We just got back from our week and 1/2 training in Fort Collins, Colorado at Colorade State University. What an amazing week to be with our extended (5000+) U.S.staff family to hear from our leadership on the direction of our ministry nationwide.
As you may have heard, Campus Crusade for Christ has changed its name in the U.S. to 'Cru'. After hearing and trusting our leadership's prayerful decision, we are fully confident that this name change will help us further the most important name, the name of Jesus. There are numerous reasons as to why this name change has occured. (1) being the name 'campus', did you know that there are over 40 different kinds of ministries in the U.S. alone under campus crusade for christ, including ministries to family, military, athletes, etc.? Well when we use the phrase campus, it is confusing. Although Tommy and I personally work with the campus ministry under 'cru', many of our fellow staff members work for one of these other divisions, and it is helpful for us to drop the name campus, so that we can be under one unified mission which is to be a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ. (2) being the word 'crusade'. In recent years this word has become a hindrance to the gospel. In 1951 when Bill Bright originally felt the Lord calling him to use this name, it had a different connotation. The word crusade used to have the connotation to mean 'christian revival movement'. over the years, this word has gone back to its other meaning ... referring to THE crusades. It has become offensive, specifically to Muslims (which make up a large percentage of the population on our NJ campuses), and now we find it difficult to even have a conversation with people, and never even get to talk about Jesus because off the bat, they are offended by the word Crusade. Let us give you an example: We go to student freshman orientations and student involvement fairs ever year. At Rutgers alone, THOUSANDS of students walk by our table at the beginning of each school year, probably 10s of thousands statewide. About 200 (at Rutgers)of them sign up for free stuff and to hear more about Jesus and/or our ministry. Most often the other thousands of students will look at the word 'crusade' and make some sort of comment about the word 'crusade' in a negative way. Some read the word 'crusade' and walk the other way without ever asking what we're really about, which is Jesus.
You may have heard in the media some negative comments about taking 'Christ' out of our name. Please talk to us if you are questioning our spiritual fervor-- the media as you know sometimes portrays things inaccurately. Let us assure you that this was a prayerful decision that took two years for our leadership to come to. Now more than EVER before are we committed to taking the NAME of Jesus Christ to the college campus and beyond. We are so excited for the possibilities that this name change might bring, we are hoping that in New Jersey we will be able to share with Muslim students and other skeptical students without the name crusade getting in the way. We are excited to give meaning to the word 'cru' instead of letting the name give us meaning as it did before. We are excited to be a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ! Our vision and mission in ministry has not changed along with the name. We promise! Please call us and talk to us if you have further concerns or questions.
Ok ...enough about the name change. We absolutely loved our staff conference this year. We heard from speakers such as David Platt and Francis Chan, and worshiped two nights with 10th avenue north and the David Crowder Band. We learned about ministry strategies using the ever-changing world of technology as a means to telling the world about Jesus. We feel refreshed, renewed, and are so excited to reach our campuses with the gospel in new and fresh ways. The biggest thing we took away from this conference is to Love Jesus before ministry. We of course know this, but it was so good to be reminded and renewed in this purpose. We want to have a greater devotion to Jesus and His kingdom work. I am praying that what God has started in our hearts at this conference he will continue throughout the year in our hearts as we minister to our students. We truly believe that if we reach the college students of today, we can reach the world tomorrow as we send out these future leaders of our world into the churches, into multiple countries as missionaries, and as we send them into the secular workforce as 'missionaries' in their fields.
We are so excited for what God has in store for the future of 'cru' but ultimately what He has in store for the spreading of His Kingdom throughout the world. We look forward to the day when "at the NAME of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" Philippians 2:10-11. AMEN!
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