Philadelphia uniday of their Spring Serve. This was Liberti’s second year to versities who joined forces to assist residents of Fishtown stage a major spring project involving college students. from March 13 to 15. Among the highlights of the weekend, In addition to Penn Students for Christ, the other minthe students, along with 50 or so members of Liberti istries involved included the Campus Crusade for Christ Church, cleaned up trash from eight blocks, handled more branch at Philadelphia University and the Coalition for than a dozen household and landscaping projects, and Christian Outreach chapter at Temple University. Penn Stustaged a carnival for children. dents for Christ is Campus Crusade’s arm at the University “Individual students were affected,” said David Rice of Pennsylvania. ’10, a leader with Penn Students for Christ (pennstudentsStudents, Liberti congregants, and Fishtown residents forchrist.org). “I’m praying that this attitude of service and were touched by their experiences. “There were a lot of oplove for people will grow.” portunities for new relationships with neighbors, just by A favorite activity for many of the students was a carnival they helped stage in the basement of the United Methodist Church where Liberti holds services. About 100 children and adults participated in the event, which featured games, prizes, and crafts.

“The place was instantly overrun. Amidst the riot of noise and movement, there was real joy,” said Susannah Krewson ’11, a leader with Penn Students for Christ. “I could sense the parents watching in deep appreciation of the attention and activities we provided.”

Earlier in the weekend, the group also Members of Penn Students For Christ helped pick up trash in an innerheard a lifelong resident describe the decline city Philadelphia community during their spring-break outreach efforts. of Fishtown from a safe neighborhood with

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REACHING • OUT doing unglamorous, practical service in the name of Jesus,” said Steve Huber, co-pastor of Liberti. “Loving people in the name of Jesus makes a huge impact.”

Likewise, students said they were impacted by their experiences serving in one of Philadelphia’s blighted, riverward neighborhoods.

“Reflecting on the events of the day on the subway home, I got this unforgettable picture of what exactly Jesus accomplished on the cross,” Krewson said. “That lot in Kensington was just one place in one city marred by one group’s sin and suffering…He took upon Himself not only that, but an entire world’s worth of strickenness and entire history of neediness as well. The breadth and depth of the atonement overwhelmed me afresh.”

Krewson was also impressed with the willingness of

Liberti to meet the needs of its community.

Dalton Banks ’12, a member of Penn Students for Christ, agreed. “It was really convicting to see the passion that Liberti’s elders have for sharing the love of Christ with the Fishtown community,” he said.

As well, Banks noted one Fishtown resident shared with him concern about the neglectful attitudes many Christians exhibit to the obvious needs around them. “As individuals and churches, we are so often hearers—and not doers—of the Word,” Banks said.

“So, it’s really been an amazing blessing for me—especially that weekend—getting to be involved in a community that, by God’s grace, is seeking to share the Gospel as well as live it.”

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

BREAKING THE MOLD College Hill for Christ Uses Relational Evangelism to Share God’s Love with one another and share their lives in a positive and In early January, roughly fifty Brown students meaningful way,” she said. gathered at Judson House, Christian Union’s BROWN According to CHC student leader Lorenna Ellis ’09, the ministry center on campus, for a night of relasister of Marquita Ellis, the theme for last semester’s mintional evangelism. istry meetings was “God’s Love for Us.” Therefore, she College Hill for Christ (www.collegehillforchrist.com) said, sharing God’s love with others through relational sponsored the evening, which included dinner, activities, and evangelism this semester was a natural outgrowth of what conversation. It was all part of helping Christians and non-bethe students had come to underlievers come together in a relaxing stand about that love. environment and talk about their “We know that relationships beliefs, concerns, and questions reare important in helping people garding the Christian faith.

“The meal was a great way to come to Christ,” Lorenna said. But she added that these events are both welcome guests and get to only one way a student would know them in a very relaxed setreach out to others on campus. ting,” said Phil Grice ’10 of ColCHC specifically invited memlege Hill for Christ (CHC). bers of Brown’s newly recognized “Relational Evangelism works atheist organization to attend the through deeper bonds between event and to share in the discuspeople. This makes the interaction Brown students discuss Christianity during a much more meaningful than talksions. “They put a big emphasis on relational evangelism event held at Christian Union’s Judson House. ing to strangers and provides opscience and talking about theories portunities for sharing your faith of evolution,” she said. “And we that require a certain level of trust or familiarity.” did get into an interesting discussion about morality.”

The act of sharing a meal was particularly meaningful, The discussion also provided an opportunity to learn according to Marquita Ellis ’12. “For CHC members and about opposing worldviews, she explained. Additionally, the president of the organization attended the event, and, their friends, just eating together allowed them to connect

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REACHING • OUT according to Lorenna, he had a “positive experience” and has returned for subsequent events.

Other guests were equally involved in the after-dinner discussions, and they “participated quite actively,” Grice said.

“They raised a number of important questions which, in turn, led to thoughtful discussion from everyone involved,” he said. “Everyone was interested in hearing the opposite perspective, and the guests in particular were interested in hearing the Christian viewpoint on various spiritual issues as well as the Christian responses to some of the challenges put forth against Christianity.”

According to Lorenna, an important component to the evening was to address whatever questions people came in with. One question brought up in her group was “What does worship entail, and why do you have to do it?” Lorenna responded by saying that “worship is something that humans do when they see something praiseworthy. They talk about it; they tell their friends. It’s not obligatory or duty-based.”

Ultimately, however, Lorenna said no matter the question, her hope is always that the conversation comes back to Jesus. “Basically,” she said, “the Holy Spirit guides the conversation to Jesus.”

These types of discussions of faith among students who have differing beliefs are rather common at Brown, Grice contends, although the preference tends to be to keep them benign.

“Here at Brown, I feel like everyone is willing to let oth-

ers believe whatever they want so long as those beliefs do not impinge on the lives of others,” Grice explained. “Most students are even willing to engage over spiritual beliefs and discuss alternate viewpoints, but usually from a more detached perspective. Most people seem less comfortable with more personal discussions of faith. [This] is where Relational Evangelism excels because trust and openness have already been established to some degree.”

According to Grice, the turnout of non-believing guests was a sign of the event’s success. However, according to Marquita, that success did not belong to the hosts.

“There is one element alone to which we can contribute this success… Jesus in the lives of our members and in the spirit of our outreach,” she said.

CHC hopes to continue interacting with non-Christians on campus by continuing to build relationships and share God’s love and word with the university community through future evangelism gatherings. Lorenna will be interning with CHC next year, and she said she hopes there can be an on-going relationship with non-believers on campus, particularly those involved in the atheist organization.

However, according to Marquita, future functions like this recent event will require the movement of the Spirit.

“We acknowledge that none of our efforts would have, or will ever, amount to anything unless He works in us and through us to accomplish His work in our lives and the lives of others,” she said.

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

IVY STUDENTS ATTEND ‘EPIC’ CONFERENCE Participants Take Gospel to Philadelphia Campuses, Streets Despite frigid conditions, teams of students participating in the Epic Movement’s annual conALL IVY ference for Asian-American students spent a Sunday afternoon sharing their faith at the University of Pennsylvania and other nearby campuses.

Some 30 students and staff partnered with a local church to reach Penn students as part of the conference’s Day of Outreach, while dozens of other students were dispatched across Philadelphia. Despite the challenging conditions and competition from the Philadelphia Eagles’ NFC Championship Game against Arizona, Epic staffer Glennis Shih said she was pleased with the efforts.

