Training Students - Using Social Media to start Gospel conversations with our friends

At the Epicenter Experience on January 2-6, over 350 students and staff were trained in how to more effectively communicate their faith with friends, family, and professors - using the communities where students most hangout - Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Watch this video recorded by one of our students, Dan from NYC.  Dan posted this video on his Facebook account  to begin Gospel conversations with his friends.


Dan Agabiti from CCCNEHQ on Vimeo.

• Pray with us as students like Dan are taking similar steps of faith with their friends.  
• Pray that many people would pursue Christ as they learn how He has changed lives just like Dan.  

Thank You for making a difference in the lives of students.

Campus Crusade for Christ -- Christmas Thank You from Masterworks on Vimeo.

Esme's Spiritual Journey

Esme, a freshmen at MIT, connected with our ministry through her roommate, Sherry, who is a follower of Jesus.  Learning of her curiosity about Christianity I arranged to meet with her.

Like many college students today, Esme grew up in a home where her exposure to Jesus was almost non-existent.  She attended church only on Christmas and Easter, and did not know much about the Bible or the Christian faith.  But she was attracted to our Cru community at MIT and now really desires to know more about God.

After we walked through the gospel story, Esme said she wanted to place her trust in Christ but still had some questions.  A week later, Esme attended the Cru Fall Retreat and said it was the first time she realized that God works not only in “big, miraculous ways” but also in numerous small and individual ways.  It was not long before she and her roommate, Sherry, began hosting a life group in their own dorm room!

When Esme and I met again, we looked at a tool called “Backstory” that walks through the larger themes of the Bible including intimacy, betrayal, pursuit and sacrifice.  It was clear as we discussed various Bible passages that Esme now has a deeper understanding of Jesus, the gospel and God’s grace.

When I asked her, “What does the image of the cross mean to you?” she replied, “It used to just be a symbol of Christianity, but now when I see it, it makes me think of the greatest sacrifice ever made –– Jesus died for us though we did nothing to deserve it.  It was our sin that He paid for.” She also said, “I know everyone needs Jesus, and that includes me.”

Esme is very close to giving her life to Christ, but she says she is nervous about “what’s on the other side” and what it means to give up control of her life to God.  Yet she recognizes that God is pursuing her:  “I know God is communicating with me because if I didn’t happen to be roommates with Sherry, I never would have gotten involved in this group.”

Esme is but one of several answers to our prayers for more non-believers and seekers to get connected with our community and draw near to Jesus.  Several freshmen like Sherry have invited roommates and friends to participate in our events and life groups, and it is thrilling to seem them starting to understand the gospel and embrace Jesus!

Would you pray that Esme would continue to seek after Christ and embrace Him as her Lord and Savior?

*This entry was written by Kim Swanson, Cru staff, who has walked with Esme on her spiritual journey and continues to meet with Esme on a regular basis.

God has won Nathalie's heart . . .

Nathalie came to MIT as a freshmen already feeling God pursuing her life. He seemed to be there at every turn, beckoning her to himself but she felt unworthy of his love.

She realized how many times God sought her out but felt guilty that she did not seek him in return, as she would naturally turn and live her life her own way, easily forgetting him.

Plagued by guilt, Nathalie saw involvement with Cru at MIT as her last chance to find a means to connect before he gave up on her.

Although she didn't identify with being a Christian, Nathalie knew God was real and wanted a relationship with her. Jenn Halvorsen (Cru staff) arranged to meet her for coffee and listen to her story.  Through many tears, Nathalie heard Jenn affirm that we are ALL unworthy (Romans 3:10-12), and only through Jesus can we approach God's throne with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).  And furthermore, that by His blood, he will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

As a result, Nathalie got involved in her dorm's life group, delving deeply into Jenn's Bible study with her student peers. Soon she committed to attend the Cru Fall Retreat with two newfound friends (Lyndsey and Sammy) from this life group.

