We need your help! Please schedule a virtual/online appointment now to learn more about partnering with us in expanding #FallingPlates and in our digital ministry with Cru/JesusFilm

Celebrate A Year of Digital Outreach in Philippines

One year ago, our Philippine ministry started using the technology our team created for Digital Outreach. Enjoy this timeline showing the huge impact their team is having.

Launch of KnowGod.com with Embeddable Presentations

Visual Timeline of Projects Recently Worked On

Downloadable copy of the Falling Plates Script

Script to the FallingPlates video

#FallingPlates is on YouTube and it is going global. Almost daily, international emails come to me requesting additional subtitles / closed captions in their own language so they can share it with their friends.

I've been crowd sourcing the translation work by involving volunteers to do the translating.

The script is short - only 189 words.

If you have a language you'd like included in the closed captions, it is very quick and simple.

1) Email me at: FallingPlatesVideo@gmail.com
2) I'll email you back a link to a Google Doc where you can quickly enter the new translation.
3) I'll post it to YouTube as a new transcript.

Script with Precise Timecodes

0:00:07.200,0:00:09.000
You.

0:00:09.000,0:00:10.900
Look at your eyes.

0:00:10.900,0:00:12.200
Look at them.

0:00:12.200,0:00:14.100
Speckled.

0:00:14.100,0:00:17.000
Colorful.

0:00:17.000,0:00:19.000
Each one unique.

0:00:19.000,0:00:22.000
And I created every one of them.

0:00:23.000,0:00:25.100
I created -- everything.

0:00:25.100,0:00:27.000
The universe.

0:00:27.000,0:00:28.500
And you.

0:00:29.000,0:00:31.000
I gave you your personality.

0:00:34.000,0:00:36.000
I made you pure.

0:00:36.900,0:00:38.300
Complex.

0:00:39.500,0:00:41.300
And every day

0:00:41.300,0:00:43.200
I give you life.

0:00:44.000,0:00:45.800
I love you.

0:00:46.600,0:00:48.500
But something happened.

0:00:50.000,0:00:51.800
You cheated on me.

0:00:53.200,0:00:55.000
You didn't trust me.

0:00:56.500,0:00:57.500
You sinned.

0:00:57.500,0:01:00.000
[Falling plates crashing]

0:01:03.900,0:01:06.500
You cut yourself off from me.

0:01:06.500,0:01:09.500
And although you're still alive...

0:01:09.500,0:01:11.200
you are slowly dying.

0:01:13.800,0:01:15.500
So you looked for other things...

0:01:18.000,0:01:19.500
[happiness]

0:01:20.100,0:01:21.300
[sex]

0:01:21.400,0:01:23.100
To fill the void.

0:01:25.000,0:01:27.000
But nothing works.

0:01:30.000,0:01:31.000
[Falling plates crashing]

0:01:31.900,0:01:34.000
It just kills you faster.

0:01:34.800,0:01:37.000
And it separates us more and more...

0:01:37.000,0:01:38.100
[Falling Plates crashing]

0:01:42.100,0:01:43.800
What are you searching for?

0:01:44.000,0:01:44.800
[acceptance]

0:01:46.000,0:01:46.700
[intimacy]

0:01:47.800,0:01:49.000
[love]

0:01:57.500,0:02:00.100
[Falling plates crashing]

0:02:01.100,0:02:03.000
I don't want you to die.

0:02:04.700,0:02:06.400
I created you.

0:02:06.500,0:02:08.300
Not to be destroyed.

0:02:09.000,0:02:11.000
But to know me.

0:02:11.900,0:02:14.000
So I became one of you.

0:02:15.000,0:02:17.200
A fragile creation.

0:02:18.900,0:02:20.700
I was tempted.

0:02:22.300,0:02:24.100
But I never sinned.

0:02:26.000,0:02:28.100
I came to save you.

0:02:29.100,0:02:31.300
You have so many sins.

0:02:31.500,0:02:33.500
And they have a cost.

0:02:33.500,0:02:35.900
Someone has to die.

0:02:35.900,0:02:37.000
You --

0:02:37.000,0:02:38.400
or Me.

0:02:38.900,0:02:41.000
So I took on your sin.

0:02:42.400,0:02:45.000
And traded in my life for yours.

0:02:46.800,0:02:48.400
And I died,

0:02:48.400,0:02:51.000
in your place.

0:02:53.000,0:02:56.000
Because I love you.

0:02:57.800,0:02:59.200
Then --

0:03:14.700,0:03:16.800
I rose from the dead.

0:03:17.400,0:03:19.800
I am the Way.

0:03:19.800,0:03:21.000
The Truth.