“We actually went out on a tough day,” said Shih, Cor-

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nell ’00, conference director. “Students were either not around campus or watching the big game, and it was mighty cold and snowing.”

“But, praise God, students were still able to find people to talk to. I was blessed to hear that many of the students who went out also shared their faith for the first time.”

Altogether, some 115 students, including a dozen with ties to the Ivy League, attended Epic Movement’s East Coast conference, which was held from January 16 to 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Philadelphia’s Center City. The conference, themed “Kingdom Come,” included students from Penn, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, and Columbia University, as well as alumni from Cornell and Princeton University.

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REACHING • OUT The Epic Movement (www.epicmovement.com), Camcountered. “That’s when I realized that a lot can be done by pus Crusade for Christ’s outreach to Asian-American stujust talking to people about faith and that I should be more dents, also held a West Coast conference during the same open to talking about it with friends,” he said. weekend in San Francisco.

Both Yeung and Yim are members of Living Water As for the Day of Outreach, participants were trained in Christian Fellowship, the college ministry of Chinese Chrisevangelism and shared their faith with students at Penn, tian Church & Center in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, while Drexel, and Temple universities; Community College of Yim also participates in PennforJesus (www.pennfor Philadelphia; and University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. jesus.com).

To assist in their efforts, many of the students used media inLaurence Lin, Cornell ’12, described his outreach excluding “Quest” surveys, “Soularium” image surveys, and perience at Drexel as “really cool.” film clips displayed via iPods.

“I always like engaging As well, a session at the in deep conversations with conference focused on ways strangers,” he said. “Someto share Christ’s Gospel via times, strangers are more iPods. “We just gave them willing to ask or answer ideas and resources as they hard questions than friends went out,” said Shih, an Epic are.” staffer on New York City Shih was impressed by campuses, including Columthe dedication the students bia University. “If we really exhibited in sharing their understand the message, it’s faith. “[Asian-Americans] easy to want to share it with tend to be more introverted others.” as a culture,” she said.

In all, conference partic“They came back seeing that ipants held some 187 conit’s not that hard to share versations and made 77 your faith. It’s a lot easier Members of Dartmouth’s Epic Movement joined others than you think.”

Gospel presentations. As a from around the Ivy League for the annual Epic Conference held in Philadelphia.

Conference speakers inresult, one student pledged cluded Kenji Adachi, associto return to church and othate pastor of Ambassador Bible Church of Centreville, ers expressed an interest in Christ’s Gospel.

Virginia; Melissa Dyo, a nursing instructor and graduate Among the participants, Sarah Yeung (Penn ’10), shared student in Southern California; and Tommy Dyo, national her faith at Penn’s Moravian Café. director of the Epic Movement.

“I was able to initiate a few meaningful conversations Students expressed their appreciation for the speakers about spirituality and God with some graduate students,” and new friends. “I was just so thankful that I have such Yeung said. “I am thankful that I was able to share with brothers and sisters here to assist me in my walk with God,” them my story and receive a part of their stories.” said Ki Suh Jung, Dartmouth ’11.

Young Yim, Penn ’10, also shared the Gospel on his Cornell alumna Noelle Dong ’00, who volunteered as a home academic turf. “It was weird at first because it was small-group leader for the event, was impressed with the my own campus and I’ve never straight-up gone to random enthusiasm of the students. “I left the conference excited students and evangelized,” Yim said. “A lot of people were for this generation of students as they take the ideas and actually receptive to going through our faith questionnaire skills they learned back to their campuses,” she said. and listening to what we believed.”

Later that evening, Yim prayed for the people he enBy Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY Dartmouth College Gospel Choir Performs at Inauguration cal issues, such as finding housing for members of the choir The Dartmouth College Gospel Choir reprein an overcrowded and excited city. This project was spearsented its school through energetic and joyful DARTMOUTH headed by Meg Sommerfield ’90, who currently lives in spiritual music at the inauguration of President Washington, DC. She and her husband, Jay Matson ’91, reBarack Obama, Columbia ’83 and Harvard Law ’91. cruited alumni volunteers to house pairs of students. Aided The choir performed at the Inaugural Finance Commitby the Dartmouth Club of Washington, DC, a former Darttee’s Welcome Breakfast at the National Building Museum mouth Choir member, and Steve Donovan, regional affairs on January 18. Nearly 80 singers and band members delivdirector in Alumni Relations, Sommerfield was able to sucered songs such as “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “Sunday Blues,” cessfully find housing for the choir members and fully bring and “Lovely Day,” and also shared the stage with Grammythis extraordinary opportunity into reality. winning artists Yolanda Adams, BeBe Winans, and Carole But Sommerfield did not stop there. Since the performKing. Solo performances were given by recent Dartmouth ance for the Finance Committee was a private affair, she graduates Khadijah Bermiss ’08 and Anike Adekoya ’08. wanted to give the public a chance to witness the choir live.

“Words cannot express how excited and grateful I am “I’ve seen the Gospel Choir for the choir to have been given perform before, at Club Offithis extraordinary, once-in-acers Weekend in Hanover, and lifetime opportunity,” said I know how great they are,” she Choir Director Walt Cunningsaid in Alumni News. ham. “From very early in the campaign—when Barack Although it was not easy to Obama held an event at my fafind a venue big enough to hold ther’s namesake school, the an 80-member choir during Walt Cunningham, Sr. School such an epic weekend, the Calof Excellence in Waterloo, vary United Methodist Church Iowa—I have had my mind set in Arlington was finally loon getting an Inauguration gig. cated. The venue was large Dartmouth’s Gospel Choir performs during inaugural That this became a reality is enough not only for the entire festivities for President Barack Obama, Columbia ‘83 truly amazing.” choir, but also for about 150 auand Harvard Law ‘91 This excitement of perdience members. forming at Obama’s inauguration was infectious among stuThe Dartmouth College Gospel Choir repertoire condents as well. sists of music ranging from spirituals to contemporary hits, “I went to the inauguration because I feel like the mesincluding many non-traditional musical adaptations and colsage that Gospel Choir tries to bring resonates very well laborations. The choir has performed at the New Orleans with Barack Obama’s platform,” said Yung-Jae Chen ’10, Jazz & Heritage Festival and New York City’s Jazz at Lina member of Gospel Choir’s management team. Chen also coln Center, and has given a three-week tour across Europe found his involvement with the Gospel Choir to be enrichover Christmas break 2007. ing spiritually. “As a Catholic, Gospel Choir was some“Whenever I’m on stage and I see how people in the authing completely new to me. This is a whole new medium dience are reacting to us, and how our music is actually of expressing my faith. It reminds me that my faith is touching them—that is really significant for me,” said Heidi something I actively want to understand and am always Tan ’11, an international student from Singapore. “[We are] learning about.” bringing God’s love to people through music.”

