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

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

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,

Crutsinger 2009_05 Prayer Letter

Here is our prayer letter for this month featuring:

• Discipleship Project Beta
  
• Houston Fastbreak Workshop
  
• SLI Module 4: El Salvador
  
• Leadership Conference
  
• Dad’s Cancer
  
• Baby Boy #3, Due date
  
• Thank You
  

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

click on the images above to enlarge them to a size where you can read them...

Here's the text:
May 2009 Crutsinger Prayer Update

Emerging Strategies = "The Cutting Edge of Strategic Learning, Innovation and Resource Development to Accelerate the Ministry of Turning Lost Students into Christ-Centered Laborers"

“Essentials” Discipleship Project Update

OVERVIEW:  The Essentials of Spiritual Growth and Multiplication has now become a proven tool that has been used effectively in multiple contexts.  The purpose of the Assessment and Expansion Project is to fine tune the resource itself (assessment) and then seek to significantly increase its worldwide usage (expansion).  We have completed the first eight lessons.  I have about 75 staff around the country being beta testers.  The initial feedback is very encouraging!  Even the high school students using them as they disciple their peers have communicated their excitement.

    Have you made intensive efforts towards spiritual growth and multiplication with limited results?  We have observed that the lack of success is not due to a lack of effort.  The secret is to make it easy.

     Steve Douglass, Campus Crusade President, invested significant personal time to help us craft a single innovative resource that encapsulates many of the best practices seen globally. Essentials is very unique. It is not like other discipleship resources.

     Since 2005, hundreds of field staff and students have wrestled with the Essentials content resulting in significant modifications.  It has been revised over and over again, maximized to the point where you will quickly see your small group participants experience, first-hand, the core DNA of Win, Build, and Send.  It is new, yet you can have complete confidence in proven results.

     I guarantee that you and other small group leaders will easily grasp the Essentials strategy in this intuitive framework.  In the redesign, I’ve strived to make the discipleship process extremely easy to understand, experience, and replicate.

     Few resources are able to bridge multiple people groups like Essentials. Essentials has proven to be effective with a variety of ethnic, international, high school, university and adult audiences.  At it’s core, Essentials is about experiences and discussions – two universal ways to connect with anyone.

     I now want to invite you to test it out!  Because of your partnership with our family, I want to resource you, but I also want to listen to you.  Being a digital resource, I will still continue to make ongoing improvements in response to your personal expertise and advice.

     To show our appreciation for you, I want to give you a free beta copy of Essentials of Spiritual Growth and Multiplication.  If Essentials does not live up to your standards, you can always resort to other options for discipleship materials.

To download your free copy, visit

http://essentials.ccci.org

Houston Fastbreak

   The current Houston director, Barry Bowling, was the SV staffer who started SV in my high school when I was still a student in 1985.  Many things I learned when he discipled me shaped my passion for student multiplication.  Over this past Winter break, I flew to Texas to visit the 2009 Houston Fastbreak Student Conference.  I was able to help Barry with a student leader workshop focusing on multiplying discipleship.  What an encouragement to see students of multiple ethnicities being raised up to directly impact their own campuses.  Some of these students were already using the Essentials discipleship strategy!  Pray these students and those from all our conferences nationwide remain connected to the Father and committed to His plans.

Senior Leadership Module 4 - El Salvador

   I am in the final stretch of my two year Senior Leadership Initiative.  We met in El Salvador where our theme was “the relationships of the leader.”   One assignment involved us interviewing 5 highly influential business leaders in their country, inquiring about the importance of relationships to their effectiveness as leaders.  Also during the week we covered volumes of very practical content: Leadership Derailers, Coaching Over Distance, Leading with Questions, Five Components of a Healthy Team, Developing Trust as a Leader, Feedback Culture, Managing Conflict, and Importance of Self Awareness.  The highlight for me was hearing from three global Campus Crusade leaders who each shared openly about their “Leadership Journey.”

SV National Leadership Conference

   What percentage of your time are you working IN your organization, and what percentage of your time are you working ON it? In our National Team role, we find that in order to build Student Venture into a stronger and healthier ministry for the long run, we need to pull back from being immersed in the work that needs to be done.  We have the responsibility to make whatever necessary changes organizationally to accomplish our mission through short term and long term strategies.