0:03:21.000,0:03:22.500
And the Life.

0:03:22.500,0:03:24.600
I am Jesus.

0:03:25.600,0:03:28.000
I'm not here to condemn you.

0:03:28.300,0:03:30.700
I came to bring you back to life.

0:03:32.000,0:03:33.700
Rely on me.

0:03:34.500,0:03:36.600
I will forgive you.

0:03:37.200,0:03:40.000
And give you eternal life.

0:03:41.700,0:03:44.300
I love you.

0:03:44.300,0:03:46.200
And I did all of this

0:03:46.200,0:03:50.000
to have a relationship with you.

0:03:53.100,0:03:55.000
Will you follow me?

Here is a list of translations as of early January

English
Spanish
Russian
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (China)
Chinese (Singapore)
Chinese (Hong Kong)
Chinese (Taiwan)
Chinese (Traditional)
Albanian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Ethiopia (Amharic)
Hungarian
French
Italian
Croatian
Polish
Ukranian
Malay
Slovak

Film We Created with Hopes of Spreading Virally on YouTube

a 4 minute film explaining what Jesus thinks of you - life, death and love of a savior.

Video Viral Launch Party Sharing Instructions

FallingPlates.com - a short film about life, death, and love

What a privilege to get to partner with you in using social media to reach and influence the world for Christ.

At some point today, will you take 15 minutes to share the video via your social media sites.

Below: Simple Sharing Instructions...

Some examples of what you can say in any social network, comment, message

ADD this exact line of text at the end of every comment you use (link and hashtag): http://bit.ly/FallingPlatesVideo #FallingPlates

• Need to get right with God? http://bit.ly/FallingPlatesVideo #FallingPlates
• This just blew my mind. Everybody needs to watch
• #FallingPlates gets me every time, keeps you thinking.
• Still my favorite video on @youtube...
• Watch this and spread it
• You HAVE to watch this video! Besides, you can spare 4 minutes, right?
• Completely worth the 4 minutes to watch this. #truth #payattention
• I cried watching this! #truth
• The #Gospel in 4 minutes. Watch this video its amazing: #JesusisLord #Christ #Jesus #salvation
• Very inspirational
• Watch this - simple, short presentation of the Gospel like you’ve never heard it before
• Watch this!! Its awesome
• Have you seen this video yet? I bet it’s going to go viral.
• This is awesome!
• Wonder what Jesus thinks of you?
• Genius display of the gospel!
• This is so creative, I love it.
• Hey @PERSON’sTwitterAccount, I want you to watch this then I want to talk about it with you.
• Myan Calendar end of world 12-21-12? Then better watch:
• [video] Spectacular! watch:
• A video with heart and emotion:

Most of your sharing can be done from YouTube

YouTube

After you watch the video,

1. Click the “Like” thumbs-up button
2. Click “Subscribe” button
3. Leave a comment in the comments section
4. Click “Post” to submit your comment
5. Click “Share” button to share it on other social networks
6. Click each of the icons for each social networks you use (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and lots more)
7. It is safe to log in with each of your social networks’ username and password for this process. It is secure and you are not authorizing YouTube to do anything beyond posting the contents you get to see prior to submitting.

Facebook

Facebook

1. Log in to your Facebook account
2. Select one of the suggested pre-written comments
3. Post a status update including the url to the video: http://bit.ly/FallingPlatesVideo

Example: Wonder what Jesus thinks of you? http://bit.ly/FallingPlatesVideo
Go to the groups you are part of and paste your status update and link there, too.

Twitter

1. Log into your twitter account.
2. Select one of the suggested pre-written comments
3. Including the video’s link: http://bit.ly/FallingPlatesVideo
4. And include the hashtag #FallingPlates

Example: Need to get right with God? http://bit.ly/FallingPlatesVideo #FallingPlates
Retweet 4-5+ times throughout the day, using different wording.
Send a tweet or a direct message to the most influential tweeters that follow you saying (Replace @THEIRuSERnAME with the person’s actual username):
#FallingPlates @THEIRuSERnAME Could your team use this? Please watch 4min video & forward http://bit.ly/FallingPlatesVideo #TwitterStories

Pinterest

1. Log in to pinterest
2. Go to “Add +”
3. Click “Add a Pin”
4. Paste the video url: http://youtu.be/KGlx11BxF24
5. Click “Find Images”
6. Pick a “board” to pin it to, and add description
7. Click “Pin It”

Blog

• Write a short blog post in your personal ministry blog. Just paste the “Embed code” for #FallingPlates in a new posting so your readers can watch the video within your blog and not have to leave
• Contact a few of these top bloggers and ask them to include #FallingPlates in their blog. Here is a list of the top 200 top ministry blogs: http://churchrelevance.com/resources/top-church-blogs/

Texting

• Send a friend a text messages asking to watch the video and say: Sometime I’d like to get your thoughts on this new video: http://bit.ly/FallingPlatesVideo

• Send link of the video, then few hours later text them saying “did u get 2 watch the video?”

