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The other week, I was contacted by Jon, a minister in Minnesota who oversees 240 churches. He said they’ve been looking to grow in their ability to reach college students. They knew that was something Cru excelled at and wondered whether Cru did anything to help equip lay people.
Because God opened up this role for me in Orlando, Cru was able to say “yes” where they would previously have needed to say “no.” I took him through a brief overview of the training and resources that I provide and he kept exclaiming how overwhelmed he was at the quality, at the care, and how we provide this as a complimentary service to lay people and churches. We closed in prayer together, both of us brimming with excitement for what the Lord seems to be doing in our hearts and in the united Bride of Christ!
As many areas of the world seem to darken, watch carefully for the light of Christ to shine brighter among his people and pray for unity (John 17:20-23).
God has given us the great opportunity, working out of Cru world headquarters, to rub shoulders with many pillars of faith and missionary role models. Most of the time, we are students who drink in the wisdom and experience of those who look back on a lifetime dedicated to the work of the Lord and have seen Him move all around the world. Sometimes, however, God turns the tables and allows us to teach them!
As part of my effort to see more of the Lord’s people actively sharing their faith and pouring into the next generation, I’ve been assembling teams from churches and other Christian organizations to get on campus with the gospel. The JESUS Film Project, a ministry that has brought a visual gospel to EVERY country in the world, has jumped in with both feet!
We’ve been amazed to hear even seasoned missionaries, like Jim Green, exclaim their gratitude to Karen and I for showing them how to interact with students and how easy it is to talk to young people about spiritual things! A video of some of them is posted here: TinyURL.com/JFatFullSail
Click HERE for our latest Prayer Letter. I can’t wait to share:
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A major issue discussed at our staff conference was how our ministry needs to grow to reflect the population. Cru has not had a stellar track record ministering to minority students, and our staff is sorely unbalanced. NJ, however, has always been ahead of the curve in this area. National leaders have even remarked that the ministry there reflects such a picture of the diversity we will see in Heaven. Karen and I have always felt strongly about supporting minority staff as part of our own giving to the Lord and Zara is our newest addition. She just finished raising her initial support and thinks back to when she was a Freshman at Monmouth University:
“I was so nervous that I wouldn’t find a good group of people to spend the next 4 years of my life with. I found Cru the 1st week of school at the club fair. I was so thankful to find a caring community passionate about Jesus and connecting others to Him. Through Cru, I found some of my very best friends and learned how to share my faith, live a Spirit filled life, and live my life on mission.” Pray for Zara as she sets out on campus!
God has truly been answering our prayers as Cru has caught a strong heart for partnership. 8/31 was a beautiful example.
Students and staff from different areas (Valencia, UCF, Full Sail and Headquarters) along with members of our church joined us on a campus where we’ve never been before to share the gospel and launch a new movement!
I was thrilled to see our church friends learning how to share their faith for the first time and having deep and wonderful conversations. One of them turned to me and said what many students have before, “I was scared coming here, but this was great! People are so willing to talk. They come right up to you!” She then described how a Buddhist student was asking them all kinds of truly open questions about Christianity.
By the end of the day, over 200 students filled out surveys indicating interest in helping launch Cru on their campus. At least 4 people heard the entire gospel and two people prayed to ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior! Praise God for all He is doing, and please continue to pray for Valencia College’s East campus and for more
Click HERE for our latest Prayer Letter. I can’t wait to share:
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3,059 students are attending 180 Cru mission trips this year in 52 countries. They come back changed forever, saying it was the best experience with God in their lives. But only about 5% of our students get to go, while many of the rest fall away from God without the fellowship they had on campus.
That’s why I’ve teamed up with my former supervisor, Rob Mittuch, to be a part of creating this online mission trip called Summer Connect, which takes them through daily devotions and weekly faith step challenges using apps, social media, etc.
Each Sunday night, 1,300 students gather in a web conference (from as far as Iceland) to share what God’s been doing in their lives and to hear from our top speakers!
Pray for the impact they can have for the kingdom! You can get a sneak peak into what they’re up to THIS WEEK or sign up yourself!
Karen and I have been able to bless people and launch ministries because of the help of our supporters, and Cherryville Baptist is a great example. Because they think of us and come to us for help, we’ve been able to connect their young people to Christian communities away from home.
Brianna is the newest installment in that story. At University of New Haven in CT, she got involved in a Christian club, but they decided they wanted to be more than just a “club.” They wanted to effect eternity by reaching their campus with the love of Jesus Christ. So, they changed their name to Cru and God has blessed their efforts to build community with dozens of students, but they weren’t connected to other campuses, tools or missionaries.
Brianna reached out to us because we spoke at her home church and she introduced me to Mary, the club president. Now Mary is plugging in with our Summer Connect program (below) and blown away by the ideas and structural help we’ve been able to provide.
Pray for Brianna and Mary as they seek to support each other and step out in faith to reach their classmates for Christ!
Click HERE for our latest prayer newsletter. Please praise the Lord with us and petition Him to move in new and exciting ways as well!
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