As she experienced more community, had intense conversations with Lyndsey about how she came to believe, and listened to Fall Retreat speaker, Rick James, it finally began to sink into Nathalie's heart how much Jesus cared for her. By the end of the weekend, Nathalie announced that she placed her faith in Christ.

Nathalie remains committed to her life group on campus, continuing to ask many insightful questions. Pray that she trusts the Lord more and more each day as she experiences new faith and security in Christ.

*This changed life story was written by Jenn Halvorsen, Real Life staff member, who shared the Gospel with Nathalie and witnessed the moment when Nathalie placed her faith in Christ.

. . . from the desk of the President of Gordon College

"I have spent the last eight years interviewing senior leaders in government, business and nonprofit life, exploring how senior leaders use the resources at their disposal to advance human flourishing and to serve the common good.  I logged 400,000 miles traveling from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  I interviewed presidents, titans of industry, celebrity icons and chief executives of the nation's largest firms.  Yet as I began to analyze the data, I realized that over half of all these interviews took place on the short stretch of land along I-95 from Washington, D.C., to Boston.  This is what we sociologists refer to as the 'power elite' corridor.  It's home to the political, financial and intellectual capitals of the Western world."

Dr. D. Michael Lindsay
President, Gordon College

This is what we do in Cru . . . Check it Out,

(Thanks for sharing Jonathan and Keith)

Influence coming from Boston ... Who will we send into the world 30 years from now?

10 of Boston’s Most Powerful Alumni: The CEO Edition

Students leading the world . . . .

In an inordinate percentage of world leaders are being educated at Harvard University and throughout the Northeast.  Check out these great articles:
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2010/05/09/oxford-and-harvard-the-worlds-political-universities/
25 Recent Heads of State were educated in New England and New York.  This an interesting list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_educated_in_the_United_States

Students WILL influence the world . . .

Boston alumnus tries to "change the world"
An Ashland, MA  man who holds a physics degree from Northeastern University was charged yesterday with an Al Qaeda-inspired plot to send a remote-controlled aircraft carrying explosives into the Pentagon and the US Capitol “to kill as many people as possible,’’ according to a complaint filed in federal court. Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, a US citizen whose only known previous crime was vandalism, told FBI agents working undercover as Al Qaeda members that he wanted to “change the world,’’ according to the complaint.

Responding to Fox News Spin of Cru

"Here is our Vice President of US ministries Steve Sellers on Fox News responding to the idea that we are ashamed of Christ.

Here is Fox News' own correspondent refuting their slant from earlier in the week:

BWC 2011 - Holly Sheldon - Free Exchange

Holly Sheldon speaks at the Boston Winter Conference 2011 about living life surrendered to the King of Kings.



BWC 2011 Holly Sheldon - Free Exchange from CCCNEHQ on Vimeo.

BWC 2011 - A Student's Story

Meet Via Perkins from Salem State University


BWC 2011 Via Perkins from CCCNEHQ on Vimeo.


This is what she had to say after BWC:
"I was a little nervous to come to BWC, and not sure what to expect. I had been on weekend retreats before, having grown up with youth group at Grace Chapel in Lexington, MA, but this was much longer. Also, I came not knowing anyone, which was hard because I am fairly shy. But I was happy at how genuinely friendly and non-cliquey everyone was. After going to the seminar for artists of faith, I was so excited to find out that for the first time, I felt like I was understood on a soul level - meeting the speakers and kids who loved creativity and had that slightly offbeat, right-brained sort of mind and introversion, yet were strong Christians was amazing. All the speakers and seminars were encouraging, challenging, and inspiring, and the day of outreach was a real growing experience, as well performing in front of everyone. I also made the decision to apply for a summer project, which is a pretty big thing, and I'm excited about it."


Students like Via would not experience life change and real community at the Boston Winter Conference without your prayers and financial giving.  Thank you!

