Cru Conference

Recap of Cru Winter Conference 2016, Portland Oregon

Students from all over the Greater Northwest region descended on Portland, Or, to meet together, worship God, hear from God through speakers, and then share with others by serving one of the poorest neighborhood communities of Portland called Rockwood.  There we shared the gospel, took surveys to understand the physical needs and gauging people’s spiritual interest, and prayed with people they encountered.  For many, this day is terrifying.  For others, a joy.  One of our students, Alexis, who just happens to keep a blog, shared this about her experience:

“I didn’t think I could do it. I honestly did not believe I had it in me to go knock on a random door and talk about Jesus with people. I was so full of anxiety and fear, but I surprised myself. God stepped in and became my words and because of this, I got to pray with two different families to bring in the new year. It was incredible.”

Renewed Focus

Josh began telling us his spiritual background, that he had attended church with his family as he was growing up, and had even been baptized.  But then life got busy, and his family stopped going, and although he would like to be closer to God, he just hasn’t made time.  Josh said that group activities, like church or school clubs, didn’t fit with his more introverted personality.  Paul (a fellow staff) and I shared with him the story of the prodigal son, where the Father was watching and waiting--longing every day for his son to come back to him.  We told him that God is just waiting for him to re-engage with Him and that God wants him to surrender every area of his life to God. Josh was struck by the reality that he didn’t know if he was willing to surrender to God even though he was expressing his desire to really be with Him.  We shared the gospel with him to address his concern that he wasn’t doing enough to get back with God.  Ephesians 2:8,9, helped Josh understand that God’s salvation is a gift received by belief, and it isn’t something he could earn through his works. Josh expressed his deep thankfulness for talking, and bringing attention to this huge part of his heart he’d become too busy to attend to. “I don’t talk about these things with anyone,” he shared.  We look forward to meeting up again and clarifying how to live daily in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Please pray with us for the life of Josh that he would continue to respond to the urging of the Holy Spirit and live it out in the context of the church community.  

Evangelism has always played a major role in Cru ministry.  But it is often one of the easiest parts to neglect in order to do the many tasks of ministry.   After our Cru Winter Conference this past Dec, our team has renewed our focus and commitment to schedule time for and pursue spiritual conversations on campus, with the hope of sharing the gospel, if permitted.  What we have found has been encouraging.  Our students have been encouraged to share their faith with classmates and friends.  Our team has recognized how open students are and how God is really working in individuals to draw them to Himself whether they recognize it or not.