Other strategic spots to share:

Digg.com
ReddIt.com
StumbleUpon.com
LinkedIn.com

How Can We Increase Evangelism Effectiveness?

Discussion Questions

A few years ago, I led a national discussion in an effort to increase effectiveness in evangelism. These are the questions I asked:

1. What is impossible to do today, but if it could be done, would fundamentally change our evangelistic efforts for the better?
2. What are we really good at? Does anyone see a paradigm shift on the horizon coming our way? How does we need to change to remain relevant?
3. If we had to start from zero, from scratch, what would you do differently to enhance our focus on evangelism?
4. What strategy have you used to involve yourself in evangelism? What struggles are you facing?
5. How do you get students involved in student-to-student evangelism? How do you get adults involved in adult-to-adult evangelism?
6. What is the most insane idea you have that would appear foolish if God wasn’t in it?

How would you answer these questions?

Post your thoughts in the comments section...

Together We Are Making A Difference :: Cru

Thank you for giving to our ministry at Cru.

My Dad's (Gerald Crutsinger) Dying Moments

At the age of 73, my dad has passed away. He fought long and hard! He was first diagonosed with stage four lung cancer which spread to form a brain tumor which was removed on Christmas in 2007. Dad was told he had a 2% chance of living 2 years. He fought through brain surgery, lung cancer, pneumonia, pulmonary emboli, blood clots in lower half of body, chemo, radiation, back fracture, neck tumor, near complete closing of esophagus, stomach g-tube, and more.

My dad was not one to ever give up on anything.

I will miss him.

I love you dad -
Howard

IAmSecond Book Gifted to My Dad

Want to view this album? visit:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151192185820562.791534.835310561&type=1&l=78adee7c89


These are photos I took with my dad a couple days ago. Long story, but Norm Miller (CEO of Interstate Batteries and founder of http://www.iamsecond.com/ ) used to be a client of my dad's. Norm and many other celebrities autographed this book that I gave to my dad. This book was the conversation piece that enabled me to communicate with dad about his faith in Christ. "To be absent of the body, is to be in the presence of the Lord. "-2 Corinthians 5:8.

One of the videos I showed my dad was of Brian “Head” Welch, former lead guitarist for the band Korn, whose life was spinning out of control.
http://www.iamsecond.com/brianwelch

Obituary :: Gerald Glynn Crutsinger

Gerald Glynn Crutsinger, Sr., 73, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, from complications of lung cancer.

Burial for Gerald will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in the DFW National Cemetery,
2000 Mountain Creek Parkway,
Dallas, TX 75211. A memorial service will be conducted that afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church Carrollton, 2400 Josey Ln, Carrollton, 75006. The family will receive visitors 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, at First Baptist Church Carrollton.

Gerald was born Dec. 13, 1938, in Brownwood, Texas. He is survived by his wife, Carla; sons Glynn, Sam, and Howard; grandchildren Hunter, Travis, Cooper, Benjamin, and Cole; mother, Dorothy Crutsinger. He is preceded in death by his father, Harold D. Crutsinger, and brother, Harold R. Crutsinger.

Gerald graduated from Wichita Falls High School. As a lifelong Longhorn fan, he attended the University of Texas receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering while on a football scholarship. He was proud to be in Coach Darrell Royal’s first recruiting class and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

After graduation, he served as 1st Lieutenant in the HHC 127^th Engineer Battalion 11 Air Assault Division Third US Army as an Airborne Jumpmaster. He completed his military experience as a Captain in the Texas National Guard.

Returning to school, he received a Juris Doctor Degree from Baylor Law School in 1967. He practiced Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law; Unfair Competition; and Intellectual Property Litigation as a Senior Partner at The Crutsinger and Booth Law Firm in Dallas, Texas until his retirement in 2008.

Gerald was licensed to practice law in the state of Texas, before the U.S. Supreme Court, before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, before U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal 5^th Circuit, and before the Canadian Patent Office. He was a member of Texas State Bar Association, Dallas Bar Association, Dallas-Fort Worth Patent Law Association, American Intellectual Property Law Association, and International Trademark Association.

His special achievements include: Associate Editor, Baylor Law Review; Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity; and President Dallas-Fort Worth Patent Law Association.