The gig becoming a reality also involved huge logistiBy Layne Zhao, Dartmouth ’09

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LEARN. PRAY. SEND. GO. Missions Conference Shines ‘Light’ on Cornell Students Approximately 100 students at Cornell Univerof the room represented different areas of the world. The sity gathered on a Saturday evening in Februprogram, in sync with the walls, included a plethora of facts CORNELL ary for Light ‘09, an inter-ministry event that and figures about select countries such as Afghanistan, combined prayer for the nations and a mobilization of misBrazil, China, and Sudan, and the condition of believers and sions. persecution in each country. Throughout the time of prayer, The welcome and aim of Light ‘09 was for students to students continually scattered around the room to pray and “LEARN about missions, PRAY for the nations, and conlearn as each of the walls projected pictures from previous sider how we [students] can SEND missionaries and even missions trips. Students from six different campus minGO ourselves on missions.” istries—from freshmen to seniors and graduate students— Light ’09 was planned and executed by members of prayed together for the redemption of the nations. campus ministries and funded by Christian Union “Before Light ‘09, I didn’t know much about missions (www.christian-union.org) and or why some people spend their Cornell’s Korean Church of lives involved in it,” said JesCornell English Ministry sica Hwang ’12. “[Light ‘09] (www.kccem.org). The feareally helped me understand tured speaker was alumna why college students should Elyse Lee ‘07, who works as a care about missions and why special projects coordinator for there’s no better time for us to Pioneers (www.pioneers.org), a get involved. Before Light, I almissions organization that foways thought of missions as cuses on reaching out to unsomething that only certain reached people groups. people were equipped to do, Lee explained that the aim but now I realize that God will of her talk “was to challenge equip you when He calls on students’ perspective on ‘callyou.”

Cornell Christians from different ministries came ing’ and missions.”

Another conference partictogether to pray and learn more about missions “There is so much emphaipant, Sanghee Suh ’09, said, during Light ’09. sis on calling that we have “Mission starts from the heart. come to believe that this is the most important question in It doesn’t come from a fleeting desire to travel to another missions,” she said. “The question should never be if we country, or an emotional high. It comes from a quiet but steady desire to share God with others...Seeing missions in can be involved, but how we should be involved in the misthe global context made me realize how the life of a colsion of God for the redemption of all nations. I hope that lege student is just a small part of God’s Kingdom. I learned students walked away knowing that, and that calling is not that it is important to be informed of the issues overseas, the thing we should be pursuing, but rather Jesus Christ but more so, that it is important to cultivate the heart to care Himself.” for those issues.”

During the message, Lee went on to assert that “mis“We hope that the event was one way to encourage the sions is not about romanticizing the missions field, but Body of Christ at Cornell to really seek and know God’s about love for God. It’s about a passionate pursuit for global heart and His mission for the people of this world,” Christ...before the Great Commission or other small comsaid Sara Woo ’09, a leader of the committee that planned mands, Christ says ‘Follow me’ in our daily, day-to-day mothe event. “One thing we really wanted to emphasize was that ments.” there are so many more aspects to missions than just ‘going.’

A time of prayer for the nations followed the introducWe hope that in whatever way, whether praying, sending, or tion of praise and the mobilization message as the four walls

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REACHING • OUT going, Christians would see that missions is not just for ‘super-Christians,’ but for every person who desires to follow Christ. It would be wonderful to see God raise up many workers for the harvest this summer and post-graduation.”

As Behzad Varamini ’09, the master of ceremonies, so

eloquently concluded, “Loving the glory of God means we align ourselves with His mission...May we be a people who bear witness to His light...that God would use the evening to transform us, to be prayers, senders, and goers.”

By Charity Hung, Cornell ’09

SOCIAL • JUSTICE

FIXING THE HOLE IN OUR GOSPEL A Former Executive Confronted His Commitment by Aiding the Poor from a corner office in corporate America to a dirt floor in As president of World Vision, Richard Stearns Uganda wasn’t simple or natural for the self-made Stearns. has looked into the face of poverty countless CORNELL He worked hard as a young boy and saved money to help times. In his new book, The Hole in Our afford the Ivy League education he believed would take him Gospel, the Cornell and Wharton Business School alumnus from his financially disadvantaged youth. As a college stushares a portrait of the poor and hungry that exposes a disdent, he fought coming to faith in Jesus Christ, and only connect between faith and action. He brings readers along after extensive exploration of Christianhis personal journey from being CEO of ity’s tenets did he give his life to the Lord.

Lenox, a luxury tableware company, to Stearns became the quintessential working among the starving, whose tables Christian executive—active in his church, are empty. a supporter of charitable organizations, a “I wrote this book because I believe Bible on his desk. He also lived the good there is something fundamentally missing life, including a 10-bedroom home and a in the way that Americans understand the Jaguar company car. Everything changed gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, when a recruiter contacted him for the vathere’s a hole in our gospel,” said Stearns, cant president’s chair at World Vision. He Cornell ’73 and Wharton MBA ’75. This initially scoffed at the notion of taking is not a book about works over faith, nor is over the non-profit, but refusing the perit a critique of the Gospel writings. It is, sistent recruiter became more and more however, a wake up call to those who feel difficult. justified by their salvation yet exhibit no Stearns likens his journey to that of the active love and compassion for their wealthy young man in Matthew 19 who neighbors. solemnly walked away from the Lord “This book is a clarion call for the Richard Stearns, Cornell ‘73 and Wharton Business School when he was told to give up his wealth and church to arise and answer the question, ‘75, is the author of The Hole follow Him. Through candid and humble ‘Who is my neighbor?’” wrote T.D Jakes, In Our Gospel. self-reflection and decision-making, he resenior pastor of The Potter’s House of Dalminds readers that the Lord calls people every day to leave las. “In an often careless world of indifference and intolereverything and follow Him. “In the end,” he writes, “reance, the world is searching for an expression of God’s love sponding to the Gospel is not something meant for nations beyond mere words. If you read this book, you will be inor communities or even churches; it is meant for individuspired, but if you do what this book is asking, you will be als—one person at a time.” forever changed.”

Children orphaned by AIDS, sick mothers trying to feed It was in response to the call the Lord placed upon his their babies, children abused by barbaric regimes, and more own heart that Stearns’ life was changed. Yet his journey

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SOCIAL • JUSTICE than 26,000 children dying daily world wide make The Hole in Our Gospel no easy read. In fact, readers of Stearns’ corporate rise and eventual obedience to the Lord may feel uneasy and convicted about their own relationship to the poor.

“Any authentic and genuine commitment to Christ will be accompanied by demonstrable evidence of transformed life.

In contemporary terms, those who talk the talk but do not walk the walk will be exposed as false,” Stearns writes.

Yet, he’s quick to point out that the Lord calls His followers in many ways. Not every executive will be called to

leave their job or relinquish their wealth, but Stearns challenges all Christians to show compassion for their neighbors as an extension of Christ’s love.

“I read every word and was challenged on page after page to a deeper commitment to Christ and to the world that Christ loves,” wrote Dr. Stephen Hayner, former president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. “This is a book that I not only want to give my friends, but to read with them. It broke my heart and lifted my eyes to see a new path.”

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

PIVOTING TOWARD THE FARAWAY NEIGHBOR Gary Haugen Says Rescuing the Oppressed Is Within Our Reach to look at it with courage. What I see are Christians preocGary Haugen, Harvard ’85, is president and cupied and discouraged by their own fears.

CEO of International Justice Mission (IJM), an HARVARD international human rights organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. IJM (www.ijm.org) “is a Fears of what?

