I’m sure you’ve all heard the news about the two students who were murdered at Virginia Tech in the past couple of days. This morning we received an email from Jeff Highfield filling us in on some of the details.
Both of the students (David Metzler and Heidi Childs) were involved with Campus Crusade for Christ and were helping to lead a small group Bible Study there. During the tragedy 2 years ago the Cru group also lost 2 students.
Please pray for the Metzlers and the Childs family as they grieve the loss of their children. Please also pray for the students of Tech and especially the Cru students – the roommates of the victims underclassmen that were in their Bible studies are “confused and overwhelmed with grief.”
Last night was the first large group meeting of the year at Tech, Heidi’s roommates were there and were coming to God full-out in worship even in the midst of tragedy.
Pray also that God would work through this tragedy to bring the comfort of Christ to a hurting campus. David and Heidi are at peace with the Savior now and I am sure would want nothing more than to see people come to Christ as a result of their deaths as much as they had because of their lives.
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February 20, 2008
in Misc
I’m sure you’ve all read or heard about the shootings at Northern Illinois University last week, I wanted to pass on some information and some things you can be praying for in relation to this tragedy that seems to be happening more and more frequently. Here are some things that the Campus Director for Cru passed on for us to pray about:
Update from the NIU Team-
Thank you for your prayers and support. We feel loved and embraced by you and praise God for the body of Christ.
Six people have died, including the gunman (who actually went to high school with one of our staff). The building this happened in was our former room for our weekly cru meeting.
No one in Cru was injured in the shooting. Our staff are doing well and are safe. They are doing an awesome job of connecting with students as well as w/ the university.
One girl in Cru who was supposed to be in that class was taking a nap Thursday afternoon and overslept for class.
A student that used to be involved with us a year and half ago was shot in the head, we are awaiting the news of his condition.
A friend of a student in Cru was sitting directly behind a girl who was shot in the head and died.
One of our staff (along with a couple of her disciples) was just 100 yards away from the building when students were fleeing from the gunman. They were not in any immediate danger though.
Through all of this God is opening up incredible doorways for conversing and reflecting the gospel both for our staff and our students.
Our students have been amazing! They have organized prayer vigils and are seeking to engage in conversations with their peers about the shooting and the hope that is found in God.
It is really something seeing our Cru worship leader on National TV leading times of prayer on the campus (what a testimony of God’s work!)
You may be asking yourself, “How can I help?”
1. Pray
2. Would your teams or movements consider writing cards or notes of encouragement that we can pass along to university administration, hall directors, CA’s, police officials. It could be simple statements of we are praying for you and support you during this challenging time and simply sign it “your friends from Campus Crusade for Christ”. We really want to find ways to overwhelm the university with compassionate acts.
If you have other ideas, please, please share them with us.
Please pray for…
The university has asked us to be on call to counsel students (though right now most students have gone home).
We are enlisting the help of churches to create care packages and notes of encouragement for university staff, police, and admin.
We had a Hello Industry concert planned for Feb 21. We are seeking God on wisdom on how to proceed with that. Classes may not even have resumed by then.
We are talking with National people about how to really find ways to reflect Christ to the entire campus and they… have been a tremendous blessing in helping us personally as well as helping us think how God might want to use this.
Salvation for NIU
Pray against the Westboro group that is on campus creating a mockery of Christianity. They have pledged to protest and picket the funerals of the victims. Stephanie actually spoke with the Westboro people on the phone today. WOW, they are so lost and so misguided. Please pray for them and that God would silence the wickedness and foolishness of their message.
Our staff team and their families
Please join us in praying for the campus community at NIU as well as for strength for the Crusade team there.
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