Fall Snapshots

We have experienced an exciting start to the year! There have been so many incredible stories of God at work, and we want to share a few snapshots from the first month of this school year so you can hear of God’s faithfulness!

Greek Wide

       Greeks at SFA have a significant influence. They are sharp, driven students who excel socially, and take lead roles at SFA. They are also often seen as intimidating, and, at SFA, very few people are taking the time to care for them spiritually. This year we began a new facet of Cru to meet their needs called Greek Wide. You can look at Greek Wide as Cru for Greek students, or as a way for us to more effectively relate to a fraternity or sorority student by creating a place for Greeks to grow in their faith together.

       Up until now, we have talked to the ƟX, ΣN, KA, and TKE fraternities. In the coming weeks we hope to get in front of more. We hope to build relationships with each of these fraternities so that every Greek may know Jesus. Pictured is a pre Rush event we helped put on, where prospective Greeks came to check out the fraternities and sororities. We were able to meet over 200 freshmen Greek hopefuls.

Crusday

       Tuesday night is the big night with Cru. Weekly, we have small group Bible studies that are lead by staff and students. They meet every Tuesday night, except for the last Tuesday of the month. In these groups students can learn how to grow in their faith, whether they are a general student, Greek, Athlete, etc. Then, the last Tuesday of each month we have what we call “Crusday”. Crusday is our big event where students who are a part of smaller groups come together to study scripture as a large group. Our first Crusday was a hit, we had 105 students join us for Crusday at Chili’s! Pictured is Crusday, where we ate good food, talked about the Great Commission, and shared the Gospel with all who attended. Brynn enjoyed it too!

Follow up

       During the first few weeks of school there are a lot of photographable opportunities; Greek events, large gatherings, social events, etc. However, we spend the majority or our time sitting on campus face to face with students sharing with them about a personal relationship with Jesus. They are always exciting conversations as students hear the Gospel, some for the first time. These are also moments where you don’t lean over and ask the person, you just met, for a picture. However, it is a good time to sneak one, haha! Pictured is my typical daily view. This is a picture of me sitting (holding the camera) in ChickFilA in the student center. I’m with one of our current students on the left side, who is sharing the Gospel with a freshmen guy on the right side. This was a significant conversation where the freshmen heard the Gospel for the first time saying, “I’ve grown up on a farm my whole life, knowing only that and nothing more.” We are so blessed to show him who Jesus is, and to do life with him as he discovers a saving relationship with Him.

 

Making every moment count

       There is a show on A&E called, “The First 48”. Each episode depicts one or more homicides in different cities, showing detectives using every tool they have at hand to identify suspects and solve the case. The detectives have 48 hours to discover a lead, or else the chances of solving the case are cut in half, also earning the show its name “The First 48”. If you haven’t seen it, you can imagine the drama and hard work that unfolds as they make the most of every precious hour of that time.

       The college ministry version of “The First 48” would be called “The First 6 Weeks.” Each Fall semester we are presented with a unique opportunity. Statistics show us that in the first 6 weeks that 75% of freshmen college students are open to hearing and considering the Gospel. After the first 6 weeks, that number drops significantly and only goes lower the next 4 years. In fact, the first 2 weeks are even more crucial as incoming freshmen will cling to any form of friendship they can find. No matter what that common bond may be, they are eager for relationships and by 6 weeks, wherever these freshmen are plugged in is most likely where they will stay for their 4 years of college. In fact, we see about 50% of our new students who get involved with Cru come from people we meet during the first 6 weeks.

       As you can see this is a critical and exciting time for us as the harvest is ripe! So we are asking you to join us in prayer. Below is a schedule of events that we have going on during “Welcome Week” at SFA. These events are what we will be using to meet and connect with students. Our heart is that we can share the Gospel with them, and help them plug into a community of people who will help them pursue Jesus.