Gerald coached all three sons in YMCA football and enjoyed hunting and fishing with his family. He was an active member of First Baptist Church Carrollton. He enjoyed traveling with his wife, Carla, especially in Europe. Last summer was highlighted by a family cruise to Alaska to celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary (Sept 4, 1961).

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to be made to “Campus Crusade for Christ” under account number: 0441540 at Attn: Contributions, PO Box 628222, Orlando, FL 32862-8222 or http://give.ccci.org/give/0441540

Changed Lives :: Chattanooga

Here's a video telling Breon Thomas' powerful story of life change through the ministry of Student Venture - A poverty stricken African American kid who grow up in the projects and in shelters.

“my student venture leader impacted me, I’m one person and now I go out and impact others... you are now witnessing a generation that has the possibility to be transformed.  I think by investing in even one kid’s life, you are impacting the world!” - Breon

Breon is on a mission to show the love and joy that his relationship with Jesus has given him through the hand of music and dance. In high school, he was a servant leader in Student Venture starting lunch bible studies were the gospel of Jesus Christ was able to be shared with close to 75 teenagers a week.

Consider investing in changed lives.

2011-07 Update - Campus Crusade for Christ's Name Change to Cru

We Just Returned from All Campus Crusade Staff Training

Every other summer, the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, of which Student Venture is a part, gathers in Ft. Collins, Colorado to be refreshed spiritually, have our vision renewed, and celebrate what God has done. Soaking up the God-centered teaching (You can watch some of the videos yourself at http://bit.ly/CCCStaffConfSpeakerVideos ) has revitalized our souls in the middle of this crazy season for our family.

Campus Crusade for Christ is BECOMING... CRU

This is a big year for our ministry. It is the 60th anniversary of Campus Crusade for Christ! What started out as an outreach to college students established by Bill and Vonette Bright in 1951, has now blossomed into a movement of over 25,000 staff with a presence in 191 countries and a scope that is far beyond students.



Another reason this is a big year for us is that after sixty years, Campus Crusade’s name is changing. This past week it was announced that in early 2012, Campus Crusade for Christ will change its name to ‘Cru.’ This change will be for the United States ministry only. Campus Crusade actually already operates under a variety of names around the world. For example, in Russia, it is called ‘New Life’ and in Canada, it is called ‘Power to Change.’


The name change has been in process for two years. Our leadership has prayed, fasted and sought the advice of proven experts who help organizations makes similar changes. In addition, there was extensive market research including in depth interviews and surveys of staff, donors, volunteers and potential volunteers, ministry partners, students, and non-Christians. The change is being made in order to more effectively communicate the message of Jesus with people and partner with organizations and churches who share our aims. To read more about the reasons why this name change is important, or if you have questions or concerns, please visit http://bit.ly/WhyCCCBecameCRU to get some answers to ‘FAQ’ and see some enlightening short videos. One video is an interview of our Vice President, Steve Sellers, on Fox News.


Very recent media reports have taken an unfavorable stance (imagine that...the media spreading misleading information) by questioning our commitment to Christ since the word ‘Christ’ was removed from our official name. Be assured though, Cru remains deeply committed to proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ, the centrality of the cross, the truth of God's Word, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the global scope of the Great Commission. As you know, many Christian organizations and many local churches do not have the name Jesus or Christ in their name and this does not lessen their devotion to Him or their effectiveness in their mission.


In actuality, the name change brings little impact to our work. Student Venture will keep its name and will continue to be the middle and high school ministry of Cru. The bottom line for us is that we will never stop talking to people about Jesus, His transforming grace and forgiveness that He offers through the cross. It's who we are. It's why we're here. Thank you for standing with us in this glorious mission, and for living it yourself.


Of course, if you have questions about our new name or want further clarification behind why the change was made, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. Please join us in praying for a smooth transition.


As always, we appreciate your partnership in ministry more than words can express. Be assured that the Lord is using you, through your prayer and financial support, to make an eternal impact in the hearts of people!

Complete Letter

Click on the image below to enlarge it to a size where you can read it:

2011-05 Ministry Update

Two Significant Advances:

• Video Training
• Mobile Phone Applications

Transitioning Volunteer Training to VIDEO

Today, 58% of adults after college will never read another book! Instead they spend 4 hours a day watching TV and 3 hrs listening to the radio. They absorb info still, but not in written form. And since more than 50% in the US prefer to hear than read, we’ve felt the need to adapt our training. Who has the time, or interest, in reading a 3-ring binder training manual? Our goal has been to shorten, simplify, and when possible, convert to interactive video. We want to value the time of volunteers. They shouldn’t spend all of their volunteer hours in training, but rather being freed up to minister to students.

