August 2024 - Faithful.
Our God is faithful—to His Word, to us, to be and do all He promised. And He has been to the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International/Cru for 74 years.
And He calls each of us to be faithful to His calling for us. And that includes the four people He has given the responsibility of leading the ministry over those 74 years.
Bill Bright received the original call in 1951, and he and Vonette ventured out into the unknown, seeking to win students to Christ, build them in their faith, and send them out to do the same. The faith, courage and faithfulness of the Brights for 50 years led to growth in staff, ministries and fruitfulness.
In 2001 my brave husband, Steve Douglass, became the second President of the ministry. Brave because who wants to follow an iconic founder. But God was faithful as Steve and I led the ministry for 19 years.
Then in the midst of Covid, God called Steve Sellers to step in as my Steve stepped down. For four years Steve and Christy faithfully strengthened the global ministry.
On July 18 our global organization commissioned David Robbins as our fourth President. He and Meg have been on staff for 20 years, serving in Italy, on campus, in New York City, and leading Family Life.
You will enjoy this message David gave recently at a conference.
One of My Favorite Things
I have been so blessed to meet and know and speak to staff and Cru friends and partners around the world.
Last month I loved being part of Cru’s Global Connection Gathering in Kananaskis, Canada—a great mountain location on the way to Banff. I reconnected with long-time friends and was able to speak (briefly) twice.
I also was deeply moved by a message by Bekele Shanko (VP of Global Church Movements) on Jesus through the Bible. You can listen to it here:
Then after I returned home, I was invited to speak to 40 new Cru staff from Korea. I shared what has become a life message: “I Choose Your Way.”
Another of My Favorite Things: The Olympics
One of the most exciting adventures of my life was to attend the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. My purpose was to interview a few Christian athletes for the new Athletes in Action Magazine. And I did—I actually interviewed Kip Keino, the first of the amazing African long-distance runners.
Mostly I hung around the Village and attended several events. And pursued some fun—and probably unwise—excursions with my friend Kathy.
Athletes in Action is right now deeply involved in the Olympics. AIA currently has nearly 75 staff members and volunteers serving in Paris, France, at the Olympics. Please pray for this global staff team, representing 25 countries, that will minister to Olympians, coaches and federation officials at this critical time.
In addition to one-on-one and small group ministry at the games, AIA Global has partnered with Jesus Film Project to create resources for sharing the gospel around the Olympics and to cover individual athletes in prayer as they compete.
Finally, there is a Bible reading plan on the YouVersion app that features the stories of Olympic athletes' spiritual journeys. An Olympian will share their verse of the day each day during the Olympics.
And if you, like me, at one time had Olympic dreams, you will surely enjoy this article I wrote about missed chances to make the team. And you can, as you laugh at me, laugh at yourself as well.
And if your Olympic dreams came true, I would love to hear about it.
Women Who Get the Work Done
Meet some more of my Women’s Resources team:
Sus Schmitt
Sus enjoys presenting tech help in an interesting and understandable way. She has provided training sessions, gathered writers together, researched and explained helpful tools on eQuipping4eMinistry.com, and much more, all to help Cru staff worldwide be more effective with their ministries.
Janey Nieboer
Janey has a vision is to help encourage and equip our global staff women through various initiatives. She also serves as an online mentor for Headquarters staff and globally through The Mentor Center, drawing women from over 100+ Cru global media websites that receive more than 3 million views a month.
More Books for You
The bibliophile in me can't resist telling you about books you might enjoy. Here's a new one and an old one:
Leaning on Air—an amazing novel by Cheryl Grey Bostrom
“…a mute little boy makes her doubt her decision, only a red-tailed hawk and the endangered lives of those she loves can compel her to examine her past―and reconsider her future.”
Invitations from God: Accepting God’s Offer to Rest, Weep, Forgive, Wait, Remember and More by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun One of the most challenging and helpful books I have read.
May August be kind to you,
Judy