About us
Christian Union Lumine is an inter-denominational Christian organization serving Columbia University’s four undergraduate colleges. We are a group of imperfect people seeking God together through in-depth study of Scripture, prayer, worship, and fellowship.
Our club aims to give Columbia students who identify as Christians the tools to live faith-filled lives, spread the Gospel, and commune in Christ. Our broader mission—to create Christian leaders at the forefront of a spiritual and intellectual countercultural movement—is comprised of a number of smaller goals. By spreading the Word and the love of God at Columbia and Barnard, providing a support system and outlet for dealing with the stresses of being a young Christian today, and, ultimately, fostering healthy relationships in and with Christ, Christian Union Lumine aims to develop devout lovers of Christ who will positively impact the world.
Our Vision
Illumina is a space for the community of Christian Union and for anyone on the Columbia campus to gather together, worship our God for who He is and what He has done, fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and learn about our Savior and how we can better carry out God’s mission in each of our lives.
In Thy light shall we see light.
Psalm 36:9
![192-ROCKSTEADY IMAGES [Christian Union Nexus Conference 2019 (Web)]-ROQ40305.jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/50383742e4b01c59e7eec0ae/1566836443800-UED5HQEAH2SW2RUCH8H0/192-ROCKSTEADY+IMAGES+%5BChristian+Union+Nexus+Conference+2019+%28Web%29%5D-ROQ40305.jpg)
Highlights
During the 2018-19 school year, 174 undergraduate students at Columbia enrolled in Christian Union's rigorous weekly Bible courses.
Two full-time Christian Union ministry faculty work directly with students, providing Bible course instruction, mentorship and leadership coaching.
Our leadership lecture series, Illumina, addresses a host of challenging, inspiring topics throughout the year.
Daily prayer gatherings take place throughout the year, and many students also fast together as they seek the Lord for themselves and their campus.
Meet our team!
Our Executive Board
President: Matthew Shirley (CC '26)
President: Johnelle Villalona (SEAS '25)
Vice President: Miracle St. Kitts (CC '26)
Our Staff
Craig Holliday, Ministry Director
Born and raised in New York City, Craig spent a decade in the for-profit and non-profit worlds. Before joining Christian Union, he was an associate pastor at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Currently, he sits on several church and non-profit boards. He and his wife Vanessa live in Brooklyn, NY.
Viviana Hinojosa, Ministry Fellow
Moving from California to New York in 2015, Viviana studied at NYU where she completed a B.S. in Media Culture and Communications. She then moved to Australia to attend a vocational ministry school where she was awarded a Diploma of Ministry in Pastoral Leadership. Before coming to Christian Union, she spent six years doing young adult and campus ministry for churches in New York and Sydney, Australia. She currently resides in Manhattan, NY.
Ministry Teams
We love having students serve our ministry in a variety teams! If you’re interested in joining a ministry team or if you’d just like more information, reach out to one of the ministry team leaders (MTLs) listed, and they’ll be able to get you plugged in. This is one of the best ways to get more involved with the community!
Illumina
The Illumina team coordinates Christian Union’s weekly large group meeting. Duties include: making accommodations for the speaker, working with the Worship team regarding scheduling, coordinating setup and take-down.
MTLs: Silas Link (CC ‘26), Olivia Cox (CC ‘27)
Worship
The Worship team leads praise and worship services during Illumina, our weekly lecture series, which allows a chance for intimate seeking of the Lord during the beginning and end of our service.
MTLs: Joanna Cuatlayo (CC ‘26), Anthony Chen (CC ‘25)
Outreach
The Outreach team shares the gospel of Jesus Christ with the greater Columbia community in creative and engaging ways, planning events such as Message Me for Macaroons.
MTLs: Alex Nguyen (CC ‘26), Abigail Crispin (BC ‘26), Gabriel Cao (CC ‘25)
Communications
The Communications team manages all of Christian Union Lumine’s branding and advertising, creating eye-catching flyers for events, maintaining our social media platforms, and more!
MTLs: Sophia Dziekan (CC ‘26), M.D. Ilomuanya (CC ‘25)
Socials
The Socials team seeks to build Christian community on campus by planning social events throughout the year. From movie nights to Christmas parties, we are always striving to find new and fun ways to bring the community together!
MTLs: Marcos Mancia (CC ‘27), Vanessa Cueva (CC ‘27)
Mercy
The Mercy team recognizes the importance of social justice and community service, willingly and joyfully devoting their time and resources in order to reflect Christ and His love to those in need.
MTLs: Avaldamar Arguelles (CC ‘26)
Student Testimonials
Calvin Goah (SEAS ‘19)
I first got involved in Christian Union as a freshman when Isaac Bautista contacted me during the summer of 2015 and welcomed me to the Columbia community. After our initial contact, I didn't hear back from him until a month later in August when he offered to have coffee with me when I got on campus. I wasn't sure what was going on. All I was thinking was that, "Man, this guy ghosts me for a month and now he's offering me coffee? Weird."
Things started making more sense when I arrived on campus for NSOP and met Isaac. I found out he was a Christian; he found I was a Christian, and the next thing I knew I was meeting some of Christian Union's student leaders at their office near campus. Frankly, I thought everyone was just a little bit too excited for my taste, but I couldn't deny that there was something special about this group of people.
Throughout my last two years at Columbia, I've learned a smorgasbord of things about myself and my fellow Christian Union comrades. Jesse's Bible Course has encouraged me to seek out and understand the nuances of my faith. But most importantly, my involvement in Christian Union at Columbia has brought me closer to Jesus, both intellectually and spiritually, than I've ever been before.
Olivia Loomis (BC ‘20)
Bible Course serves as an important place to ask questions of my culture and of my religion and Illumina provides the opportunity to worship with my friends and to hear from Christian leaders, but what I appreciate most about Christian Union is how it brings all different followers of Christ together. It’s exposed me to individuals who have different majors and passions, come from different cultural backgrounds, and worship God differently; they all reveal the various forms that God’s beauty takes in His people. My brothers and sisters challenge me, teach me, and love me well, pushing me closer to Christ and His Kingdom.