Going Mobile! -- iPhone & Android

Most adults can remember life in the “B.C.” days... not “before Christ,” but “before CELLPHONES.” Hard to imagine that most teenagers have never known life without such technologies. Very soon, especially for students, mobile phones will overtake the computer as the most popular way to get on the Web! My hope is that Student Venture will quickly advance our digital strategies to be fully prepared for these rapidly changing times. We’re creating Campus Crusade’s first ever mobile app for training staff & volunteers!


Our goal: Train Student Venture volunteers in a new way; using the most popular personal electronic device of every high school student, their mobile phone. Create a custom mobile application on both iPhone and Android platforms for Student Venture.


Our ambitious launch date: July 15, in time for SV's all staff training this summer. This initial “1.0” in-house demonstration will include enough functionality for SV staff and volunteers to get an idea of what is being developed. When it is launched, Student Venture's app will be offered in the iTunes App Store and the Google Android App Store as a free application to users.


Primary initial purpose of the phase 1.0 mobile application: To deliver SV's new volunteer training curriculum with video and textual content to Student Venture's volunteers.



History: The company helping us develop the mLearning app has been refining their skills the last 18 months where they launched a pilot project in Kenya for Nairobi School of Theology. A Kenyan newspaper reported last week that two different groups took the same course - one group participated remotely using a mobile phone, the other group attended physical classes at the university.


Statistics from pilot: Only 60% of the students who attended the physical classroom completed the course (40% drop out rate); yet, 100% of the mLearning remote students completed the same course!


Observations: “What we noticed is that students who physically came to attend lectures rarely made it through all the classes because of busy schedules and heavy traffic. Those who used the mobile phones had an easier time as they could comfortably access all the content.”

Web Evangelism Statistics

Here are stats from two of our evangelistic websites. We are continually trying to learn ways to tweak our marketing campaigns using Google Ads to make it easier for those searching for God online.

THE HOME FRONT:

Two Major Surgeries - On Same Day...

Cole: adenoids removed + tubes put in his ears
Ben: adenoids & tonsils removed

Family Watched Final Launch of the Endeavor Space Shuttle

We took our kids on a 5 hour round-trip drive to the east coast to watch the final launch of the Endeavor Space Shuttle.

Going Bass Fishing

The retention pond behind our house has provided some family entertainment. One recent evening, Laura caught this 4.5 LBS bass. I couldn’t allow my sweet wife to beat me, so I caught this 5 LBS bass about 30 minutes later!

Cooper Lost His First Tooth

Cooper and Ben Playing T-Ball

Cooper & Benjamin are wrapping up their first season playing T-Ball. It has been hilarious watching. At this entry level, the only objective is to let everyone hit while the opposing team attempts to field the ball & throw it to first base.

Pictured above, Ben’s throwing the ball to Cooper on 1st base. Cooper said, “Ben threw the ball at my face. I put my glove up so I wouldn’t get hit & the ball landed inside it!”

Residential Burglaries

We’ve had some drama in our neighborhood lately -helicopters, police dogs, undercover cops, deputies in our front yard with guns drawn! There is evidence that the L.A. gang, The Crips, have moved in. (I guess gated communities only keep honest people out.) Within a 38 day timespan, there were 7 separate residential burglaries on our street! And over the last 4 years, our kid’s dvd player has been stolen out of our van. The police have arrested two kids so far, but I don’t believe that’ll be the end of the crime, but we’re shopping for another DVD player!

Family Pics

Grateful for your Partnership,

Thank you for undergirding our family and our ministry in your prayers.

Complete Letter

 click on the images below to enlarge to a size where you can read them:

2011-03 Ministry Update

9 Student Winter Conferences

Descriptive texts of the conferences:

• Opportunity for significance
• Transformed lives
• Morning and evening main sessions with great worship
• Evangelism training and a day of outreach in a public setting

When students and leaders returned home, their actual Facebook statuses, which you can read here, reflected the things that happened in their hearts. Andrea and Jamal had a limited knowledge about Jesus before they went to FastBreak, but over the weekend, they placed their faith in Him for the first time! Not only did Jamal give his life to Christ, he also shared the Gospel with 4-5 others the next day. Right underneath was a post from Jamal’s dad saying “I am so proud of you!” Quincy became a believer after a SV staff member shared the gospel with him last fall, and God used Fastbreak to help him grow in his young faith.

Video Gospel Presentation

For several months, I’ve lead a project using creative video clips to illustrate and communicate the Gospel message. Our prayer is the video will go “viral” online when it’s released.

Family Pics

Complete Letter

click on the image below to enlarge it to a size where you can read it:

Video I Created of Japan Devastation to Lead Viewers to Biblical Perspectives

I created a 4 minute video with pictures from yesterday's earthquake/tsunami in Japan.