BWC 2011 - Holly Sheldon, Paul & Kym Byrd

Holly unpacks what it would look like if every one of our graduating seniors left their university and our ministries with a plan to influence their world for Christ.

Holly also interviews Paul & Kym Byrd in this clip.  Paul is a former Major League Baseball pitcher (and former Red Sox, which carries a lot of weight around here)  who is seeking to use the platform that God has given him to influence the world for Christ.  Kym is a gracious woman of God who has a heart to influence the women that she encounters.  Kym & Paul are great partners with us in ministry as we seek to reach more students and faculty with the Gospel.  Take a few minutes to enjoy the clip below.


BWC 2011 Holly Sheldon, Paul and Kym Byrd 100% Sent from CCCNEHQ on Vimeo.

BWC 2011 - Bret Ogburn - Experiencing Freedom Together

This is one of the best talks/sermons I've ever heard on community.  Check out my buddy Bret Ogburn here.


BWC 2011 Bret Ogburn - Free Together from CCCNEHQ on Vimeo.

Meet Lauren from Boston University

Lauren (on left) from Boston University

Lauren Boyer is a senior at Boston University. Lauren attended the Preview Weekend with us November 5-7. The Preview Weekend is a time set aside for students to consider joining with us after graduation as full-time campus ministers to help us to get to the yet-to-be reached students of the world. 

Listen to what God is doing in Lauren's life here.

Report from Campus Crusade for Christ in Chile:

Chile Ministry Helps Trapped Miners

By Christian Maureira, National Director of Chile

Updated: 18.Oct.2010

¡Gracias Señior! Thank You Lord!

This may be the quote of the year. This is the quote that, according to sources, has been recorded in the minds of at least a billion people around the world. It is a statement of gratefulness which has emerged from the depths of the heart of humanity throughout history. And it is the statement that on October 12, emerged from the depths of the earth through miners that were returning from death and darkness. They reminded us that life is the most precious gift that God has given us and that it should be a constant poem of thanks to Him who "has the depths of the earth and the heights of the mountains in his hands" (paraphrase of Psalm 95:4 quoted on the back of the t-shirts).

The rescue of the miners is an historical event without precedent, which brings to mind Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross. He gave His life as a ransom to rescue humanity, and has demonstrated that He is an expert at freeing souls that are trapped in the depths of the abyss. This is corroborated by the testimony of Jonah at the bottom of the sea; by Daniel in the lions' den; by the transformation of millions of people throughout history; or by the statement of Mario Sepulveda, "I was with God and I was with the devil. They fought over me and God won. I held onto the best hand and I was never afraid that God wouldn't get me out of this."

"Thank you Lord!" is even more notable when we think that these men lost at 700 meters underground (over 2,000 feet), in the middle of the Atacama desert, have made us look up to the sky and have reminded us that, as our national anthem says, "Our fields embroidered with flowers and the majestic mountain, a happy resemblance of Eden, are a bulwark and a gift from God." Chile, then, is a grateful country that has reminded the world to set its eyes on the things of God, who sustains the universe.

Likewise, it was humble men who had no public or media relevance before the collapse of the mine, who installed the quote of the event onto the front pages of newspapers, on live television, in the internet, Facebook, Twitter, and all the different media platforms all over the world. I suspect that "Thank you Lord!" was the general feeling of the entire Chilean population. It was a muffled scream since the day we found out that they were alive. We were all tuned to the same frequency -- presidents, artists, actors, scientists, religious leaders, singers and so many others. They all expressed basically the same thing in different parts of the planet.

Let's be fair and grateful. It's true; the rescue has put Chile, and its government, engineers, private companies and society, as a sophisticated model to the world. But all of us together couldn't have avoided the loss of lives if the mine would have fallen on them. It's a miracle; the miracle of Copiapó.

¡Gracias Señior! Thank you Lord!

