Reviving The Ivies

Reviving The Ivies

Christian Union Hopes to Influence America's Future Leaders

By: Eileen Scott

EP News--- “There’s something happening here.” That’s what Princeton Ministry Fellow Scott Jones, who graduated from Cornell University in 2004, said during the recent Princeton Faith and Action pre-retreat in Ocean City, N.J.

That “something,” it turns out, was the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Throughout the Fall Freshman Campaigns held at Harvard and Princeton, the leadership development ministries of Christian Union have witnessed what they believe to be the hand of God upon their work and His presence in their midst as they purposefully reach out to students.

Reaching freshmen and plugging them into ministry can have an impact throughout eternity, considering that 50 percent of the nation’s most influential leaders graduate from the eight Ivy League schools. With these statistics in mind, Don Weiss, Christian Union’s director of ministry at Harvard, said it’s vital to “aggressively pursue freshmen and make every effort to invite them to participate in Bible courses and ministry events.”

Both Princeton Faith and Action (PFA) and Harvard College Faith and Action noted a great response to their freshman initiatives and higher-than-expected attendance at their Bible courses, which are designed toward dynamic life-changing spiritual development.

However, one striking element of the campaigns was the presence of the Holy Spirit at ministry events, which was credited to extended times of prayer. Since the spring, the Christian Union faculty has come together for two hours each weekday for extended corporate prayer and seeking God and His direction as they strive to interact with students in ways that will maximize their impact as Christian leaders.

Among the more poignant experiences at the PFA preretreat was the moving of the Holy Spirit. “God met us in a powerful way,” said Teaching Fellow Dr. Chuck Hetzler. “It’s something I’ve rarely seen before.”

Hetzler said that as one particular song concluded while he was leading worship, he sensed the students’ desire to worship had not ended. “I looked up at the students at the end of the third song, and I could tell by their eyes [that] they weren’t done. I felt it had come to a point that I had been praying for — that people were worshiping God with everything in them…The spirit of God was so at work in that place and in people’s hearts,” he said.

Dan Knapke, director of undergraduate ministry at Princeton, recalls a particularly profound time as well. Ministry Fellow Quincy Watkins, a 1995 Wharton Business School graduate, felt the Holy Spirit reveal to him that four students were struggling with heavy burdens and he encouraged them to come forward for prayer. Subsequently, one student revealed she had been victimized in a way that nearly destroyed her. Another revealed he had spent the summer
doubting his faith, but through this moving of the Spirit, he could feel God reaching out to him.

“There is no doubt this is linked to the way we sought God,” said Hetzler, referring to the extended time the Christian Union faculty has spent in prayer since last spring. “It was so powerful.”

Additionally, PFA’s freshman campaign at Princeton also resulted in all of its freshman Bible courses being filled, which means that five percent of the incoming class is currently enrolled in a PFABible course. Currently, PFA has filled 24 Bible courses for freshman and upperclassmen, which represents a significant increase from last year’s total of 18.

Equally as powerful is the manner in which the Lord has been blessing Harvard College Faith and Action (HCFA). The ministry experienced amazing results from its outreach campaign, something HCFAleaders also attribute to the extended time they have spent in prayer. “It’s been fun to see what really feels like God blessing us as we are doing these things,” said Don Weiss, director of undergraduate ministry at HCFA.

“We’ve had a phenomenal start to our weekly meetings,” said HCFA Ministry Fellow Nick Nowalk, who hoped fifteen students would participate in the first meeting of the academic year. His expectations were surpassed when thirty students turned out. What was particularly encouraging, he says, was that the group was comprised primarily of freshmen. The upperclassmen had not yet come back for classes.

Just as encouraging, says Weiss, is the number of students participating in HCFA Bible courses. More than forty students have joined so far. These turnouts are even more significant in light of the fact that HCFA has been recognized as an official campus organization for less than one year, he said.

Weiss also attributes the better-than-expected turnouts to another successful Facebook initiative and the enthusiastic efforts of HCFA upperclassmen. Through the social networking site, sophomores were able to reach out to incoming freshmen who indicated on their profiles that they were Christians. Approximately 374 Christian freshmen were identified, and the upperclassmen wrote personal notes to all of them.

The initiative allowed students to connect and build relationships with the freshmen before they came to campus. The HCFA sophomores welcomed them as they arrived, making themselves available as resources for information and guidance.

Harvard freshmen were also invited to a variety of functions sponsored by the ministry, including a rooftop picnic in Harvard Square. HCFA was present at the university activities fair and “meet and greet” events.

Christian Union Founder and President Matt Bennett (Cornell ‘88, MBA, ’89), also attributed the early success of PFA and HCFA to times of concerted prayer. “We continue to ask for the presence of God to come,” he said. “It’s not random that God showed up on the pre-retreat. God comes often when we invite Him. We shouldn’t be surprised He showed when we’ve been asking Him diligently. We will see Him doing more.”

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the Ivy League Christian Observer, a publication of The Christian Union. Used with permission. The Christian Union (www.Christian-Union.org) is a Christian leadership development ministry based in Princeton, N.J.
(12/1/2009)

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