Chris Mercaldi

Harvard University, Class of 2004

I came to Harvard, in the fall of my sophomore year, for the chance to row with the lightweight crew at the best program in the country, but I came with a fragile faith. I wanted to serve the Lord, but I didn’t know how, until I met Damian Long. Damian was the Crusade staff member at Harvard, and his passion for Christ burned brighter than his fiery red hair. For the first time in my life, I had an example of what it meant to be on fire for the Lord. Damian reached out to me and taught me, through a discipleship relationship, what it meant to live with an eternal perspective, but act daily.

During my senior year at Harvard, I led a small group of teammates in a weekly Bible study. It was an amazing experience for me to not only have teammates in the locker room know that I was Christian, but actively seek to hold me accountable to it. That spring we studied the book of James and sought to help each other understand what it means to “not merely listen to the word” but “do what it says.” (James 1:22) Some freshmen and several seeking non-believers were in our group, and my constant prayer was that the group would continue to grow and multiply and spread after I had left. I thank God for these brothers and their desire to serve Him. I thank God for what he has done in my life and for what he is doing on the Harvard campus. And I thank you for all your prayers and support