All manner of things: they are afraid of what’s going to haphuman rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavpen to their kids, what’s going to happen in the culture, what’s ery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppresgoing to happen to their material situation. sion. IJM lawyers, investigators, and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, With the financial crisis, that seems to prosecute perpetrators, and to promote like a valid fear. functioning public justice systems.” Haugen But Christians are not supposed to live in is the author of Good News about Injustice, fear. What people seem to find in International Justice Mission, in the stories of what Terrify No More, and, most recently, Just my colleagues are actually doing in the field, Courage: God’s Great Expedition for the is a picture of Christian faith that is liberated Restless Christian (InterVarsity, 2008). Stan from fear. They think, As a follower of Jesus, Guthrie, managing editor for special projects maybe I can be liberated both from fears and at Christianity Today, interviewed Haugen in the January issue of that publication. The infrom the triviality of some of those fears. terview is reprinted with permission in the Ivy Yes, there is a need for Christians to be enGary Haugen, Harvard League Christian Observer. gaged with courage in the world, because peo’85, is president and CEO ple are hurting and need our help. But there is of International Justice just as much a need for Christians who have What are you trying to accomplish Mission. resources and capacities to be liberated from a in this book?

I am hoping American Christians will be infused with a great prison of small fears and triviality. For a lot of American sense of hope in trying to engage justice issues around the Christians, the beginning is to realize that so much of the limworld. I find a couple different phenomena as I talk to Ameritations of my Christian life are really coming out of my fear. ican Christians. They usually find themselves at one of two poles: either oblivious to some of the crushing injustice going How has Christian engagement on justice issues on around the world, or paralyzed by despair. changed in the decade since you wrote your first book, We are trying to equip and empower Christians to think Good News about Injustice? about injustice with the eyes and hope of Christ, to be able It’s a sea of change. Historians will be able to look back

H

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SOCIAL • JUSTICE and see that there was a Christian community that was largely disengaged from the struggle for justice in the world, but that over a generation, it moved to engagement.

It’s not a movement IJM has led or made happen so much as one we have been riding in the wake of what God is doing among his people. There is this wave of conviction that I believe his Spirit has generated. It has changed the picture of what mission means in the world.

The first era of missions very much focused on the proclamation of the gospel and ministries of evangelism and discipleship. Then in the 1950s, we started to see this tremendous hunger and lack of medical care and housing and great human suffering that made it difficult for the love of Christ, the love of God, to be believable. And then at the beginning of the 21st century was a third movement that says, “Yes, people are suffering because they don’t have access to the gospel, because they don’t have food or doctors or housing, the basics of life. But there’s another category of people who are suffering from intentional abuse and oppression.”

It is a different set of neighbors who have a different set of needs not met by the other two thrusts of mission. Those things don’t get to the issues of slavery, widows being thrown off their land, sexual violence, illegal detention, torture, police abuse—the things that have their roots in violence. Christians were very much engaged in those things in other eras.

Now, Christian mission is recovering that third thrust.

So how do you balance proclaiming the gospel with carrying out justice ministry?

It’s all either coherently about loving your neighbor or not.

It is obeying Jesus and loving your neighbor that keeps it balanced. If you don’t care anything about the spiritual health of the people you are helping, then that is not truly, deeply loving them. But if you are attending to their spiritual needs without attending to the man beaten along the side of the road, that’s not love either. We tend to get unbalanced only when we unhinge our Christian missional activity from authentic love—treating your neighbor the way you would want to be treated, and doing it out of authentic discipleship.

How does IJM include witness and evangelism in its justice work?

It flows out of the authenticity of the Christians who are doing the work. It makes no sense as an authentic follower of Jesus to bifurcate those things. We have a tremendous emphasis on

Spring 2009

nurturing the spiritual health, the spiritual formation, of our staff because from healthy Christians will flow authentic witness. We also make sure we do our work integrated with the local body of Christ, and also with an appreciation for the diversity of gifts within the body. We may be the ones relationally connected to some of the victims to share with them the faith out of which we work, but there will also be circumstances in which we are not well placed to do that.

How is the United States government doing regarding justice issues?

On the issues we address, the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development have been eager to help. There are five forms of violence that afflict the poor where God has helped us reach some focus for our work: sexual violence, police abuse, illegal detention, slavery or forced labor, and illegal or violent land seizures. The U.S. government is eager to address these issues when the American voting public in congressional districts is engaged.

For example?

In Cambodia, we were confronted with case referrals from places outside Phnom Penh where hundreds of kids were on open sale to foreign pedophiles and sex tourists. We had documented all of this, and with careful, professional undercover investigation had provided very specific evidence to the Cambodian authorities, but they lacked the political will and capacity to address it. However, the U.S. government is a very significant partner for Cambodians in terms of their national development and in regional matters.

We were able to leverage the concern of Americans, including Christian Americans, who had been increasingly focused on slavery and sex trafficking. When it was time for us to move the Cambodian authorities to do something, we were able to go to the American authorities and get the U.S. ambassador involved in a conversation that made this clear: “If you want to continue to have a good relationship with the United States, you need to demonstrate that you share our concern about addressing child sex trafficking.”

That made an indispensable difference not only for rescuing the almost 40 girls whom we had identified in that one instance, but also for funding and training the police.

How can Christians in America make a difference in such faraway places?

Rwanda was so vivid in 1994 for me. You could see at the

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SOCIAL • JUSTICE end of the investigation that the Rwandan genocide was completely stoppable. It was this massive human tragedy, an intentional one of great atrocity, and we knew about it and clearly could have stopped it. The military histories have all been written about this. It would have taken a very modest international intervention. But our government was working hard to make sure that we did not get involved in Rwanda. Why? Because they thought it would be a political liability among the American people who were afraid to be stuck in some quagmire in the middle of Africa.

We had a relatively small but vocal minority of Christians in America who found it completely unacceptable that the United States would just stand by and do nothing when 800,000 people were butchered in eight weeks. They could have changed the political calculation and drawn the U.S.

into an engagement that actually would have been effective. American Christians have this incredible stewardshipof-power issue that is before them in the struggle for justice in the world, in the confrontation with violence.

So we sit on this pivotal point of history. Will American Christians find rescue for their own lives and move into the more abundant life that God has called them to— one of joy, courage, and strength? And will American Christians seize the opportunity to steward power that has been granted by God in a way that actually serves millions of people being crushed by oppression and abuse in the world? It’s a fascinating, marvelous focal point for the American people—and American Christians—that relates not only to their most intimate, personal spiritual formation but also to the largest forces of history at work in the world today.

SERVING THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO Dartmouth Contingent Puts ‘Faith in Action’ During Spring Break The term “college spring break” usually brings less persons, students served lunch and brought craft activto mind images of partying and youthful liberities.

DARTMOUTH ality, albeit to excess. For a group of fourteen “That was probably the most direct personal attachment students at Dartmouth however, spring break was more we had,” said Ki-Suh Jung ’11, who directed the trip. Jung about the liberality of charity and goodwill. is a member of Agape Christian Fellowship (dartmouthaThe students participated in a service trip through Dartgape.wordpress.com). mouth’s William Jewett Tucker Foundation (www.

At Glide Memorial Church, a large and well-known house of worship in the bay dartmouth.edu/~tucker), area that serves thousands which encourages character of meals each day, students development through service helped feed more homeless and spiritual exploration. people.

The trip, titled “Faith in AcOther organizations the tion,” focused on reaching Dartmouth students worked out to homeless people, and with were the Larkin Street took place in the Tenderloin Youth Services, Clara district of San Francisco, House, Tenderloin Child known for its high homeless Care Center, and Habitat population. for Humanity.