       It is amazing how the Lord can use something as simple these events to draw people to Him. Last year at our event, “Welcome Back Flapjack” free pancakes, we met a girl named Megan who didn’t know Jesus. She connected with our staff and student girls. They shared the Gospel with her and became good friends. By Winter Conference in January she placed her faith in Christ. By May she was off for a summer serving the Lord on summer project. This August she is a key leader in our movement. And we are eternally grateful for how God uses free pancakes. Thank you for praying for God to use us!      

 

When God writes the Script

Derick’s lifelong dream was to make movies and to become famous and wealthy. From a young age he was intrigued with the film industry, but more so the fortunes that could come with it. Entering college at SFA, Derick’s goal was to turn his Film degree into cash so that he could bring security and happiness to his family. Then Derick met Jesus.

       You have met Derick before in our letters. He’s a model Cru student. He met the Lord early in college, went with us to Ethiopia two years ago, shared his faith on campus, lead Bible studies, and discipled younger students. He is a stud who we are most proud of for how he has chosen to walk with the Lord. It’s been a year now since he graduated.

       After graduating, Derick surrendered his dream of making movies to the Lord and began to pursue full time ministry. During that process, in an ironic and sweet gesture of the Lord, God opened up the doors of opportunity for Derick to enter the movie industry. Derick gladly followed the Lord in this area, ready to live out his dream. But this time, not for the purpose of fame and riches, but so Derick could glorify the Lord in sharing the Gospel in the film industry.

       Derick began a friendship with a man who funds films, and this man hired Derick to write a movie script based on a sports coach. After Derick spent several month’s writing, and completing the script the “higher ups” loved it so much that they not only accepted it, but hired Derick on to direct the movie! The Lord has now put Derick in a place where he can make an impact for the Gospel not only with the people he works with, but the lives of the countless people he will share his films with. What a wonderful opportunity for the Gospel to go forth with such wide spread potential.

       We are excited for Derick professionally, of course. But more-so we are thrilled that the Lord allowed us to invest in his life. It’s so fun seeing him walk with the Lord. Thanks be to God who has allowed our ministry at SFA to impact the film industry. Thank you so much for partnering with us, so that we could invest in students like Derick, and in turn see him invest in the lives of many.

 

Big Picture

Summer time is an exciting time! We are just weeks away from our family growing from 2 to 3! We are so excited to welcome our baby girl into the world and bring her home with us. The doctor says everything is looking good, please pray for a healthy mom and baby.

       Summer is also an exciting time in Cru-world. We have students and staff traveling to Summer Projects (summer long mission trips) in Santa Cruz, CA, Breckenridge, CO, and Branson, MO. We have graduating seniors moving on into the real world who we are praying will continue to bring the Gospel to their workplace. And our current students are back at home for the summer. We have a former student leading a Summer Project to Ethiopia, and another preparing her funds to go to Ethiopia for all of next year!

       We are thrilled to look back at the big picture and see how God has chosen to use us and our ministry. But, with Cru there is even a bigger picture to look at. There are movements like ours all over the United States of staff enabling students to reach students who are impacting the world., and a great online ministry that is touching the world.

        Our success is found in this: to share the Gospel boldly under the power of the Holy Spirit, and to leave the results up to God. We walk with Jesus and obey Him, and He works. We delight in that alone. We don’t find our success in the number of people who show up to a meeting or retreat, nor do we define ministry success by the amount of students sent, or the amount of new believers.

       However, God has given us a few of these very things that we can count, measure, and celebrate. We were encouraged and wanted to share with you the big picture statistics of the Cru ministry that give us a glimpse of what God has done through Cru this past school year.

       Thank you for helping us be part of the bigger picture of what God is doing in Cru, and for His Kingdom!

 

Tragedy at SFA

It is with heavy hearts we write this letter to you. Normally we are excited to share in all that is happening on campus and in our ministry, but currently, SFA and our ministry is in the midst of tragedy as 3 students were killed in a car accident Sat. May 4, and another remains in the hospital. Hunter Buck, Patrick Fagan, and Kamila Carrillo’s lives were tragically lost. These were more than just students to us, 2 of these students, Hunter and Patrick, were involved in Cru, and Vince has gotten the chance to have them in the TKE Bible study he has led over the past year. It was just such a shock, Vince was going to help Hunter fix his car soon, have lunch next week, and hang out this summer while he was in town. Patrick had come to our last Crusday a week earlier, and was excited about the influence he could have in his fraternity next year. It just seems surreal that they are gone. It is in moments like this that we pause and remember why it is that we are here- life is short, and eternity is at stake, and our hearts long for people to know the Lord.

