P E N N | On Campus
United in Worship and Prayer
LU K E 18 PR O J E C T C O ME S T O PE N N
By James Supplee, Penn ’17
O
n Wednesday, October 11,
representatives from various
campus ministries and local church-
es gathered in Houston Hall at the
University of Pennsylvania for a night
of worship and prayer. Led by the
Luke 18 Project, the event focused
on Christian unity, revival, salvation,
and spiritual awakening on campus.
Participating ministries included:
Awaken the Dawn, Penn for Jesus,
Christian Union at Penn, Chi Alpha
at Penn, and Collegiate Day of Prayer.
The Luke 18 Project, founded in
2008 by the International House of
Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri, collab-
orates with campus ministries to equip
leaders and students with the tools nec-
essary to “fuel a culture of prayer and
fasting to contend for revival and awak-
ening on college campuses.”
This fall, in a span of just 10 days,
the Luke 18 Project toured through the
Northeast, hosting worship and prayer
nights at all eight Ivy League universities.
Ultimat ely, the Luke 18 Project aims
to ignite three movements: A Campus
Prayer Movement; A New Jesus Move-
ment; and A New Student Volunteer
Movement, which would mobilize
young people in the United States to
boldly go to all nations, sharing the good
news of the Gospel with unreached and
under-reached people groups.
At Penn, students, campus min-
istry leaders, and Luke18 Project mem-
bers joined together for alternating
portions of praise and prayer. One
person raised a topic of need on cam-
pus at Penn and others prayed aloud.
The assembly interceded for mental
health, Christian community, and re-
vival on campus, among other topics.
These topics were particularly rele-
vant, considering some difficult recent
events. Less than one week after the
night of worship and prayer, a member
of the Penn community, third-year law
student Justin Hamano, died suddenly.
Hamano was the fourth Penn student
to pass away this semester, the sixth in
2017. Despite the efforts of many or-
ganizations, mental health struggles
continue for many Penn students.
Annie Kim, a senior in the Nursing
School, was deeply encouraged by the
events of the Luke 18 Project event.
She expressed immense gratitude for
the visiting team of ministers and the
members of the Penn community who
came out to pray for the university.
“I’m glad that there are Christian
people who love the Lord and love
His people,” she said.
Certainly, in the midst of difficult
times on Locust Walk, it is necessary
for believers within and without the
Penn community to seek the Lord on
behalf of the institution. | cu
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p enn ne w s - in - b r ie f
The Collegium Institute for
Catholic Thought and Culture
hosted a reading series tied to
the 500 th anniversary of the
Collegium Series
Focuses on
Reformation
Reformation.
During six sessions in
September and October, Catholic
and Protestant speakers led a group
of students through the main texts
of the Reformers and examined
how their ideas were shaped by
centuries of faith tradition.
Founded by faculty, alumni,
students, and associates of the
University of Pennsylvania,
the Collegium Institute is an
independent scholarly foundation
devoted to fostering the Catholic
intellectual tradition.
2
On September 1, the
Whitefield Society hosted
an informational dinner and
game night for students at the
University of Pennsylvania.
The Whitefield Society is
an ecumenical Christian
community that seeks “to engage
questions of identity, calling,
vocation, and academics.” The
ministry’s offerings include
book discussions, Bible studies,
community dinners, and Ekklesia,
a weekly liturgical worship
service. The Whitefield Society
is sponsored by City Church of
Philadelphia.
Whitefield Society: an
Ecumenical Christian
Community
51