Christian Maureira
National Director of Campus Crusade for Christ, Chile

---

Update: 15.Oct.2010

The story of the 33 rescued miners has gripped the attention of the world, and Campus Crusade for Christ Chile has played an integral role.

By now, most of you have probably seen the t-shirts the miners were wearing as they arose out of the mine that said "¡Gracias Señior!" (Thank You Lord!) and had the JESUS film logo on the sleeve. They were created by our Chile ministry and given to the miners to wear.

The national media has noticed the logo as well. CNN posted an article on their Belief Blog talking about the shirts.

We also wanted to confirm that the miner mentioned by Christian in his letter is miner #24, Jose Samuel Henriquez. Some services list him as Jose Henriquez Gonzalez. By all accounts, he was the spiritual leader of the group and our contact in the mine.

Would you join us in continuing to praise God for their rescue and the part our fellow staff members played in caring for and serving their needs while trapped.

---

Editor's Note: We received this update from Christian Maureira, the National Director in Chile, about the Chile ministry's efforts to help the trapped miners. This was translated by Doug Barron.

News From the Miners
By Christian Maureira, Chile National Director

Hello team and friends! I want to share with you about the last 2 very intense weeks as we have worked on the project to take the Word of God and the JESUS audio version to the mine, but it has really be worth the effort as it is food for the soul. This long history of the miners that is now passing 2 months has been without doubt the longest survival experience for people trapped underground.

This all started on the August 5, when the San Jose mine collapsed because of the exploration in the mine. The news was not good as it was only 6 months after we had experience the very large earthquake and tsunami. With a population less than other countries in the world, problems like this seem much closer to you and much more like it is part of your own family.

After 2 weeks without news from the miners we could only think the worst. The government had made every effort, but it was reasonable to think that the miners were lost, above all considering the distance where they were located, some 700 meters (2,000 feet) deep with a difficult future to be rescued. But God had other plans and 2 days later (the 17th day), contact with them was made. Obviously we were all very happy and we celebrated the miracle that all were alive.

As Campus Crusade, God guided us to think about how we could help these men and this was how we took the initiative to contact some churches in the north, leaders and authorities about sending the JESUS audio into the mine. It wasn't easy in the beginning because of some apathy in the Christian leadership and a lack of a sense of urgency, together with the restrictive control of the rescue team but, God in His sovereignty provided that we were able to gain contact with the daughter and the brother of 1 of the 3 Christians that were trapped there.

During several weeks, I was in contact with them and I explored the possibility of sending them audio material. Finally, I traveled to the mine with 33 MP3's containing theJESUS audio version and an ample portion of the Bible. I was there for 2 days and we sent the MP3's through each family members that were there.

Jose Samuel, my contact in the mine (father of Hettiz and brother of Gaston) is an extraordinary man who has really surprised me. The psychologists that are giving help from the surface have recognized that he has been a tremendous emotional and spiritual support for the rest of his co-workers.

He sent me a letter that grabbed my attention for his incredible clarity of thought. For example, some parts of the letter are:

• "I want to express my appreciation for this great blessing for me and my co-workers, it will be very good our edification" (He is talking about the MP3's)
• "I am well because Christ lives in me"
• "We have prayer services at 12 a.m. and 6 p.m."
• "I ask all of you for pray not only for us here, but for all the lost people in the world"
• At the end of the letter he signed off with Psalm 95:4, "In his hand are the depths of the earth, and mountain peaks belong to him."

This is a very motivating story, let's continue to pray for the salvation of these souls. Thanks for being part of this.

Extending the Love of Christ to New York City

This summer, a number of our staff and students joined a group of 120 strong in the Tribeca Summer Project in New York City. This training and outreach time is unique in its five “ministry tracks” placing staff and students in ministry opportunities all around this great city of 8.5 million.

