Cru Summer 2016

Students from Blair and Fort Calhoun high schools gathered weekly over the summer for what has come to be known as "Cru Summer". This tradition is made possible with the incredible leadership of a core team of local college students who work together to plan and lead these high school gatherings. Many of these college students were involved in Cru in high school and are anxious to rejoin the Cru high school scene when they are home for the summer. They met an extra night of the week with Jake Loftis, Andy Petersen and Abbie Farrand to plan the weekly high school gatherings.

The photos above are from the "Tournament of Champions" event on the last night of gatherings for Cru Summer 2016. The faces of these students reveal the fun, bonding, and camaraderie experienced together over the summer.  The evening concluded with a moving personal testimony from one of the college students and a challenge of commitment to walk with Christ in the upcoming school year.

Cru Tournament of Champions

Is it really nearing the end of summer break for students already? The Cru students of Fort Calhoun and Blair have continued with weekly meetings throughout the summer, holding a joint weekly meeting with their two campuses. On August 4th they gathered at a home outside of Fort Calhoun for their grand finale of the summer. 

Cru Tournament of Champions

August 4th, 7 pm

An end of summer celebration

put on by Cru.

Food, drinks and a huge tournament 

of awesome games!

Students were divided up into four teams ... 

There was fun competition between the teams with a variety of crazy and challenging games including greased watermelon toss, bucket ball, and pudding drop. Our college volunteers led much of the evening, under the leadership of our great part-time staff guy, Jake, with his wife, Chelsea.

The evening ended with all the students gathering together for some life-giving inspiration. Two of our students shared with their peers ... one, the story of his coming to know and follow God, and the other, an interesting life application of something that God had taught her while on a missions trip earlier in the summer. Jake finished off the time with a clear sharing of the Gospel.

Next week these students from Blair High, and Fort Calhoun High will be headed back to school. Jake is making plans for another year of Cru Blair, meeting on campus each Monday evening. And Gary will be meeting with the student leaders from Fort Calhoun High this next Monday as they finalize plans for another year of Cru for Fort Calhoun High students.

Please pray for a fun and fruitful year for the students from both of these campuses ... that those who know Jesus will grow in their faith, and that many more students will be impacted by the love of God.

Cru Summer

Student meetings take on a different look during the summer months. Taking advantage of the great outdoors, and also of some of our college student volunteers who are often back in their home towns during the summer, we gather high school students together for what we call "Cru Summer".

We're grateful for Jake, our part-time staff guy, who works with these college student volunteers (some of our students who have been in Cru during their high school years) to put on Cru Summer. Jake does a great job training them, and leading them ... as they, in turn, lead the summer meetings for students.

Jake and college volunteers preparing for another Cru Summer meeting at the Depot in Blair

Jake says, "They have been leading the youth of Blair and Fort Calhoun in a series called 'Can I Ask That?' It has been very encouraging to see God work in the lives of students as we ask hard questions about cultural issues and faith. This has been a great opportunity to start conversations about questions that many times go unaddressed.  Our goal is to talk about these issues because, 'Doubt isn't toxic to faith. Silence is.'"

Mid-summer the students met for a fun evening at a beautiful acreage between Blair and Fort Calhoun. It was an awesome night with water games, other fun activities, an outdoor movie, and inspiration.

Please pray for high school students to continue to be challenged to grow in their faith these remaining weeks of summer, and then, as our regular Cru meetings start up again next month on each of our campuses. 

Cru Blair Moves to Campus

After a number of years of dreaming and praying for this, it has happened! Our Cru Blair group now has started holding their weekly student meetings in the Blair High School building! They have been given the use of the Home Ec rooms for their Monday night meetings.

To celebrate what God has done in opening up this door, they held a Mustache Bash Kickoff event on the Monday after Halloween Day, Nov. 4. Thirty students came to their high school for this Cru event.

We're thankful for all those who prayed for this move, and we are thankful for our part-time staff, Jake & Chelsea, who are heading up this new direction for Cru Blair. 

This also signifies a change in the leadership of Cru Blair, as Jake steps up his leadership as a result of our other part-time staff guy, Andy, needing to transition to his new full-time role as Student Ministries Coach at Country Bible Church. And how grateful we are that Andy will also continue to work alongside Jake in an affiliate role with Cru now. They make a great team, and we praise God for them!

