Cru Summer Kick-off

Cru Omaha looks a bit different during the summer. Instead of meeting in classrooms on campuses or in students' homes, you'll find students gathering together in the evenings at a coffee shop in North Omaha, or in various homes in Washington County. And, it all started in late May with our annual Summer Kick-off!

Students came from Omaha and Washington County to a beautiful acreage outside of Omaha, for fun, food, games, and a challenge to spend their summer well! The rain sent us indoors to a large recreation room for part of the event ...

After hot dogs & chips out on the covered decks, they enjoyed table games before the inspirational part of the evening.

What a joy it was to hear one of our Fort Calhoun students share how she came to a personal relationship with Jesus, and how her involvement with Cru matured her, and gave her opportunity to develop her leadership skills as a student leader.

We also heard from several graduating seniors ... from Omaha North HS, Omaha Central HS, and also an exchange student who had attended Fort Calhoun HS. It was so exciting to hear of life-change, and also of an exchange student coming to a personal relationship with Jesus just in the past month through his connections with Cru. Right before he returns to his country of origin.

Another exciting part of the evening was to hear from three visiting Burke HS students, who joined us for the first time. They are hoping to redirect their current club movement on their campus into a Cru club this next school year. 

Jake led the group in a final challenge to make their summer count in even deeper ways than before as they meet together to grow in their faith, and to focus on building into the lives of others.

The rain had lifted by then, and we headed back outdoors for some more games, and also s'mores! And then, off to the beginning of Cru Summer!

School Year 2018-2019

It has been an eventful year and a busy year as staff and volunteers with Cru Omaha! So much so, that we have not even been able to take the time to post very often here! We'll share a few photos here to capture some of what has been happening this year, along with a collection of quotes from students during this past school year. 

(The quotes shared will be a random selection from students at our various campuses, not necessarily related to the specific photos themselves.)

"Cru has helped me strengthen my relationship with God. Before I joined Cru, I was sad, lost, and lonely. But now I have found love in God and in a family with the Cru members."

"Listening to Ron (Cru volunteer) makes me feel like there's hope ... helps me understand life."

"Cru helps me get involved with other students and come closer to God in a place where He is not always welcome."

"I am taking my first steps into Christianity, and being a part of Cru has unlocked realizations I do not think I will find elsewhere."

"I like Cru because it's an opportunity to be a light to my peers, and it reminds me how great God is."

"Cru has been an amazing opportunity to access the gospel on my high school campus. It allows students to grow through deeper connections with believers and nonbelievers and start gospel centered conversations at our school."

"I learn about God at Cru and I can talk to people here."

"School doesn't teach about Christ. Cru let's you talk about Christ with your peers on campus."

"Cru helps me to come near to the Lord and to trust that He's always there for me."

"I like Cru because it gives the youth a chance to learn about God and the Bible."

"Cru has helped me understand and apply the Bible to my life."

"When I first started coming to Cru I didn't have much of an understanding of what Christianity was and

"Cru has been huge in developing me as a leader and in my faith."

"Cru has helped me by teaching me about God. Thank you."

"Coming to Cru enriches my knowledge and understanding of God's Word. I'm glad to have Christian friends who have the same passion for Jesus as I do who are my age."

"Cru has shown me what my place is in God."

Please pray for the students in these photos, and those represented by the quotes that we have collected from this past school year. We are so grateful for all that God has done in students' lives! 

Staff and Volunteers

We love our volunteers! As a small staff team of three, we continually are so grateful for the 20+ volunteers that work alongside us. And it's probably safe to say that Cru Omaha would not be able to exist without the dedicated volunteers God has blessed us with. 

These two photos (above and below) were taken at one of our volunteer training sessions. We met in March at Cups Cafe in Omaha for a great sharing and training time. Our volunteers who were present represented our Cru groups at Omaha North, Omaha Central, Accelere Alternative School, Blair Otte Middle School, and Marrs Middle School. It was a valuable time together.

Also, as a staff team of three (Gary, Jake, and Cherry who is taking the photo below), we value input from our regional leaders. 

We are grateful for our visit from Scott (left in photo above) in early May, as he met with us for encouragement and advice as we evaluated the school year 2018-2019, and gave input for the new school year coming up.

As we step into summer ministry, we are grateful for recently graduated students who step up, and desire to come alongside our other volunteers. 

The photo above shows a few of our recently graduated student leaders from Fort Calhoun HS and also Omaha Central HS as they met with us as staff and other volunteers. It was a great time making plans together for our Cru Summer program. 

Snapshots of Cru Omaha Students

A photo collection of some of our Cru students from the past few months ...

A fundraiser bake sale our Cru Central students held for a student's mother, in need in Zimbabwe

Cru Accelere students listen intently as our passionate volunteer, Ron, shares with them

A fun Christmas party with Cru Fort Calhoun students

Cru Central students gather for their Christmas party