The linked report details our activities on each of the Tribeca tracks. Perhaps the participants were artists discovering, for the very first time, how to integrate their Christian faith and artistic pursuit; others were learning to reach out to talented international scholars at Columbia or New York University; there also were students from rural backgrounds getting a major taste of inner-city outreach to the poor and homeless of Brooklyn. For most of June and July, our group learned to love this great and complex city in new ways. Some are being stirred to return to minister in New York, others will take their learning and apply it (very soon) back on their own campuses. All were changed by the experience of following Christ together in this metropolis.

As you read the Tribeca report, we welcome your prayers for our ongoing and expanding outreach to the nearly one million students of New York City! There are many challenges and many opportunities to proclaim Christ here among students of every imaginable ethnic and economic background. Thank you for your participation with us in reaching out to the students of the Northeast.

Serving with You,

Geoff & Michelle for the Northeast Leadership Team
Campus Crusade for Christ

Lifelines Outdoor Ministry - Acadia Leadership Summer Project

Over 200 students and staff from the Northeast are spending their summer around the world serving with Campus Crusade for Christ on a Summer Project.  Learn more in our prayer letter:  May 2010 Freeman Update

Campus Crusade in Haiti - What will we be doing?

All 150 students/staff (50 per session) will live on the Chambrun property along with 20-25 Haitian students, some of whom will serve as translators.  Each day teams will go out to various ministry sites.  Regardless of the work our students do, they will be shoulder to shoulder with the Haitian students.

Work/Ministry our student teams will engage in:

• Food and hygiene kit distribution
• Jesus Film showings – evangelism in the surrounding villages
• Assisting doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in the medical clinic; sharing Christ with those who wait to see a doctor or nurse
• Setting up solar and wind powered water purification units
• Complete infrastructure (tents, cots, latrines, Mercy Chefs kitchen, as needed) for teams that will follow (The US Campus Ministry is preparing for at least a 3-5 year presence in Haiti.)
• Evangelism and discipleship with college students and outreaches to universities (some schools are beginning to hold classes in tents)
• Working with Haitian families, assisting them in recovery and ultimately to function without reliance on aid
• Building shelters, one of the greatest needs, as most Haitians cannot or will not return to their homes

To learn more check out the Hope for Haiti site.

Brief History of Campus Crusade in Haiti

On 12 January there were 90 Haitian college students involved with CCC.  Twenty were killed in the earthquake, which claimed the lives of 230,000 others.  Every university in the country was damaged and closed.  Haiti CCC also has its own humanitarian arm, Nehemiah Vision Ministries, which owns 35 acres in the Chambrun area 12 miles north of Port-au-Prince (PAP) with a church, school of 350 students, an orphanage of 15 children, warehouse being used as a medical clinic, and 10K sq. ft. hospital just starting to be built.  Poor, non-electric villages of mud homes dot the area of Chambrun.  

The long-range plan includes a model community/area with the Gospel continually going out, people coming to Christ, churches being planted, children educated and sent to college, medical services provided, job training being done, healthy local economy being created. Esperandieu Pierre is Crusade’s National Director in Haiti.  

We plan to partner with Food for the Hungry and a network of churches known as SKDE, a Creole acronym for Sant Kretye pou Developman Entegre (Christian Center for Integrated Development).  This network was started by Guerino St Simon, the National Director for Harvest (Rekot).

Campus Crusade in Haiti - Team 1 leaves for Haiti June 1st!

Team 1 leaves for Haiti June 1st!  Altogether, over 150 will go this summer!

Our advance work will soon be put to the test as the first team of 50 collegians lands in Haiti in a few days.  They will share the Good News while doing Good Deeds among the victimized and earthquake-ravaged Haitians, enabling them to participate in their own restoration.  Applications have poured in from all over the US since Crusade’s leadership disseminated news of the potential for participation in God’s work in Haiti.  These intrepid students – a Fulbright scholar from Kansas, the Panhellenic President from the U of Idaho, 3 midshipmen from the Naval Academy, 5 Korean students, students from Rice, UC Berkeley, USC, Northwestern, Biola, Duke, UMass, the Berklee School of Music, and elsewhere – represent every region of the country!  