My desire was to lead people to pray, but also to lead seekers to EveryStudent.com, one of our key web strategies.

My description includes:
For help in finding answers about "Where is God in the Midst of Tragedy?" visit: http://bit.ly/WhereIsGodInTragedy 

The YouTube video, "65 devastating photos of Japan Tsunami" can be found on Student Venture's YouTube channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqKGFQzYqD8

It is also on Student Venture's Facebook Fan Page here:
http://www.facebook.com/studentventure

On Student Venture's Twitter page here:
https://twitter.com/#!/studentventure

And on my personal Facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/crutsinger

If you visit any of the links above, please click "Like" and/or make a comment so that it will boost its rankings in YouTube and in Facebook so that more people could be ministered to.

I'm embedding the video here in our blog:

 

Changed Lives :: New York City, Just Not Into Church

“Meeting someone where they are.” - That statement could be applied a couple of ways to this story.  Student Venture Staff met Antonio “where he was” when they met him outside his school.  They also  met Antonio “where he was” when staff used Antonio’s answer about church to share the Gospel with him.  “Meeting someone where they are” shows them that Christ and the gospel apply to their lives and their present circumstances.  Combine that with the Holy Spirit’s work in a person’s heart, and a new child of God is born!
 
In the future, when you are walking around in Heaven, don’t be surprised if Antonio comes to you and says, “Thank you for giving to the Lord; I am a life that was changed.”  We agree with Antonio!

Just Not Into Church

by Kevin and Ginnette Young, staff serving in New York City
 
I met Antonio, a freshman on the football team, outside the school.  Moses (another SV staff) and I had decided to use the half hour lull before weight training to talk about the Lord to whomever He put in our path.  “You into the church thing, Antonio,” I asked? “Not really, but sometimes I go to church when I feel bad about something I’ve done.” I asked him if he would like to grab a slice of pizza and hear about how he could be forgiven all the time; and he jumped at it.  We sat down and I shared a simple outline of the gospel.  I could tell he was tracking, because his questions anticipated each point I made.  Towards the end of our time, I asked him if he wanted to begin a relationship with Christ, so that he could be forgiven for all of his sins, all of the time.  His emphatic “yes” led to us praying together.  It was sweet to see his countenance change, and the evidence of God’s assurance wash over him. I wrote the day’s date on the cover of the booklet.  “Save this, Antonio,” I said, “it will remind you that today is your spiritual birthday.”  His smile could have stopped the L-train (metro)!

Changed Lives :: Plano, A Student Experiences God at Work

Part of our Student Conferences is giving the students an opportunity to share their faith in the community where the conference is held.  They are armed with a short 5-question inoffensive survey to open a conversation, a Connecting with God booklet that talks about Jesus and having a person relationship with Him, and the Holy Spirit!   We’ll take the students to a mall, on the beach or even to area neighborhoods.
 
This story is about an outreach at one of our conferences and a student’s experience in sharing Jesus.
 
This student’s life (and the lives of the girls at McDonalds) will never be the same because she experienced the Holy Spirit working through her to bring someone to Christ.  Thank you for making it possible for us to be on the field, hold these conferences, and give students opportunities to share.  Lives are changed because you are faithful.

 

A Student Experiences God at Work

by Nicole Matuska, staff serving in Plano, TX

 
Mackenzie is a senior at Plano HS and went to our FastBreak Winter Conference.  Here is her story about sharing Jesus...
 
"When the Student Venture bus dropped me and the other campers off at a McDonald's in South Dallas, I wasn’t super excited to share the Gospel with strangers. In fact, there was a spiritual battle raging in my heart and I felt very discouraged. It was my 6th outreach with Student Venture and I had never experienced a stranger accepting Christ.
 
I always have trouble initiating a conversation, so this year I decided to use the MLK- themed survey to start conversations. This particular outreach I felt very successful in the conversations that my bi-lingual partner, Vidi, and I had with shoppers and employees at the local Fiesta supermarket. Although all the people we talked to considered themselves Christians, none of them had ever heard about having a personal relationship with God. Vidi and I got to explain the gospel to them and they let us pray for them, but none of them were comfortable saying the prayer themselves at that moment. Already the outreach was going better than I had ever experienced before, and it was only going to get better from there!
 
As all of the Plano and Carrolton students were gathering in front of McDonalds waiting for the bus, my good friend Bola spotted two teenage girls that she wanted to talk to and asked me to go with her. We awkwardly began by asking them the first three survey questions and asked them if they knew that God wanted to have a personal relationship with them;one of the girls said no and the other said yes. So we continued sharing the gospel with them, making it clear that God wants them as they are, and that we can only depend on Jesus’ death on the cross for salvation. As the bus pulled up to the edge of the street, one of the girls accepted Christ and the other rededicated her life to Christ.
 