Our hearts are broken over the loss of these students, and we are still mourning along with the TKE Fraternity and the University as a whole. We are grateful for the chance we have had to have an influence in these student’s lives.

Hunter was the life of the party, a former president of his fraternity, and known and loved by many on campus. He was easy to be around, and honest. Vince first met Hunter when a different tragic accident took the life of another fraternity brother a few years ago on campus. This year, they reconnected, and God had been really stirring his heart. Vince has gotten the chance to invest in him spiritually over the last year, in Bible Study, and one on one as they meet together to talk about life and how to grow spiritually. Hunter had an amazing impact on his fraternity in spiritual ways, and often brought other guys to Bible study or to meet with Vince. In conversations with his fraternity brothers since the accident, a few guys have expressed a desire to come check out Bible study and make time to talk with Vince about spiritual things. Hunter was always asking them to come to Bible study and always talked about how much he liked talking about his faith with Vince. Vince always knew Hunter had the potential to reach his fraternity for the Lord, and we are praying that amidst the tragedy, the Lord will still use him to do so.

Patrick was a Freshman at SFA, and had just pledged TKE. He was a quiet guy, but well loved by his pledge brothers, and known by them as a man of character. He was a guy who cared about others, late night conversations, and opened up the more you knew him. He was really looking forward to having an impact on his fraternity.

Students and the community gathered Monday night for a candle-light service to remember those lost, and Vince was asked by the fraternity to be part of the service. Hundreds of students came to honor the three students, and the “spirit rock” was painted in memorial. As we looked around, we saw a university united by pain and loss, but also desperate for something to cling to, and we know that is only found in Jesus Christ.

Please pray for this pivotal time. Pray for spiritual openness in the TKE fraternity. Honestly in times like these, people tend to have one of two reactions, to be softened to Christ, or allow their hearts to be hardened. We are praying fervently that God will soften hearts! We are already encouraged by the response of some of the fraternity brothers, wanting to keep Vince in the loop, and some that he hardly knows texting him at 3:00am when they just need someone to share with about where they are at. Please pray that we would have His wisdom to know how we can love and serve the TKE fraternity through this tragedy. There is never a good time for something like this to happen, but days before finals and summer break make this extra hard. We long to have a long term investment with these guys, and are needing the Lord’s guidance for how to love and serve well. Please pray also for the student who is still recovering from the accident, the hard journey ahead of him, and the investigation that continues.

Please pray for the families and loved ones!

Thanks for your prayers!

 

Sequel

Don’t you just love it when a good story has a sequel? Anticipation builds when faithful movie goers hear of the upcoming release for a sequel their favorite movie.  Historical numbers of people come out of the woodwork to see their favorite characters return in movies such as Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, The Dark Knight Rises, and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. It’s with this level of anticipation we hope you receive this letter as we continue the story from last month, and what happened literally the day after we mailed out the update to you!

Last month you may remember us laying out the strategy we’ve used this semester in training students to have a ministry. We shared about Sarah, who was living this out in her life, and asked you to be praying for her friends, especially one who is an atheist. In this episode we learn that Sarah no longer has a friend who is an atheist.

Jeff is a freshman student at SFA. His experience of hurt with family and Christianity eventually drove him to conclude there is no God. Jeff would say that this semester and a half at SFA has been very dark for him personally, but there is a bright spot that he has found some good friends who care for him. These friends just happen to be Sarah, and another student you’ve read about named Eric, and people in the large group Bible study they are part of.

Eric had been sharing the Gospel with Jeff for a while now, and Jeff had been attending his Bible study. Very casually in an answer to a question in Bible study 2 weeks ago, Jeff referred to himself as “Christian”. Obviously catching Eric’s attention, Eric and Vince asked Jeff about it the next day over lunch.

