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! 

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

Cru Summer Update

Students have been meeting throughout the summer in Omaha, and also in Washington County to be discipled and grow in their faith. And on Wednesday, July 25, a few of them gathered in downtown Omaha to help with a weekly lunch event provided for the homeless of Omaha.

The lines were long

and the plates were piled high

in downtown Omaha

as a few of our Cru students

from North High and Central High

helped a group serve lunch to 

about 175 of Omaha's homeless.

We were touched to witness the

servant hearts of a generous couple

who prepare this bountiful lunch

every week of the year.

And thankful for a dear couple who

faithfully provide the worship music

to feed hungry souls.

Thankful for this eye-opening

experience and opportunity

for our students, and for us.

The summer is flying by, and schools will be starting up in just a few short weeks from now. Please pray for us as staff as we meet with our volunteers, and students leaders, making plans and praying for another school year. We're also finishing up with the Cru Summer emphasis, as well as welcoming back staff members Jake & Chelsea, and some of our students who went on a month-long mission to Tanzania, Africa, with other Cru students from across the U.S. 

So Many Blessings This School Year!

Snapshots from three of our four urban Omaha campuses ...

A first 'hayride' for international students from Omaha Central High ...

S'mores, singing, and personal sharing of a 'changed-life' story ...

Weekly Lunch and Gospel Talk with Omaha Accelere students every Friday ...

A powerful half hour in the middle of an otherwise typical school day...

Maybe 40 Omaha Marrs middle school boys at this Cru after-school club, with as many girls in another room...

It can get a little crazy :)  Pray for the faithful volunteers!

Snapshots of Students

The school year is flying by, and here are some photos from a few of our Cru campuses ... snapshots of students as they are part of Cru in our area.

Accelere Alternative in Omaha ... students gather each week over their Friday lunch hour. In this photo Ron, one of our Cru volunteers, shares the Gospel with the students.

Bellevue East in Bellevue ... still in the beginning stages, Cru volunteers are gathering students together in their home while seeking permission to meet on campus.

Central High in Omaha - besides their weekly student gathering on Monday evenings at their high school, other gatherings occur as well. Here Gary meets with two students to connect and build into each other's lives.

Marrs Middle in Omaha - two of our new volunteers, a teacher at Marrs together with a UNO student volunteer, have started up student meetings this spring at this multi-racial middle school. 

South High in Omaha - students gather each Monday after school to learn and grow in their walk with God. The two students in front are key student leaders.

Please pray for these students, and the students in our other Cru campuses in the Omaha area.

Cru Central on Campus

Cru Central held it's first student meeting on campus on Feb. 27! Our student leaders recently received permission for Cru to be recognized as a school club, also giving them the privilege of holding meetings right on campus!

It was an amazing evening! Our young adult leaders, and also our student leaders did a great job of connecting with the students who came. The students loved it all - the games, refreshments, and the special speaker from Belarus as he shared about living for Christ in a country which is not open to the Gospel.

Please pray for the next Cru Central meeting to be held on campus - Thursday, March 27. We are finishing out this school year with the plan of meeting on campus once each month, in addition to the other weekly meetings held off-campus. Please pray for many Central High students to come to know Jesus.

Cru Central Volunteers

Volunteers are an essential part of Cru Omaha! We are grateful and blessed to have nearly thirty volunteers helping with Cru movements on campuses in our Omaha area. These amazing adults give of their time amidst their own work or college schedules, as they love and serve the high school students in our Cru High groups.

The photos above are of the group of young adult volunteers who run the Cru Central High meetings and events. We all go to the same church, Citylight, and meet as one of Citylight's City Groups, with the focus of reaching students at Central High for Jesus. Several times a month we meet for encouragement, inspiration, and fun. And food, of course! 

These volunteers, together with a Central High staff person, and a few gifted student leaders make up a great team. And it takes a team to reach out to a campus. We are so grateful for these who are following God's direction and giving their time and energies to be part of what God is doing in the lives of high school students. 

Tomorrow will be a big event for Cru Central High in Omaha - our first on-campus meeting will be held! Our student leaders recently gained permission for Cru to be a school club on their campus! We will hold a special event meeting on campus one week each month, in addition to the regular meetings held off campus on the other weeks. 

If you know students at Central High, please invite them to come to the Central High Courtyard tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 27, 6-8 pm. There will be GAMES & PIZZA, and an opportunity to interact with a special speaker from Belarus, and hear of his culture & his faith in God.

Cru Central High Meetings

Students from Central High in Omaha have been holding weekly Cru meetings since the beginning of the school year. Our volunteers, along with our student leaders have been doing a great job starting off this newest Cru movement. 

Meetings were held for the first month or so at Bemis Park, and since then we have moved to a room made available for us at Citylight Church. Both of these locations are in the general area of Central High, which has made it easy for students to come.