Pray with us that God would change lives in Haiti this summer.

Lives Being Changed throughout the Northeast

I spent a week earlier this month with leaders from our campus ministries throughout the Northeast.  We spent an hour sharing all that God has been doing in the lives of students and professors.  What an encouraging time!  It is a privilege to minister with you.  

Read a few of the stories in our recent Newsletter:  April 2010 Newsletter

Campus Times - Ex-porn addict takes on industry

Check out this article from our ministry in Rochester NY.

Campus Times - Ex-porn addict takes on industry

Students on Spring Break serving Haiti

Pray for the Christian students at Big Break in Panama City Beach this week as they ask non-Christian students on Spring break to help them pack 1 million meals for Haiti and share the gospel in the process. Pray that God would save lives and souls through all that happens this week. Last week 1100 CCC students were there. They had 421 people indicate decisions to follow Jesus. So far during the weeks of Big Break students have packed 456,000 meals for Haiti. Pray for another week of students sharing and hearing the gospel. Pray that many more would follow Jesus.

UVM's Trip to Guatemala - God is Working

Message from our Missional Team Leader - Dan

Update from Guatemala!

Last night our group went into the Ghetto.  It is a very different place at night then during the day.  God keep them safe though.  There in the Ghetto they went to a church service.  A Guatemala men come up to the group and said that the Holy Spirit had spoken to him to come over and talk with them.  That the Spirit had told him that some of them where not let believers in Christ and now was the time for them to made a decision.  Jen started to cry.  Before they left Jen, Jill, Carrie accepted Christ!!!  Most of the group were in tears.  The men then went to Jerry and said you to have not accepted Christ and the time is now.  Jerry nodded yes.  Jerry is not certain where he believes in God yet.  Praise God for how He is working in the students lives.

Please keep praying for Jerry and Michael that they to would accept Christ during this trip.  (All of these students are active in our small groups call LifeGroups)

(names changed for privacy)

Thank you for trusting God with us to change lives.  

Spring Break Big Break - Helping Haitians

A story about one of the many ways Campus Crusade is responding to the tragedy in Haiti.

Spring Break = big break for Campus Crusade (OneNewsNow.com)

Day of Outreach - Boston Winter Conference 2010

The Day of Outreach took place on January 4, 2010. Over 400 Campus Crusade students and staff went out on the streets of Boston, partnering with 9 local churches and 4 local organizations to bring the love of Christ to those in the city. 

Here are a few pictures of what went down.  If you have any questions please drop me an email at geoff.freeman@uscm.org

Boston Winter Conference 2010 - first report

Read about the Boston Winter Conference with our most recent newsletter at:  BWC 2010 Update

We'd love to hear from you.  

Publish Post

Boston Winter Conference: GLORY

Thank you for praying for the Boston Winter Conference on January 2-6. The week was a great success. Nearly 500 students and staff attended and were challenged to live and lead courageously for God's Glory.

A few highlights for us:

• We were a part of a Men's and Women's Panel discussing sexuality and relationships.  Read more here.  Very scary but rewarding for sure.
  
• Geoff had the privilege of teaching about giving and stewardship to 500 in the main meeting on Tuesday morning.  
• Hundreds of staff and students were privileged to serve alongside local churches in ministering to a variety of communities throughout Boston.
  

The email below from a student really captures the conference well and much of what God did in so many students' lives last week.  Thank you for praying.

My name is Andy and I am a junior at the University at Albany.  This was
my first time going to BWC.  For the first time, I was at a retreat among
other college students who were just as committed as me to seeing our
lives and our campuses reflect God's glory.  The friends I made here will
last for a long time and into eternity, I am sure, and I can't wait to go
back.

