@natematiasPraying for Cornell and the Search for Knowledge in Troubled Times
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Join Cornell’s Christian community on Wednesday April 16 at 6:15pm for an evening of prayer for our university, for students and academics at risk across the country, and for the future of learning and knowledge in the United States.
From scientists working on vaccines to humanities scholars tracing our shared past, people across Cornell participate in the grand endeavor of Psalm 111: “Great are the works of the Lord; studied by all who delight in them.”
On April 8th, the US government promised to freeze $1 Billion in funding from Cornell University. This extraordinary measure has led to substantial fear and uncertainty across campus. Each day brings new reports of canceled funding, jobs lost, and universities directly threatened with existential cuts (Penn, Columbia, Brown, Harvard, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, and now Cornell). College libraries have been ordered to remove books that include Christian history, Christians have been removed from the historical record, inclusion efforts are under investigation, and international students at nearly 100 institutions are facing revoked visas with little warning or explanation. In response, we are doing what Christians have done for thousands of years to face adversity: turning to God in prayer for refuge and strength.
In this prayer meeting, join Christians from across Cornell and the wider community to learn about the current situation, pray for the future of our university, pray for those who fear for their livelihoods, and pray for university leaders to find wisdom and courage in difficult times.
RSVP for Zoom and In-Person: if you can’t make it, you can still share prayer requests
We applied last week to host the event in Stocking Hall 146 (the lecture hall next to the Dairy Bar) with a Zoom option but have not yet received venue confirmation. If we are not granted permission, we will hold the prayer meeting exclusively over Zoom. To sign up for final details, we ask you to RSVP.
As part of the event, we will be printing and sharing anonymous prayer requests with break-out prayer circles. So even if you cannot attend or are part of the Cornell community beyond Ithaca, please complete the prayer form below.
- April 16th at 6:15pm - 7:15pm
- Doors open at 6:00pm, and the hall will remain open for conversation until 7:45pm
Participating leaders and ministries include the following:
- Graduate Christian Fellowship at Cornell
- Hannah Eagleson, Chaplain to graduate students and faculty, Chesterton House
- J. Nathan Matias, Assistant Professor
- Praveen Sethupathy, Professor
- David Williamson, Professor
- Christina Yu, Assistant Professor
- James Touchton, InterVarsity Graduate & Faculty Ministries, serving Graduate Students & Faculty at Cornell
- Tim LeCroy, pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church
- Steve Froelich, pastor emeritus of New Life Presbyterian Church
- David Ng, Professor
- Matt Raley, pastor of Bethel Grove Bible Church