   Last week, we returned from our annual SV National Leadership Conference where we hosted all of our SV city directors.  This is only our second opportunity to meet together since the transition to our current National Team.  We went to great effort to roll out our new National Strategic Planning Process and align our directors with it.  Based on the evaluations, it looks like we achieved our goal that the directors would leave the conference empowered, encouraged, aligned and informed.

Dad’s Cancer

   My father (Howard) has another scheduled biopsy May 20 on an enlarging spot seen on his latest CT scan of his lungs.  Please continue to pray.  He’s been off chemo and radiation for a few months which has helped him recover quite a bit.

Homefront - Baby on the Way!

   Laura is counting the days until the birth of our third little boy!  We’re due around June 26.  With just a few weeks left, we are scurrying around trying to get ready.  Cooper and Ben can’t wait to meet their baby brother.  We still can’t believe we’re going to have three boys!

   Yesterday we decided the time had arrived for Benjamin to have his first haircut.  It was hard for us to depart with his long bright blond curls.  Howard believes all our kids are destined for future baldness, so he wanted Ben to cherish these days with hair!

   Benjamin is obsessed with any sports “ball” and Cooper is our social butterfly who loves to be at preschool with his friends.

Thank You

   Knowing that you are partnering with and praying for our ministry and our family is so encouraging.  We are grateful and humbled.  You are making an impact in students everywhere!

Grateful for your Partnership,
Howard & Laura Crutsinger

Changed Lives :: Carrollton

Our staff always enjoy sharing the Gospel and seeing students come to Christ.  It is doubly enjoyable to see the “student chain” which results when students share Christ with students who share Christ with students, and so on.
 
The story below is just such a chain: one student led a friend to Christ, who led a friend to Christ, who led... That’s the core of Win-Build-Send!

When Christ awakens a heart, other hearts are awakened and new souls enter into the family of God. Thank you for helping bring those souls into the family!

The Student Chain
by Tom and Bea Ann Bridges, SV staff in Dallas

On April 22, we held a Newman Smith HS, student-led volleyball outreach! We partnered with Prince of Peace Lutheran to provide the food, and with First Baptist for the volleyball courts.  About 100 students attended the event and had great fun, met new friends, ate hot dogs, chips, chili, drinks and dessert for FREE, and best of all, heard the Gospel from their peers. Six students indicated they had placed their faith and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, and several others requested more information or want to get involved with Student Venture!
 
Marvin and Jose, although nervous beforehand, spoke calmly, boldly and clearly when sharing their testimony in Christ. Marvin became a Christian 15 months ago at our Fastbreak conference as a result of his friend and SV student leader, Jordan. Jordan became a Christian through the influence of his friend and SV student leader RJ. RJ became a Christian through the influence of his friend and SV student leader Jared, who was discipled in 2001 by Howard Crutsinger. Marvin is continuing the spiritual multiplication chain as he invited Jose to our Fastbreak conference three months ago, and Jose gave his life to Christ! The change in their lives are evident to their friends, and both he and Marvin are currently in a SV Bible study, and are getting their friends to go with them to the summer conference in June.

Music Video of Family

Here is a short music video showing life with our kids, Cooper and Benjamin.

Chain of Discipleship - December, Prayer Letter Update

Here is our prayer letter for this month featuring:

• Your Picture In This Chain of Discipleship
  

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



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


Here's the text:
December 2008 Crutsinger Prayer Update

"Your Role In The Chain of Discipleship"

Seeing a disciple become a disciple maker is exciting. It really gets exciting when you start to draw out your discipleship chain. Your disciples who discipled others who discipled others...

Paul’s theme statement on discipleship was 2 Timothy 2:2. “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others also.” The principle of great discipleship is spiritual multiplication, not simply winning a person to Christ. Wining someone is adding to the kingdom. Not 2 + 2 + 2, but 2 x 2 x 2. This verse transforms addition to multiplication. The emphasis goes beyond winning one person, to investing your life in that person, who will be qualified to mature another disciple who will in turn teach others. Producing disciples.

What I think is incredible is that your investment in our ministry places you into each discipleship chain! Without the prayer and contributions of ministry partners, we would not be freed up to do the ministry God has called us to. And because of people like you, students are being, and have been, discipled all over the world.