I felt very excited as I walked onto the bus because although I was physically there and technically I shared the Gospel with the two girls, it wasn’t me at all. God had done all the work by preparing the girls’ hearts beforehand and speaking to them through me and Bola. I realized that this outreach went so well because I was trusting God to speak through me instead of trying so hard to share the good news in my own strength."

Changed Lives :: Indianapolis, Students Reaching Their Friends

When our Executive Team discusses the different groups of people who can partner with us to reach out to students, we make sure our list includes “other students”. Students are most likely to listen to their fellow students when they share with them.  Students-reaching-students is a unique relationship because students share the same experiences and challenges and can easily relate.  When students share how God has rescued them from hopelessness and emptiness, students listen!
 
Often people don’t believe that students can lead other students to Christ or help them grow in their faith, but in Student Venture, we see every day that they can!
 
Thank you, dear friends, for supporting us and for caring about the hearts of students.  We consider it a joy to share this mission with you.

From High School to College

by Mark and Dawn Michal, staff in Indianapolis
 
Jacey (second from left) is a Sophomore at a different high school (Lawrence North) but has been coming to our meetings for a few years now.  She has had a heart to start a Student Venture ministry at her school and started this year with a Bible Study for her cross-country team.  The girls who have been coming to her study after practice range "from far from Christ" to "marginally Christian".
 
Jacey was able to bring four of her team members with her to the Student Venture Fastbreak Conference.  All of them grew spiritually and one of them, Abby, accepted Christ for the first time in her life!
 
Abby is so excited about her new relationship with Christ and Jacey is blown away by this change in her friend.  This is such a perfect example of how a teenager can make a difference.
 
Jacey could have easily just considered our Student Venture meetings a place for her to grow, but, instead, she saw it as a launching point to reach out to her friends.  She worked hard to get her friends to her small groups, stepped out and risked her relationships, and as a result, her friends are coming to Christ!

Changed Lives :: Northern Michigan, The Influence of Sisters

If you have a brother or sister, you probably remember how much influence they had in your life (and maybe still do).
 
This story shows the influence that one sister has with another, and it shows how others watch our behavior and are affected by it.  We are a witness for Christ – either for good or for bad.  Praise God, these girls are good ones!
 
Your influence is felt in the life of Student Venture, and it is a good one!  Thank you for partnering with us and supporting us—you are appreciated.

The Influence of Sisters

by Mike and Laurel Riley, Staff in Northern Michigan
The Influence of Sisters -----
By Mike and Laurel Riley, Staff in Northern Michigan
 
Jill (high school senior) attended our Myrtle Beach Getaway Conference last June for the first time. She was hugely impacted, and as a result, has touched her family – in particular, her younger sister and her mom --
 
One of the biggest things God did in Jill’s life at the Getaway was to show her that her life & faith story can touch the hearts and lives of others and bring them closer to knowing Christ in a personal way. Jill has grown by leaps and bounds in her faith this year – faithfully spending time in God’s Word, helping lead the freshman girls’ Bible study, helping start a small group Bible study with some friends, and inspiring her mom and sister Jayne (freshman) to start attending church again.
 
In early November I received this text message from Jill:
“I just led my sister [Jayne] to Christ! OH MY GOSH! I will never forget what she just said to me!”
 
Here is an excerpt from the letter Jayne wrote to Jill after begining her new relationship with Christ:
“Today I picked up my Bible for the very first time. I started reading Timothy’s chapter. Just from today, my relationship with God has started, and I can already feel it strengthening. I feel as if I can connect with God now and not feel weird about it. This all happened because of you. You are such a great role model and you continue to lead me down the right path. I want to be just like you.”

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Changed Lives :: So. Idaho, From High School To College

Over the last couple of years, Student Venture and the Campus Ministry (Crusade’s ministry to college students, a.k.a. Cru) have focused a great deal on the partnership between us, which God is using to mightily increase our abilities and opportunities to reach high school students. It is a natural partnership and a win-win situation.

Another focus for Student Venture is connecting our graduated SV students with their college’s Cru to continue their spiritual growth, training and influence.

Today’s story represents both priorities:
• The O’Briens, who wrote this story, work with Boise State students and with high schools in that area;
• Jared, who is now in college and involved with Cru, was involved with SV in high school.
We look forward to what God will do through our partnership!

As Thanksgiving approaches, we remember you with sincere thanks to God for your partnership.  We pray that God will fill your heart with all He is and all He does for you, His cherished child.