The Dartmouth students “We did a lot of manual worked with a different orlabor, too,” Jung recalled. ganization on each day of The group stayed in a hostel, the ten-day trip. At a BerkeDartmouth students spent spring break serving the which was a converted ley food and housing project homeless in San Francisco. hotel. for mentally unstable home-

D

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The Ivy League Christian Observer

SOCIAL • JUSTICE In addition to helping the homeless, the other purpose of the trip was to create a multi-faith dialogue. Part of the application process involved asking the applicant “what spirituality, religion, faith meant to them,” Jung said. Members of Dartmouth Navigators (www.dartmouth.edu/~navs) and Christian Impact (www.dartmouthci.org) joined Muslim and atheist students for the trip.

“Every night for about an hour, we got together for discussion about multi-faith reflection. Three different students led each time. A lot of us wanted more faith in the reflection times,” said Jung, who currently resides in the inter-faith Living and Learning Community, located on the ground floor of Ripley dormitory.

The Alternative Spring Break is a program run by

Spring 2009

Tucker Foundation that allows students to participate in a service-learning trip, which is student-organized and run.

Funding is obtained through campus-wide events, such as movie nights and bake sales.

The planning process was relatively simple, according to Jung. He, another student, and two members of the Tucker Foundation first decided which issue would be of the most interest, and based on that decision, the destination of the service trip was chosen.

“We basically picked the one that we all liked: homelessness,” Jung said. “Homelessness exists more in cities, and so we listed the cities that we might want to go to, and also a place that would be appealing to people.”

By Layne Zhao, Dartmouth ’09

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NEWS-IN-BRIEF ALL IVY Princeton Prof Receives Presidential Citizen’s Medal Robert P. George, Harvard Law ’81, received the Presidential Citizen’s Medal in honor of his contributions to American public life. The director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton, George is also a senior fellow at the Witherspoon Institute and the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton. “With wisdom and integrity, Dr. Robby George has brought forceful analytic clarity to the study of America’s ideals and institutions…The United States honors Robby George for his many contributions to our civic life,” stated a White House press release.

Robert P. George (Harvard ’81), a senior fellow with the Witherspoon Institute at Princeton, recently received the Presidential Citizens Medal in honor of his contributions to American public life.

Institute Plans To Unearth Old Questions Miraslov Volf, director of the Center for Faith and Culture and Henry B. Wright professor of theology at Yale Divinity School, has been appointed as research scholar for a project sponsored by the Institute for Theological Inquiry (ITI) in Efrat, Israel. ITI—in cooperation with its American partner, The Witherspoon Institute at Princeton— plans to engage “world-class theologians to break new ground” on projects concerning Judaism, Christianity, and world culture. The goal is for this research to “be adapted and utilized as pedagogical tools in educational settings.”

Miraslov Volf, director of the Center for Faith and Culture at Yale Divinity School, was named a research scholar with the Witherspoon Institute at Princeton. photo by Kimberly Manz courtesy of Yale Divinity School

“a gathering of college students who want to see the Kingdom come,” included participants from Athletes in Action at Brown (aiaat brown.com), Dartmouth Christian Impact (www.

Students throughout the Ivy League dartmouth.edu/~tucker/rsl/ traveled to Boston in groups/ci.html), and Campus January for Campus Crusade for Christ at Harvard Crusade for Christ’s Winter Conference, (ccci.org). More than 200 Kingdom Come. college students reached out to the Boston community by serving local churches. Students also participated in a local blood drive for the city.

BROWN AIA Dinner Discussions Encourage Evangelism Brown’s Athletes in Action (www.aiaatbrown.com) ministry is hosting a series of Monday night dinner discussions to encourage student-athletes in the area of evangelism and expose non-Christians to the gospel. The discussions, sponsored by Christian Union (www.christianunion.org), have been such a success that students sometimes take the initiative to host the Brown Athletes in Action gather at Judson House meeting when ministry each Monday for weekly leaders are unable to atdinner discussions. tend. One such meeting happened at Judson House and included a discussion on the validity of Scripture. “This was especially memorable because it demonstrated initiative from students as well as confirmation that these dinner discussions are helpful and fruitful,” said ministry director Jarrod Lynn, Brown ’05, M ’07.

Katrina Reconstruction Builds More than Homes

Students Attend ‘Kingdom Come’ in Boston Students from around the Ivy League attended Campus Crusade for Christ’s Winter Conference, Kingdom Come, on January 2-6 in downtown Boston. The event, billed as

Spring 2009

Four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, areas of the city are still rebuilding. Students with College Hill for Christ (www.collegehillforchrist.com) spent their spring break helping families remove debris,

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NEWS-IN-BRIEF repair flood damage, and prepare their homes for reconstruction. The trip also served as a venue to share the Gospel with the people of New Orleans as well as Brown students spent the non-Christian students spring break helping who participated.

New Orleans families rebuild from the The theme for the trip devastation of was “Building Communities Hurricane Katrina. that Build Community.” Students spent time each night discussing their experiences and exploring ways to take them back to campus.

Students Commit to Study Evangelism Students with College Hill for Christ at Brown (www.collegehillforchrist.com) have committed two hours each week to learning more about and practicing techniques of evangelism.

According to staffer Brodi Herb, iStock the weekly meetings were Students with started by one medical student College Hill for at Brown and have been “really Christ meet regularly encouraging and effective.” Acto learn about evangelism in order cording to Lorenna Ellis ’09, to share the Gospel “The training is effective in with the campus and preparing us to approach spirithe world. tual topics not only with strangers, but also with our friends and family.”

COLUMBIA Campus Crusade Contingent Gains New Testament Perspective in Israel Students from Campus Crusade for Christ at Columbia recently visited Israel to learn more about Jewish history.

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A small group with Campus Crusade for Christ at Columbia (www.columbia studentsforchrist.com) participated in a trip to Israel in the spring semester to experience the country through a

New Testament perspective. The trip included visits to the Sea of Galilee, Masada, and the Dead Sea. The students also explored the city of Jerusalem and visited the Western Wall, the Old City, and Temple Mount.

Ben Stein Steps Down Over Intelligent Design Flap Ben Stein, Columbia ‘66 and Yale Law ’70, stepped down as commencement speaker for the University of Vermont due to the backlash to his views on intelligent design. In an interview with the Burlington Free Press, Stein called the reaction to his selection “laughable.” He went on to tell the Vermont newspaper that he was “by no means ‘anti-science’” as he had been described.

In fact, he said, “I am far more pro-science than the Darwinists.

I want all scientific inquiry to happen—not just what the ruling clique calls science.”

Ben Stein, Columbia ’66 and Yale Law ‘70, stepped down as commencement speaker at the University of Vermont due to controversy over his views on Intelligent Design.

Alumnus Speaks at Catholic Men’s Conference Fr. Benedict Groeschel, Columbia Ph.D. ’71, spoke at the first Catholic Men’s Conference sponsored by the Men’s Commission of the Archdiocese of Newark.

Father Benedict Groeschel, Columbia Ph.D. ’71, was among the speakers at the first Catholic men’s conference sponsored by the newly formed Men’s Commission of the Archdiocese of Newark. The theme for the conference was “Fueled by Faith, United in Christ and Hope!” The conference, attended by men young and old, was hosted by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, a congregation Groeschel helped found.