I guess what struck me the most about being with these people was how much
everyone owned thier faith.  It was no longer a parent's faith, or a youth
pastor's faith.  It is ours, and it is real because of the Holy Spirit who
lives in us.  I just saw others like myself seeking after God in a
personal relationship and it reminded me that the battle is still being
fought everywhere for Jesus to be lifted up.

God really showed me a lot about the "win, build, send" model of
evangelism and discipleship and missionary work.  God helped me become
more secure and willing to accept my position as a small group leader and
as one entrusted with Jesus' disciples.  I can say in a fresh way: I am
honored to be part of the Great Commission on my campus because of the
breath of fresh spiritual air that came from BWC.

God also gave me some specific directions for my educational path that
have challenged me to "walk by faith, not by sight".  Although I am still
scared, I trust God and I am so appreciative for all of the examples of
faith I was able to witness at BWC so that I could "run with perserverance
the race marked out for me" because of "this great cloud of witnesses"
(Hebrews 12:1).

Overall, BWC was an awesome experience, allowed me fellowship time with
other Christians, allowed me worship time to thank God, let us experience
the joy of outreach and partnering in God's sovereign salvation, and, most
of all, gave me time to stand on the mountain and hear the sweet voice of
my Savior.  So thank you, Jesus, and thank you, BWC!

From Brown University

An update from Brown University and our Missional Team Leader, Jarrod Lynn:

The Lynn Legacy: "Tyler, a junior on the football team, shared a word at our weekly meeting about reaching out to his teammates by simply listening to them. His encouragement was for students to ask questions and learn about their teammates. And, if there's opportunity, share about God working in their life. What made this so great was not only the advice and perspective he shared, but also the fact that Tyler was the recipient of other teammates diving into his life and, as a result, Tyler (raised agnostic/atheist) learned about the Good News and has been walking and growing with God for the past 2 years.

Sweet."

Our staff trusting God in New York City for Cross '09

Pictures of Cross '09

What is Brown doing for you?

The influence of graduates from this part of the world is remarkable.

Check out what Brown University grads are up to . . . .

There are currently at least 10 Brown Alumni on the Obama Administration.

Check out this list of notable/famous Brown Alumni, both now and throughout the centuries, in fields such as academia, technology, government, business, literature, journalism, performance arts, religion, royalty, visual arts and athletics.

Cross 09 - Thanks for praying!

Thank you for praying for Cross 09 this week. It has been a great week of crossing cultures, trusting God to meet people that will partner with us in launching movements. The stories are trickling in from around the region about what God has been doing -- the lives that have been changed by Him, and the movements and ministries being launched.

On Tuesday I spent the day at Northeastern University in downtown Boston with a group of ministry leaders from the city. Our goal was to meet students or faculty that had a desire to reach the African-American community on campus. As we seek to reach every student on this campus, our ministry leaders working each day at Northeastern have seen the need to launch an Impact movement, a ministry to the African-American community on campus.

We spent the afternoon meeting people with little success in surfacing a "person of peace," an insider on campus that would launch this ministry with us. As my friend Mike was walking out of the African-American center on campus a man approached him and asked what he was needing.

To make a long story short, Mr. Mason is a pastor in the city, as well as an adjunct lecturer on campus. Mr. Mason has had a full history working with Campus Crusade for Christ -- launching other Impact Movements along the East Coast and has had involvement with Athletes in Action (AIA). When Mike inquired about Mr. Mason's perception of the need on campus, he confirmed the great need and assured us that he would do whatever it took to launch this ministry. Mr. Mason has well respected credentials at the university and understands the climate of the African-American community on campus. He offered excellent meeting space for our first gathering (a difficulty when trying to launch a ministry) and whatever else he could do. He was the PERFECT man to meet to begin this work. I can't imagine a more aligned "insider" on campus. What a wonderful reminder of God's sovereignty.

Thank you for praying. I will share more stories in our next newsletter.