During lunch, Eric and Vince asked Jeff about his recent spiritually growth. Jeff described how a lot of his previous skepticisms had been answered through the love and patience shown him through his Cru friends. Then they asked him about how he mentioned being a Christian, and if he had received Christ. Jeff asked what the exactly meant, saying that he had heard about people “receiving Christ” but didn’t know how. Eric explained the idea of knowing we need a savior, believing what Jesus did on the cross covered your sins, and placing Jesus as the Lord of your life. After a short discussion Jeff happily declared that he had done that in prayer with the Lord just a week before!

Eric then says “Jeff, what should you do next?” Jeff: “I need to tell everyone I know about Jesus, they need to know this.” He gets it.

We are so encouraged to see how God brought life to Jeff! We don’t always get to see how the story in a person’s life progresses, but it is so exciting to see the life change that happens when someone places their faith in Christ! We ask that you continue to pray for Sarah, Eric, Jeff that they would continue to share the Gospel with their friends, and that there may be many stories God will write in their lives

Coaching Group

Dirk Nowitzki, the former NBA MVP and future Hall of Famer, was asked days after winning his first Championship in 2011, what was it that made him so great? After citing his teammates and coaches he mentions the countless hours of training and practice. When asked about Dirk, his coach Rick Carlisle said “Guys like Dirk Nowitzki, these guys are wired a certain way. And they're uncompromising with how they approach their preparation to play." Dirk is known as one of the greatest to step foot on the basketball court, and all of this is credited to his training and practice.

When thinking about being “great” at having an impact for God’s Kingdom, we believe a similar principle applies. We know that if anything is to be accomplished in the name of Jesus, it will be because of His prompting alone. However, He calls us to be prepared. We desire for our students to be used to do great things. In order for this to occur we want them to be trained and practice a and implement so they can gain the necessary skills.

 This semester we have started a group that meets every other week at our house which we call “Coaching Group”. This group meets for the purpose of learning how to effectively have a ministry where God has placed them at SFA. The group is made up of handpicked students from various areas of campus (Greek, Business and Art students, freshmen through seniors) that we see as leaders.

Coaching Group is a step by step training where students are taught a particular ministry skill. They spend the next two weeks practicing it in their life, and then come back for the next step of training. The content is simple, tangible, and designed for the students to succeed while walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Here’s a glimpse into their training this semester for how to live life missionally:

Week 1: Vision casting the need. – Open the eyes of the students so see the need for the Gospel on the SFA campus. 14,000 students and only around 1000 being effectively reached

Week 2. Prayer – Talk to God about others, before you talk to others about God.

Week 3. Friendships – It’s critical to build meaningful friendships by taking a genuine interest in who a person is.

Week 4. Spiritual conversations – Taking an everyday conversation and turning it into one where you are listening about a person’s spiritual experience in life.

Week 5. Gospel conversations – The art of turning a spiritual conversation into one where we can share with our friend about how they can know Jesus personally.

Week 6. Follow up – Continuing to love and serve your friend while encouraging them to place their faith in Christ, and walk closely with Him.

Every time the coaching group meets, we always start with celebrating, and hearing how God has been at work as they stepped out in faith to practice what they are learning. We wish you could be there with us to hear how God is stirring hearts and using these students in amazing ways! But we want to share a story of how one student, Sarah, has seen God work as she has stepped out in faith.

Sarah is a freshman believer, and met many friends during the beginning of the year and as she has got to know her friends better, she realized many don't know God, and even one is a professed atheist. Sarah has been praying for these friends, and chances to share Christ with them! As the week and challenges have progress, she has seen the Lord open doors, starting with caring for them, being an intentional friend, and starting spiritual conversations. Now, several of her friends who were not spiritually interested previously have started attending Bible study– including her atheist friend! And she has even been able to have gospel conversations with the atheist friend! Please continue to pray for Sarah, and the friends in her life who are considering Christ.