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NEWS-IN-BRIEF CHRISTIAN UNION Bathroom Graffiti Leads to ‘One Question’ Students discuss questions such as “Why is there suffering?” and “Who is Jesus really?” during Princeton Faith and Action’s One Question series.

When graffiti on a bathroom stall at Princeton University recently inspired thoughts on suffering, science, and the divinity of Christ, Princeton Faith and Action (pfanda.com), Christian Union’s campus ministry, saw an opportunity. “One Question” was a weekly dinner series inviting participants to probe some of the key questions often used to challenge the claims of Christianity. Topics included: “Why is There Suffering?” “Who is Jesus Really?” “What About Science?” and “Is Jesus the Only Way to God?” Receiving Comfort, Giving Comfort Ministry intern David Roberts, Oxford ’08, shared a poignant message at Christian Union’s monthly luncheon for Princeton University staff in February. Roberts said when Christians receive comfort from God they have a Ministry Intern Dave Roberts spoke about sharing compassion during Christian Union’s monthly luncheon for Princeton University staff in February. photo by Pam Traeger

responsibility to share it with others. “God hears you in suffering and can redeem your suffering for huge glory and ripple effects. If one good thing happens on Princeton’s campus, wouldn’t it be great if everyone knew about it and was encouraged?” Roberts asked. He emphasized that believers, especially those on campuses, should allow God to multiply their blessings for others’ sake.

Spring 2009

Christian Union Hosts Houston Event Christian Union (www.christian-union.org) hosted a benefit reception February 17 at the Houston Racquet Club. Approximately 90 friends of the ministry attended.

Christian Union President and Founder Matt Bennett, Cornell ’88, MBA ’89, explained the need for and the distinctiveness of the ministry. Carol Vance, a former district attorney and prison Friends of the ministry mingle during the recent ministry activist, also Christian Union benefit spoke and emphasized event in Houston, Texas. the critical need for Christian leadership in our nation. Many of the guests heard about Christian Union for the first time and expressed gratefulness for the Kingdom work being done on the Ivy League campuses.

CORNELL Koinonia Collaborative Faces danger during Mission Trip Members of Koinonia Collaborative at Cornell preached the Gospel and took school supplies to Maracaibo, Venezuela this winter as part of the ministry’s mission trip to the region.

Children in Maracaibo, The students were Venezuela hold up hearts they made with the help of nearly robbed as they the Koinonia Collaborative distributed supplies and at Cornell. evangelism tracts. The threats stalled the students’ work and they evacuated until the danger passed; however, they returned to the area the next day, continuing their efforts to live out the ministry’s goal of “encouraging students to share the Gospel by meeting the tangible needs of the broken and poor.” A grant from Christian Union helped fund the effort.

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NEWS-IN-BRIEF Chesterton House Hosts Author/Historian Talks The Chesterton House (www.chestertonhouse. org) recently hosted distinguished religious historian Dr. Mark Noll at three Cornell University events. Noll spoke in March at the Cornell Club in Manhattan, gave a public lecture on CorHistorian and author Dr. nell’s campus, and particMark Noll recently participated in a series of ipated in the Upstate New Chesterton House events York Christian Graduatefor Cornell students and Faculty Conference in alumni.

Ithaca, which was cosponsored by Chesterton House and InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries. Noll, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, is the author of The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, God and Race in American Politics and other books.

Christians Bring Gospel to Spring Break Crowd A contingent of students with Campus Crusade for Christ at Cornell (www.cornellcru.com) iStock joined believers from Members of Campus various other colleges at Crusade for Christ at the ministry’s annual Cornell helped share the Gospel on the beach of spring break trip to Panama City, Florida, a Panama City, Florida to popular spring break minister to the thoudestination. sands of college students vacationing there. The students spent their days on the beach approaching their peers and talking with them about the Gospel. Overall, approximately six thousand Gospel presentations were made by all students; approximately 600 spring breakers made decisions to receive Christ as their savior. Students from Christian Union’s Princeton Faith and Action (www.pfanda.com) also participated in the Panama City evangelism efforts.

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DARTMOUTH Milan Mission Trip Identifies Potential Ministry Partners Students from Dartmouth Christian Impact (www.dartmouth.edu/~tucker/rsl/groups/ci.html) and Agape Fellowship (www.dartmouth.edu/~acf) participated in a spring break mission trip to Milan this March. The trip enabled believers to share their faith in a cross-cultural setting with other university students and was part of a longterm, organized effort by Campus Crusade to establish “an indigenous ministry presence and Gospel witness on campuses throughout Milan.”

This visit also provided the opportunity to “identify Milan students interested in being part of the longer-term effort to raise up new campus ministries,” according to the project coordinators.

Students from Dartmouth Christian Impact and Agape Fellowship traveled to Milan, Italy for a spring break mission trip.

Book Give-Aways Are No ‘Mere’ Freebies Last December, Christian Impact (www. dartmouth.edu/~tucker/ rsl/groups/ci.html) offered C.S. Lewis’ Mere Students from Dartmouth’s Christianity to all 4,300 Christian Impact donned Dartmouth students durholiday hats and offered free copies of CS Lewis’ ing a book give-away. In Mere Christianity to all one of the ministry’s Dartmouth students. biggest evangelistic efforts of the year, more than 130 students gave their names to the ministry for follow up and feedback. “Many students who stopped by our table thanked us for providing this classic book for them free of charge. The effort also gave our own students a sense of confidence in the gospel as we did this in a most public way,” said one ministry member.

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NEWS-IN-BRIEF Navigators Assist Habitat for Humanity

Freshmen Receive Valentine’s Day Message

Dartmouth Navigators (www.dartmouth. edu/~navs) headed to Miami, Florida in March to aid in a building project with Habitat for Humanity.

The students helped Dartmouth students help build build a home for a a house for Habitat for Humanity. family that otherwise would be unable to afford one. While they were there, they also spent time exploring the relationship between service and the Gospel and Jesus’ life of service. A Christian Union grant helped underwrite the effort.

This past Valentine’s Day, Harvard University freshmen got a card and a piece of chocolate they most likely didn’t expect. The message was: Happy Valentine’s Day. Celebrate Love, Celebrate Life, Celebrate You. Why Wait? Because you’re worth it. The initiative—underwritten by a Christian Union grant—was sponsored

by True Love RevoluHarvard’s True Love tion (www.hcs.harvard.

Revolution sent out a edu/tlr/), a student orValentine message to the ganization with a misentire freshman class. sion to stress alternatives for underclassmen not interested in the hookup culture common on college campuses.

HARVARD Christian Impact Hosts Leadership Training

Harvard Students Ski, Fellowship on Retreat

Harvard Christian Impact (www.hcs. harvard.edu) hosted John Hawkins for a half-day leadership training session in March. Hawkins is the founder and president of Leadership Edge, Inc., a nonphoto courtesy of Leadership Edge, Inc. profit organization John Hawkins, founder and that provides “stratepresident of Leadership Edge, Inc., facilitated a leadership gic and principled training session for Harvard leadership preparaChristian Impact tion for top university students facing tomorrow’s leadership challenges.”

The ministry provides mentoring, classes, and presentations that encourage students for future personal and professional leadership positions in their families, careers, and communities. Christian Union helped underwrite the event.

A group of students from Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard enjoyed a respite in January when they held a ski retreat that overlapped with Princeton Faith and Action’s (www.pfanda.com) annual getaway.

