Another School Year for Cru Fort Calhoun

Another year of Cru meetings has started up for students at Fort Calhoun High! Gary meets with the five student leaders, and also a college volunteer (and former FC student leader) every other week for prayer, planning, and pizza in our basement family room. Then Josh (our college volunteer) and the five student leaders lead the student meetings the other two weeks of each month.

Students participating in an opening "ice breaker" game.

The students met recently and watched the video "Staci's Story", the story of a godly girl who died suddenly and the impact her testimony had on her high school peers. The students then gathered in small groups to discuss the impact the Gospel can have, and what kind of impact they are having with their peers on their campus.

Students gathering in small groups ...

The students in each small group became very serious and were obviously thinking through these issues very deeply. Our student leaders did a great job facilitating the deep discussions.

 Another of the four small groups ...

Cru FC is off to a great start this new school year, with seven new students at the most recent meeting. One of these new students shared how he had never been to anything like this before, but his mom had been wanting him to become involved in something that would make him a better person. He was very interested, and asked a lot of questions. Our college leader, Josh, gave him a Bible to take home with him. Please pray for the new students who are coming, and for many students to be given the opportunity to know and follow Jesus this school year.

Our Newest Cru Campus

After about a year of following God through open doors of connections, and a year of weekly early morning prayer times at Central High in Omaha, Cru Central is now a reality!

We began weekly student meetings  in August, first meeting for three weeks at Bemis Park, and then just recently moving to Citylight Church, just blocks from Central High. And possibly moving to meeting on campus in the near future, if that avenue works out.

College volunteer, Stephane, sharing at our very first student meeting this school year.

It has been an exciting journey as we have followed God's direction! And we are amazed at the leadership that He is raising up for this new campus movement.

We are so blessed to be starting out with four passionate, gifted student leaders. They are actively taking ownership of Cru Central - we are so thankful for Ethan, Ryan, Nick, and Maddie. They are full of life and fun, are active in leading the meetings, and in sharing their lives and their faith with their peers.

And alongside us as staff, God is raising up an awesome group of college and adult volunteers. Bryant, Athletic Trainer at Central, and his wife, Angie, are an integral part of how God is opening up this new campus to Cru. Along with this couple, we are also thankful for a group of Dundee moms who meet to pray for students, and also help with food and other needs.

Other volunteers are coming alongside us through a new CityGroup formed at Citylight Church, which is located near Central High. We began attending this new church about six months ago, and were approached by the leadership to lead one of their dozen or so CityGroups, smaller groups within the church, each one focused on a different mission in the city. We are in the beginning stages of forming this new CityGroup, specifically focused on working together with us as Cru in starting up a student movement at Central High.

Small group discussion time at our second meeting.

We are thanking God for the group of like-minded, passionate individuals that He is raising up - young college and adult leaders, each with a heart for reaching high school students at Central High. We are so thankful for Shelby, Erica, and Ashley. And also for Stephane, a transfer college guy from NY (and originally from Haiti). These volunteer leaders are amazing - we love serving together with them.

Students and volunteer leaders connecting together at our third meeting.

It has been a good beginning month of connecting with students in our weekly meetings, and we are watching with anticipation to see all that God will do in the lives of Central students this year. Will you please join us in praying that many students at Central will come to know Jesus this school year?