The student meetings are held on Thursday evenings from 6-8 pm, and the last meeting of October happened to be on Halloween Day. We came up with the idea of meeting on the front lawn at Citylight, to roast s'mores over a firepit, and also hand out treats to kids from the neighborhood who would happen to come by. 

Ethan, a student leader, led the students in a fun game around the fire a bit later in the evening, followed with a talk by Kent, one of our volunteers. Kent related well with the students, encouraging them to have God at the focal point of their lives, instead of focusing on the various masks that we often put on. 

The students and volunteers who meet each Thursday are connecting well, growth is happening, and we are thankful to God for the start of what He wants to do in students' lives at Central High. Please pray for the students who are a part of our meetings, and for many more to be drawn to Jesus.

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? 

More Beginnings of Cru Central High

Memorial Park in central Omaha was the location for an event for Central High students in mid-May. Our three student leaders (photo below), working together with Gary, planned this event in preparation for kicking off Cru at Central high this coming 2013-2014 school year. And together with some FCA leadership at Central, we brought in Josh Jones, a well-known former Central High and also Creighton athlete. 

God is at work in drawing students, as well as volunteers, together to open up this campus for Cru in the 2013-2014 school year. Please join us in praying for many students to come to know Jesus this coming year, and for all the various ethnic groups on campus to be impacted for eternity. Central High is the largest campus in Omaha, as well as in Nebraska. Click here to read more of how God has been opening up the doors on this campus.

We thank God for Drew, Ethan, and Ryan - and for all the other student leaders, and also adult volunteers whom God is drawing together to be part of the team that He will use in reaching many students on this needy campus. Please pray for this mission field, right in the midst of the city of Omaha.

Beginnings of Cru Central High

Fifteen 8th grade students gathered at a home in Dundee in mid-April ... the beginnings of something significant! And also of significance is that the gathering was led by three upperclassmen students at Central High.

We have been following God's leading step-by-step since last fall for the opening up of Cru at Central High School. Through connections with a staff person at Central, Gary has been meeting with a small prayer group at 6:30 am at Central High one morning a week for most of this past school year. Several students have joined this small prayer group, which has turned into a small discipleship time, as well. 

And from this prayer time, God has been opening up the way for more. A group of moms, burdened to pray for students at Central, including some of their own eighth graders who will be attending there in the fall of 2013, came in contact with our team. And plans were made to have an event this spring, in anticipation of Cru starting in the fall of 2013.

And the doors continued to open. Gary connected several months ago with three amazing young men, all upperclassmen at Central, who want to take leadership in impacting their peers at Central. 

Prayers at Central 

plus moms who pray 

plus upperclassmen praying for a way to impact their school 

and all led by God 

to carry His heart for the students at Central

These three upperclassmen (Ethan, Drew, and Ryan) led an event for the eighth grade students in mid-April. Providing a fun connection with them, and challenging them to follow Christ as they look ahead to attending Central High this next fall. And inviting them to be part of Cru Central High, impacting their campus for Christ. 

Beginnings - witnessing God at work,

and expectancy for what God will do.

Please pray for these 8th grade students, for the upperclassmen student leaders (Ethan, Drew, and Ryan), and for others whom God is drawing together to reach their campus. And please pray for movements to begin in all the various ethnic groups represented at Central High.

The mission of Cru High ...

That every student on every campus

has the chance to 
know and follow Jesus Christ.

Pray for Students at Omaha South

PLEASE PRAY - TUESDAY, April 16, AT OMAHA SOUTH!

God has opened up a unique opportunity for students at Omaha South. Our Cru High National Director, Darryl Smith, will be with us from Orlando, and will be sharing with students throughout the school hours, and also after school at Omaha South. 

Darryl will be speaking at seven assemblies throughout the day, sharing his talk on making right choices. Students will be invited to come to a concluding meeting after school - for FREE PIZZA, and to ...

Listen to Darryl's amazing story.

After making wrong choices and dealing drugs,

he landed in prison.

God met him there and

he experienced a radical turn around.

He has since devoted his life to

helping young adults make good choices in their lives.

We praise God for this unique opportunity, and ask for your prayers for many students at Omaha South to come to know Jesus, just as Darryl did in his young adult years. 

Central High

It has been an amazing thing for us to follow God's leading in opening up several new campuses this fall. Last spring we came into contact with a couple who is burdened to reach out to the students at Central, a multi-racial campus of 2,500 students in Omaha. About 40% of the students at Central are black, and the remaining percent are Hispanic, Asian, and Caucasian. Each high school campus is a mission field, and this one is no exception.

Please pray for Bryant (who has a staff position at Central), for his wife Angie, and for Gary, as they meet weekly to pray and plan, following God's leading step-by-step. This week Gary was able to be on campus, making other connections, as well.  Please pray for a possible upcoming meeting with other staff who would be supportive in making Cru an official school club on campus.