Nine freshmen participated in the trip to a Christian retreat near Killington, Vermont. “Anytime you can pull away for a few days and collectively seek God, good Michael Sun and Damaris things happen,” said Taylor, both Harvard ’12 and Don Weiss, ministry members of the Christian Union ministry at Harvard, took a director at Harvard. break from the slopes to play a “It was truly a bondboard game during the winter ing experience,” ski retreat. said Carl Malm, Harvard ’12. “We also had tons of fun sledding, skiing, and playing around.”

Spring 2009

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NEWS-IN-BRIEF PENN Penn Students for Christ Sees Growth Penn Students for Christ (www.pennstudentsfor christ.org) is experiencing a spike in participation in its smaller meetings. This semester, about 55 students have attended the more intimate sessions, which is up more than 40 percent from the fall semester.

Some of the increase is tied to the ministry’s deciPenn Students For Christ sion to offer co-ed meetis seeing increased ings in addition to attendance in its small group meetings. single-sex meetings, said student leader David Rice, ’10. “We wanted to move our small groups toward being more outsider-friendly,” he explained. This semester, the ministry also began offering a weekly men’s breakfast entitled “The Break-man-fast.”

‘Jesus Week’ Fosters Outreach and Unity Penn for Jesus (www.pennforjesus.com) hosted its annual Jesus Week activities in the spring semester.

Jesus Week is an opportunity for the various ministries on campus to come Campus-wide worship is together events that celepart of annual Jesus brate Christ and demonWeek events at Penn. strate Him to the campus.

The week also fostered outreach and unity by nurturing cooperation among the Body of Christ there and equipping and motivating Christians to “make a tangible impact on the campus and community.” A Christian Union (www.christian-union.org) grant helped fund a portion of the Week’s activities.

Ministry Writes New Mission Statement Principals with Penn Students for Christ (www.pennstudentsforchrist.org) penned a new mission statement during a leadership retreat in January.

Some 18 students who participate in the campus min-

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Members of Penn Students for Christ developed a new ministry mission statement during a retreat this January.

istry’s leadership team drafted the statement during a retreat at the West Chester KOA near Coatesville, Pa. The ministry’s mission calls for its members to “be transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that we are enabled and compelled to love God, love one another, and love our campus.” The organization, a branch of Campus Crusade for Christ (www.ccci.org), also sets key values as worship, community, discipleship, and service.

PRINCETON Princeton Pro-Life Joins North American Initiative Students with Princeton Pro-Life (www.princeton. edu/~prolife) participated in 40 Days for Life, a North American initiative to draw attention to the consequences of aborMembers of Princeton tion. The group joined Pro-Life gather beneath their banner at the March hundreds of organizations for Life event in in arranging vigils, prayer Washington, D.C. sessions, and community outreach from late February to early April. In addition, about 45 students trekked to Washington, D.C. in January to participate in the annual March for Life. The students briefly met with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Harvard Law ’60, and U.S. Senator Tom Coburn.

Manna, PEF Enjoy Ski Retreat More than 60 students from Manna Christian Fellowship (www.princeton.edu/~manna) and Princeton Evangelical Fellowship (www.princeton.edu/~pef) ventured to New England over winter intersession for an annual ski retreat.

“Intersession is a great time for people to relax,” said David Kim, executive director of Manna. “The retreat is an ideal ministry setting, a place where people can hang out and worship.”

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NEWS-IN-BRIEF

photo courtesy of Manna Christian Fellowship

Students from Manna Christian Fellowship and Princeton Evangelical Fellowship spent time in the Word and in the snow during a winter retreat to New Hampshire.

The group spent five days at a Christian camp in Spofford, NH, and ski enthusiasts trekked to nearby Mount Snow, VT, to hit the slopes. As well, leaders from the ministries provided messages aimed at strengthening faith.

Princeton Students Attend FCA Retreat Last February, seven Princeton University students joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on a retreat to NorthBay Adventure Camp in Maryland, where forStudents have some fun during the Fellowship of mer NFL running Christian Athletes retreat in back Keith Elias, February.

Princeton ’94, was the keynote speaker. The event centered on encouraging Christian students to be the voice—not the echo—of their generation for Jesus. Christian Union helped underwrite the attendance of Princeton students.

YALE Believers in Business Conference Held at Yale The Yale School of Management Christian Fellowship recently hosted the Believers in Business Conference. The February meeting, which had an attendance of 36, was Former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, Yale ’53, was among the speakers at this year’s Believers in Business Conference at Yale.

Spring 2009

organized to give graduate business students access to business leaders who strive to integrate faith into their work. Former U.S. attorney general Edwin Meese, Yale ’53, and David Miller, director of the Faith & Work Initiative at Princeton University, were among featured speakers.

Author’s Proceeds Benefit Needy Children Yale alumna Stephanie Kingston Green ’89 recently penned a book capturing the life of a young Nicaraguan girl who rises early to labor in the chili-pepper fields, but learns she cannot afford to continue school.

In Meet Maria, Green describes Maria’s joy as two U.S. Meet Maria is the organizations step in to pay her recently released book by Stephanie school bill and provide a backKingston Green, pack with school supplies, shoes, Yale ’89. and a uniform. All proceeds from the paperback, which was published in February by Tate Publishing & Enterprises, support the Give a Kid a Backpack Foundation. Green volunteers for the organization, which can be found online at www.giveakidabackpack.org.

Geronimo’s Great-Grandson Sues Skull and Bones Skull and Bones, the secret society at Yale, is reportedly being sued by Harlyn Geronimo, the great-grandson of the American Indian warrior, Geronimo. According to news accounts, three The Skull and Bones Society, which meets in members of Skull and this building at Yale, is Bones stole the remains of being sued for the legendary Apache leader reportedly stealing the remains of Geronimo. during World War I. Prescott Bush, Yale ’17, grandfather of former U.S. President George W. Bush ’68, is believed to have been among the three culprits.

Geronimo’s descendant is suing the society to have the remains returned to their proper resting place. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Geronimo, who, according to various reports, converted to Christianity in 1903.

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CHRISTIAN UNION

THE MISSION AND VISION OF THE CHRISTIAN UNION Christian Union Founder Matthew W. Bennett Shares the Vision and Purpose of the Ministry Following is the mission and vision of the Christian Union, which is printed in each issue of the Ivy League Christian Observer to keep new readers informed of the ministry's purpose and passion.

most 50 percent of Americans are in church, however, adding up the involvement of all students every week in all the para-church, and local churches combined it would amount to less than 10 percent of the student body.

The mission of the Christian Union, by God’s power and with the help of other ministries, is to change the world by bringing sweeping spiritual transformation to the Ivy League universities, thereby developing and mobilizing godly leadership for all sectors of society.

You may ask, what can be done to bring these universities spiritually in-step with the rest of the country? The most important means to improve the spiritual dimension is to supply enough long-term, capable, godly campus Christian workers.

