Back!
“Where are you from? What’s your major? Where are you from…” This time of year, this is the sound that rings back when your head hits the pillow. Classes in the District have officially started, along with all that goes with it — tables at club fairs, brightly colored fliers, free stuff, new faces and the ever-present aroma of cheap burgers from orientation events. Today at Georgetown, the music on the quad from a huge beginning-of-the-year church service for freshman and a few lingering parents reminds last spring’s party ground that it is time to get serious again.
Georgetown, along with American University, will probably be one of our strongest movements this fall, as we have become part of the Campus Ministry communities there and have freedom to meet more students and hold events. Please pray that these relationships with other groups will only grow and that God would show us how to contribute as team players to the good reputation of Jesus. It is the body of Christ (not just Cru) that is able to reach the whole city.
Connecting the Dots
September is always stirring with transition, but this year even more. Between the reality of a much smaller staff team and so many of last year’s students leaving town for various reasons, it is a perfect time to zoom out to focus on who is here. Due partly to a national push within Campus Crusade to mobilize Cru alumni and partly to an accidental bunch of potential volunteers, we’ve been spending our time in between the club fairs trying to connect some of the dots here.
What could it look like if a city full of Type-A twenty-somethings caught a vision for reaching out to the students around them? If the graduating seniors from thriving Cru movements like Virginia Tech and James Madison University had a clear place to invest themselves when they moved back home to our doorstep? We’re praying to find out. By Fall Retreat (October 9-11), we hope to have a small army of 20 volunteers, trained and moving toward a clear vision.
In the Wings
One of the advantages of living in a high-profile city is that you can get more press — Washington, DC has been on a list of the Top 10 priority cities within our organization for several years now. As a result, two other metro staff teams, one from Chicago and the other from St. Louis, have volunteered to come here for a few days this October just to give lift to what we’re doing. You may remember our incoming spring breakers two years ago — this is a big deal! Pray for wisdom as we think through the best way to put them to use, and we’ll keep you posted!
Grace & Peace,
Jayson & Carrie
Pray for:
- Praise God for a summer of excellent training and sufficient funding for it! Thanks everyone!
- Pray that the several non-Christians who’ve been investigating our groups would stick around.
- Pray that our team and students will stay in good health through the fall flu season & that the presence of the H1N1 virus here would not keep people from our Fall Retreat.
- Pray that our two new staff would be able to return from fundraising quickly to turn our 3-person team into 5!
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Off and Running!
Thank God for more staff workers in DC this year, because things are happening here! After some long, sweaty afternoons manning signup tables on the quad, giving free stuff to freshman and exploring their beliefs with photo surveys, we rounded the troops for our 2008 Kickoff, a cookout at our staff bachelor pad. Thanks to rain from Hurricane Hannah, one imploding/exploding grill, and 25 students from 6 campuses, 9 states, and 9 countries, needless to say, it was a memorable evening!
In my opinion, Friday’s biggest win was the wide spectrum of beliefs represented, and the relationships that have sprouted in spite of it. I think of Lee & JuWon, two sweet South Korean students with no faith background from American U. who nodded off during the content that night, but have since then developed a curiosity about the Bible and have been huddling around our staff every Monday to study the book of John.
I also think of Emily who Jayson and I met last year through a photo survey, who brought two roommates whose faith is nominal at best. Having met them before, I couldn’t help but wonder what they thought when one of our staff shared a bit of his hopes for the year in light of what Jesus has accomplished. Before the weekend was over, though, I had an inquiry from Emily on behalf of one friend requesting details for Sunday church, which they have attended and raved about for the past 3 weekends.
And I think of Wade one of our most willing leaders from last year, a sophomore this year at George Washington U., who just this past Wednesday, after a year of praying for revival on his campus, led DC Cru’s first totally student-initiated Bible study. Involved in the discussion about the identity of Jesus were seven students, some who would call themselves Christians, some who probably wouldn’t, including Emily’s roommate.
DC Turning a Corner…
For those of you who drive, you know the feeling of turning a corner — how going into the turn requires extra caution and harder braking, and how there is a point in the middle of the turn where something shifts and even though you can’t see the straight stretch quite yet, you can accelerate again. To make a long story shorter, one of our longstanding prayers and cautions has been that God would give us the humility to be team players in this city, even servants — ones who help diffuse what can often (legitimately) be the biggest turnoff to faith: arrogance, competition, and division among the body of Christ, including his ministers.
As the year begins, I see much evidence that God is honoring this prayer in spite of us – not only among our students (whose vast differences would give them ample excuse for mistrust), but among those leading them. As God has given us with some great friendships with other ministry staff and key people, please continue to pray with us that this would be a year that the reputation of Jesus Christ is elevated in this city far about our individual “flags”, that this would be a year that we see Him bridge differences and turn the corner!
As we get back to where God has called us for this period, there are constantly ideas and possibilities for what God could be calling us to in Pray that in the mean time we would follow Him closely and trust in His wisdom and love.
Grace & Peace,
Carrie & Jayson
Please pray for:
- Bowie State University — One of the primary schools on our “prayer radar,” a historically African-American campus where we’ve partnered with another group and prayed for opportunities to serve the frat scene. God has opened some interesting doors, pray that we would continue to see things happen there!
- Our staff team – While most of us know each other already, a “honeymoon” period would be unlikely. So far, so good – pray that we would continue to keep short accounts with God and each other, communicate well, work hard, play hard, and rest!
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