From High School to College

by Matt and Kim O’Brien, Senior staff reaching HS and College students in So. Idaho


Jared first got involved with Student Venture before coming to Boise State.  Last month, Ryan, after wrestling through his objections to Christianity, placed his faith in Jesus after two years of being influenced by his friend, Jared.  
 
In September, Ryan (pictured at right) came to our fall retreat. One of the realities that kept him from surrendering to Jesus was the realization that the decision would result in significant life changes. A couple days after the retreat Ryan sat in his parked car and talked with God. After 45 minutes, he eventually surrendered his life to Jesus!
 
Since placing his trust in Jesus, Ryan has said: “It’s been awesome! I really needed this. I feel like I need to tell people about this. . . I believe my purpose is to talk with people that others won’t approach.
 
A few weeks ago Ryan stood in front of 50+ students at our weekly meeting and said, “If you just accepted Christ, you might not feel like you have the ability to spread the Word and share with people. I just want to urge you guys to do it.”

2010-11 Ministry Update

November 2010 Ministry Update - inludes:
1. Cooper getting baptized by daddy. Congrats to and from Dwight Howard.
2. Howard turning 40, Laura turning 35.
3. 67,000 schools, 25 million students

Side 1

Side 2

Cooper Was Baptized By His Daddy At The Beach (with NBA Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard)

Cooper placed his faith in Christ back in January. We’ve read all the way through the bible several times with our boys during our nightly bedtime routine. Every time we’d get to the passages about John The Baptist, Cooper would ask all sorts of questions about baptism. He’s learned that baptism is a public, outward expression of the inward, personal decision to follow Christ. He’s been asking if he could get baptized for some time now, and we believe he was ready. Cooper even asked if I would baptize him!
On the morning of the big day, he and I had a special time together at McDonalds talking again through the significance of his decision. Then that afternoon, our family along with 1000 others from our church, drove the 1.5 hours out to the Atlantic Ocean. The weather was perfect and the waves were big.
After walking out into the ocean, we knelt in the frigid water with our pastor (Isaac Hunter) at our side. I asked him, “Cooper, do you believe Jesus Christ is God’s Son?” and “Do you believe He died on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins?” and lastly, “Is it your desire to follow Christ all the days of your life?” After saying, “Yes,” I said, “Cooper, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” I leaned him backward into the water as the waves came crashing in.
Baptizing Cooper in the presence of our church (Summit Church of Orlando) was one of my greatest honors! Cooper was one of about 100 who got baptized that day!

NBA All star, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic got Baptized, too

The final person baptized by our 5’ 9” pastor, was 6’ 11” NBA All star, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic. Dwight made a profession of faith in Jesus years ago, but only now committed to be baptized. Afterward, Cooper went up to Dwight to congratulate him.
You can see video and pictures from the day on our gallery website: http://gallery.me.com/crutsinger

Howard Turning 40, Laura 35!

November 12 is the day Laura and I both share for our birthday. Neither of us like the sound of these pivotal ages. 39 and 34 was much more palatable. Being “a couple in our thirties” is no longer a description I can use! I guess it is time to grow up... Naaa...

67,000 schools, 25 million students...

The goal is to give every student at every school the chance to hear about and see God’s love and forgiveness in action.
Humanly speaking, it seems impossible. In America alone there are 67,000 schools with nearly 25 million high school and middle school students. Around the world there are millions more. It may be seem zealous to have such a lofty scope, but the mission of reaching out to every person in every part of the world is God’s idea.

Moments before His departure Jesus gave his followers this specific directive: “Go into the whole world and preach the good news to everyone, everywhere.” Mark 16:15 (TLB), and in Matthew 28:18-20: “Go and make disciples in every nation.” This charge, given by Jesus to all Christians for all time, is called the Great Commission.

I represented Student Venture at the Campus Alliance Summit in Kansas City, MO, a partnership of youth leaders, students, organizations and church denominations. Every few years, SV does an analysis of where the body of Christ stands on reaching youth around the United States. We pool stats from Youth for Christ, Young Life, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Youth Alive (Assemblies of God), Southern Baptists, Student Venture, and Moms in Touch to show where God is at work in the local middle and high schools in America. It is exciting to see that there are 21,000 ministry locations targeting young people for Christ. Please pray the Campus Alliance can help foster partnerships between campus based ministries and strategize how to reach almost 10,000 middle and high schools that still do not currently have an effective outreach.

Appreciating Your Partnership

This is not an easy journey leading in ministry. Your prayers and support help sustain us. Please pray Isaiah 40:29-31 over us: ”He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

It is a joy for us to serve along side you,