Please pray for those students who have been part of Cru Blair, that they will be energized and motivated by this change in location, and they will be burdened to help draw more students to Jesus on their campus.

Summer Venture Finale

It was a great summer for our Cru students ...

Weekly Summer Venture meeting with Omaha South students

Student ministry during the summer looks a bit different than during the school year. Many of the Cru High ministries across the nation do not meet regularly during the summer months, but several years ago we began what we call Summer Venture in our Omaha area. 

Under the leadership and coaching of our two part-time staff guys, Andy & Jake, eleven college volunteers played an active part in our Summer Venture program these past few months. Andy & Jake met with the college students (most of them former Cru High students) each Monday night, and then the following evening the college students divided up into teams to lead groups of high school students - in Blair, Fort Calhoun, Logan View, and at Marrs in Omaha. 

These four Summer Venture groups, as well as the Omaha South group (which was led by adult volunteers) all went through the study The Gospel Centered Life. It was a time of growth for the students, as well as the leaders. 

And on August 6th, the three groups that were in more close proximity to each other (Blair, Fort Calhoun, and Logan View) gathered for a fun Summer Venture finale evening. They started off their time together by dividing into four teams for some competitive games ...

Four teams ready for crazy, fun competition!

After the games, they gathered back indoors for a time of worship ...

And to hear one of the college volunteers share his story of coming to Jesus ...

It was a summer of incredible opportunity ... for students, as well for our college volunteers. The students were challenged as they studied and shared together, and our college volunteers had a great opportunity to grow in leadership as they led the meetings. And Jake & Andy did an amazing job of coaching our college volunteers. 

School's End Bash

Each spring, our Cru students from Blair and Fort Calhoun gather to celebrate the completion of another year of schooling, and another year of meeting together as Cru students. This year the celebration took on the form of a paintball event. Todd & Angela, staff members in the area, opened up their spacious country home and yard for our event.

We're thankful for Andy & Jake, part-time staff members, who passionately lead the Cru Blair group, and for Debi (full-time staff), and Jared (volunteer) who work with Gary in the leadership of Cru Fort Calhoun. Both groups have had a great year with significant spiritual and numerical growth.

Please pray for our staff, volunteers, and student leaders, as we gear up for another year of impacting students on these two campuses.

Challenge to Blair & Fort Calhoun Students

We could not resist having Darryl Smith (our Cru High National Director) speak to our students in Blair and Fort Calhoun, too, when he came to do assemblies at a few Omaha schools. So Monday evening, April 15, found him at the Blair YMCA with a combined group of Cru students from both Blair and Fort Calhoun.

These students were in for a heartfelt challenge from Darryl - to take it seriously to be lights on their campuses. Taking seriously the mission of Cru High - WINNING, BUILDING, and SENDING. The students were impacted as Darryl shared from God's Word - challenging them with the unique opportunity they have to make a difference on their campuses.

Please pray for the students who were impacted in significant ways from Darryl's challenge. There were some good conversations afterwards, students sharing with each other or with some of our staff team.

Blair High

A few of the Cru Blair students at a weekly meeting

It is an exciting, yet challenging year as Andy & Jake (part-time Cru staff reaching students at Blair High), focus on making a big transition this year. Their prayer is that Cru Blair would be able to begin meeting on the campus of Blair High School.

Jake has been focusing on raising his financial support in order to serve part-time with us on our team, and in the process of meeting interested people to join his team, he has been blessed to come in contact with a number of Christian teachers in Blair. And the students who come to the weekly Cru Blair meetings are in the process of contacting these teachers to see if they would like to serve as sponsors for Cru Blair, making it possible for them as students to lead their meetings right on campus.

Please pray for Cru Blair, and for the potential to meet as a school club on campus. Making it possible for more students to come - to be impacted with life-changing choices, to have opportunities for leadership, and that many more students would be changed forever by God's love and forgiveness.

Also, would you please pray for Jake (and Chelsea), as Jake is very, very close to finishing up his financial support goal? He has less than $50 monthly support left to raise - and then he will be fully supported to serve part-time with Cru in the Blair area. Praise God for each individual/family who has already joined his financial support team!

And also pray for Andy as he continues serving faithfully, impacting students in the Blair area. He and Robyn open up their home twice each week (or more) for the students of Blair - each Monday evening for their weekly meeting, and again on Thursday for a relaxing Hang-Time, where students gather for encouragement and fun.