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Pray for Cornell

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Please pray for Christian Union's ministry at Cornell.
To Our Praying Friends,

We have much to give thanks to God for this month.

Just last week we hosted apologist Alycia Woods from Ravi Zacharias International Ministry. Alycia is a winsome speaker who has addressed mixed believing and unbelieving audiences at MIT, Harvard, Brown, Boston University and, now, Cornell. She addressed the question, "Is Christianity Intolerant?" to a room of about 75 students, and made a clear statement of the Christian principle of expressing the truths of Christianity with love and respect even to those we have deep and fundamental disagreements with. She gave clear expression of the beauty of the Gospel. Her 40-minute talk was closed with 15-minutes of Q&A. Friendly, but serious, questions were raised by the audience, like: "How do Christians explain their checkered and, at times, intolerant past?" "What are some practical, effective ways we can 'break the ice' to speak with our atheist and agnostic friends about the truths of Christianity?" About a dozen people stayed after the event to dialogue further with Alycia. Please pray that the unbelievers who came would continue to grapple with the truths of the gospel in community with us. Cornell is a fiercely secular place which means your prayers are especially needful to break through these hard spots and skeptical hearts.

Dear Partners in Prayer,

The first day of spring term began on January 24th! Our students have been on winter break since December 14th  and we miss them terribly. (Because of winter break, this prayer letter is a bit shorter.) We value your prayers for a successful launch into the spring term.

Dear Partners in Prayer,

We are deeply grateful for your partnership in prayer!

Our Lord has been faithful, good, and gracious to our community here at Cornell this past semester. We have much to be thankful for.

Dear Partners in Prayer for Cornell,

For our prayer letter for May, we’d like to share with you three different stories of answered prayers. This update is a little longer, but do read to the end!

Dear Partners in Prayer for Cornell,

Easter marked a turning point in the seasons here in Ithaca. Over the span of forty-eight hours we watched tufts of green burst from the tips of branches. Daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinth dot the walkways, cardinals sing, and the spring rains raise fragrance from the soil. Over the weekend, 1,000 plus students and community members filled Bailey Hall at an event called Worthy. A Cornell music professor, Joe Salzano, drew musicians from across the campus and the local churches. The event wove genres as diverse as rap, classical, celtic rock, middle eastern, gospel choir, and contemporary Christian worship music to tell the story of Christ’s incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension. I wish you could have joined us singing “Oh Happy Day!”

Dear partners in prayer for Cornell,

We celebrate the first full two months of the semester with many praises, thanks to your support in praying for us.

Dear partners in prayer for Cornell,

As we reflect upon the completed semester, we echo Zechariah’s prayer this Christmas season:
Because of our God’s tender mercy
the dawn will break upon us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Despite the shortened daylight hours, God’s light has indeed broken over Cornell this semester. We have witnessed countless tender mercies and divine guidance distinguish so many students’ lives as they responded to the news of the election, to racial tensions, not to mention personal challenges through relationship breakups, preliminary examinations, labs, group projects, sports competitions, illness and finals.

Dear Partners in Prayer for Cornell,

Thank you for praying for students in our ministry in November—the time to focus on answers to prayer with thanksgiving!

Dear Partners in Prayer for Cornell,

Thank you for praying for us. It is hard to choose which encouraging stories to share from the start of the semester until now. God is using your prayers for this campus to accomplish exciting things!