The spiritual vibrancy of the campuses is most directly related to this reality. Yes, we also need It’s an ambitious vision, but it’s effective strategies, and, of what God has called us to give course, we need the Holy our lives to. We have a deep pasSpirit’s presence and power; sion to see Jesus Christ honored however, the Spirit works and exalted at the eight Ivy through people, and without League universities (Brown, campus Christian workers leadColumbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, ing the charge, there is little spirHarvard, Penn, Princeton, and itual life. Take Cornell, for Yale). As you may know, these example. It has 20,000 students, universities were established served by 3,000 faculty and many years ago to bring praise 7,000 staff. That makes a total of and honor to Jesus Christ, but 30,000 university people who have drifted far from their moorneed to be presented with the ings. For example, Yale was Gospel of Jesus Christ and founded in 1701 by the colonists taught the Scriptures. If you of Connecticut, and in 1726, were to count all the full-time Yale College laws, reflecting the Christian workers on campus, it students’ and university’s devoChristian Union Founder and President, Matthew W. would amount to fewer than five Bennett, Cornell BS ’88, MBA ’89. tion to Jesus Christ, ordained people. Even with the Herculean that: “Every student shall conefforts of volunteers and the local churches, there is no way for sider the main end of his study to know God in Jesus Christ the university to be significantly impacted. and answerably to lead a godly, sober life.”

The contrast with today could hardly be more startling. The former assistant dean of Religious Life at Princeton stated of all the faculty on campus that he ministered to, evangelical Protestants were the most fearful of disclosing their religious beliefs to others out of fear of discrimination and ridicule. At Dartmouth, the administration tried to ban the distribution of the book Mere Christianity a few years ago until media attention forced them to back down. In spite of all the rhetoric on campus about the “free exchange of ideas,” there is in many quarters, an intense hostility to Jesus Christ. Reflect on the fact that on every Sunday, al-

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Moreover, the few campus Christian workers present are usually not there long enough to become excellent in what they do, nor are they able to establish an institutional memory for the ministry as they transition out. Every few years, most ministries start from scratch all over again through the work of ambitious recent college graduates. After a few years, these dedicated workers usually move and the cycle starts again. The workers move because they see the position as a stepping stone toward other ministry positions, such as the pastorate. What we need are people who see university ministry as a calling in and of itself and not as a step-

The Ivy League Christian Observer

CHRISTIAN UNION ping stone to other ministries. An even bigger reason that people move on is that they get married and have children, and are no longer able to raise the needed support. Living close to campus in these university towns is expensive, and it is difficult to raise the money that’s needed.

To provide enough godly, capable, long-term Christian workers and to meet other challenges, the Christian Union was formed in 2002 to trust God for dramatic change on these campuses. A unique aspect of the ministry is our commitment to both help other Christian ministries on campus through fund raising and other means as well as implementing our own direct ministry programs. Our passion is to see these campuses changed, whether or not it happens through one of our particular programs. We only direct our ministry programs to the Ivy League schools because they are among the most hostile to the Gospel, but also among the most infleuntial in our nation.

Many of our country’s future leaders will graduate from these schools, and as the leaders go, so goes the country.

Thousands of future leaders in business, media, law, government, journalism, medicine, ministry, academia, and the arts are currently enrolled at the Ivy League schools. And when they graduate, they will make an indelible mark on society. Ivy League alumni include the founder of Federal Express, the founder of Amazon.com, the CEO of eBay,

Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Warren Buffet, eight of the nine U.S. Supreme Court Justices, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, the head of the FBI, the head of the CIA, the head of the SEC, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, the National Intelligence Director, Donald Rumsfeld, the head of the World Bank, Madeline Albright, Janet Reno, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Howard Dean, Joe Lieberman, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and countless others. The names of those who serve in government are more recognizable than other names, but there is similar Ivy League representation in media, academia, journalism, medicine, and other fields.

For the sake of the individual students, staff, and faculty on the campuses who need forgiveness and peace through Jesus Christ and for the sake of the future of our country because of the leadership these people will give, we must do whatever it takes to see these campuses transformed. I want to urge you to pray fervently for these campuses, to give generously to supply more campus Christian workers, and to use your influence in whatever capacity you have to make an impact. By God’s grace and by all of us working together, we can see significant spiritual transformation.

Yours sincerely in Christ, Matthew W. Bennett

Advancing the Kingdom of Jesus Christ in the Ivy League

Spring 2009

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P R AY E R R E Q U E S T S B R O WN

HARVARD

• Pray for the various Christian ministries seeking to engage the campus in new ways. Pray that their efforts would not be in vain, but that the Lord would bless their work and many would be responsive to Christ.

• Please lift up members of Harvard/Radcliff Christian Fellowship and Asian-American Christian Fellowship as they take time out to meet with God in a time of worship and prayer each morning.

• Pray for Athletes In Action as it continues to hold informal weekly dinner discussions on topics such as Purpose, Sin, and Suffering as a way of giving every student-athlete an opportunity to put their faith in Christ. Pray that these discussions would foster a healthier student-athlete community.

• Pray for Harvard Business School Christian Fellowship’s weekly Bible Study and prayer groups for men, women, couples and women with children.

C O L U MB IA

PENN

• Pray that as a result of the recent Veritas Forum the campus will have truly been exposed to Jesus Christ and many people will begin asking questions about Christianity.

• Pray for the ministry and staff workers on campus, that they will be used by God in a profound way in the lives of many students as they share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Also pray for greater unity among the ministries.

• Pray for student-athletes to be able to balance their athletics with their studies and for strong commitment to Jesus Christ.

• Pray for racial and/or ethnic tensions among students to be broken down and replaced by harmony.

• Pray for Christian students to renew their vision to advancing the Kingdom of God at Columbia. Pray that the whole campus will be transformed as Jesus Christ changes lives.

• Pray that God would send his Holy Spirit throughout the Penn campus and open ears and soften hearts, so many nonbelievers will hear and accept the gospel message. Pray for lasting fruit from activities, prayer initiatives, and outreaches held during Jesus Week in April.

CORNELL

PRI NCETON

• Pray that God will continue to use spring break mission trips and retreats to transform lives and make the students lifelong skilled and fruitful laborers of God’s Kingdom.

• Agree in prayer with Manna Christian Fellowship as it comes together Monday-Friday at 5 p.m. to pray for the spiritual refreshment of Princeton’s campus and the cause of Christ.

• Pray for seniors as they start looking for employment in this difficult economy. Lift them up so they will not become discouraged but rather that they seek God’s guidance as they plan their futures.

• Pray for campus ministry leaders, including: Michael, Steve, Dave, Susanne, Kevin, Jeff, Charles and Todd.

• Pray for the students and leaders of Princeton Faith and Action who travelled to Panama City during spring break to share the gospel through beach evangelism. Pray that the experience will have a lasting impact on their lives, and also lift up the students who heard the Good News.

DA RT MO U T H

YALE

• Pray for James Wright, president of Dartmouth, as he prepares to hand over leadership to President-elect Jim Yong Kim on July 1. Pray that God will be with them and grant them wisdom and courage to lead during this time of transition.

• Pray for the regular times of campus-wide prayer and worship and for a spirit of unity on the Yale campus.

• Pray for the students who have a strong desire to see a powerful move of God in people’s lives at Dartmouth.

Pray for their encouragement and that the vision for dependence and bold faith would grow among the Christian students here.

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• Pray for the leadership of The International Church at Yale as it continues to minister to about 40 students from different nations through Bible teaching, worship and dinners.

Pray that students would find meaningful fellowship and friendships.

• Pray for campus ministry leaders, including: John, Bonnie, Charmain, Sang, Kevin, Hugh, and Tom.

The Ivy League Christian Observer

From the bottom of our hearts, “Thank You!” Through your generous giving, students’ lives are being changed across the Ivy League.

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