I (Howard) was discipled in 1989 in SV. I was able to disciple Jared (class of 2005), who discipled Matt (class of 2006), who helped Jenny (class of 2007) get started and then discipled by our staff girl Nikki. Matt then discipled Dave (class of 2008), who is discipling RJ (class of 2010). RJ invited Jordan who gave his life to Christ at the 2007 SV Summer Conference. RJ is helping Jordan grow steadily in his faith, and his mom said how happy she was to see the transformation that has been happening in her son. Jordan has a desire to reach his friends for Christ and recruited his friend Daniel to the SV Winter Conference where Daniel gave his life to Christ! The next day Daniel asked, “do you think I can be in the discipleship chain?” Each of these students led (or is leading) discipleship groups with their peers, seeing several of them come to Christ over the years.

This is God’s work. It is not about us, but about Him. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 says, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” All of our staff disciple students to send them into the culture equipped with the Gospel for a lifetime. Chains like this are occurring in lives all over the country.

Because of your partnership, eight generations of spiritual multiplication is happening, and this is only one of many examples. Please pray this vision of multiplication would expand to reach every student on every campus, their families, and ultimately the world! Laura and I count on the generous support of people like you to continue to bring hope to students everywhere and to help them move their lives toward Christ.

We know how much the economy is affecting many of our supporters, and so we are especially thankful and grateful for your sacrificial giving toward the building of His kingdom. Thank you so much!

Grateful for your Partnership,
Howard & Laura Crutsinger

November, Prayer Letter Update - Page 1 & 2

Here is our prayer letter for this month featuring:

• Essentials of Spiritual Growth & Multiplication Project
• Senior Leadership Module 3
• Will It Solve The Problem?
• Dad’s Cancer
• Launching SV in College Towns
• Thank You

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





click on the images above to enlarge them to a size where you can read them...

Here's the text:
November 2008 Crutsinger Prayer Update

Emerging Strategies = "The Cutting Edge of Strategic Learning, Innovation and Resource Development to Accelerate the Ministry of Turning Lost Students into Christ-Centered Laborers"

Essentials of Spiritual Growth & Multiplication Project
We are creating a discipleship tool written by Campus Crusade President Steve Douglass to help students grow in Christ and get involved in ministry and spiritual multiplication as soon as possible.
Globally there are 3 “Styles of Learning”:

• Literary
• Primary Orality (cannot read)
• Secondary Orality (can, but will not read)

Today, 58% of adults after college will never read another book. 2/3 of the world can’t, don’t, or won’t read… therefore they cannot hear our message through text. They are deaf to the Gospel b/c it is not presented to them in a way that gets to their heart. Ironically, 90% of all Christian ministry today occurs through literate communication styles! My department’s goal in resource development is to incorporate several active learning strategies: visual, hands-on, immediate application, discussion, memory, arts, video & easy transferability.

This “Essentials” series takes into account that today’s high school and college students are post-modern in philosophy and are secondary oral learners (people who can read but do not prefer to learn by reading). They are highly relational and make sense of the world through their experiences, story and discussion.

How it works: No lectures here—the group discovers Biblical truth together through a directed discussion around a passage of Scripture rather than a workbook or other written materials. Group leaders are provided with a session preparation checklist and lead from a group discussion outline. Group members keep a “mini-journal” that records what they learn from each discussion, and action to take and a person to tell.

So, what’s the big deal? We presented our design concept to Steve Douglass and he loved it! We are praying this new delivery method and new layout will exponentially increase and radically deepen spiritual multiplication all over the country!

Please pray we get a field test version of the first four lessons complete by Feb. 4.

Senior Leadership Module 3
We had a great module focusing on “execution” with a particular spin on how you have to adjust from doing things yourself to execute well through others. The basis was the “Stellar Execution” model by Bob Lewis. Each component has 2 axes—”defined” and “practiced or applied”. Four components are: 1) Achieving strategic clarity; 2) Building leadership competency; 3) Acquiring process capability; and 4) Creating a culture of accountability.

We took a Backstage Magic Tour at Disney giving us a look at a large company with a great reputation for executing well everyday. We then did an assessment of 3 national CCC ministries – Canada, US Ministries, US Campus- by teams using the stellar execution model. We identified strengths and gaps in the current level of execution, as well as developed an action plan to bridge the gaps. Included was a “start, stop, keep, improve” exercise for the first component- strategic clarity.

In the final afternoon, we looked at the character structure of a leader and how that impacts the ability to execute well. The “Growth Model” is something we use to teach about creating the right environment for character growth—based on Henry Cloud’s work (Changes that Heal). We considered what the impact of a leader who is “all truth, no grace,” or “all grace, no truth.” We discussed how a leader’s ability in love/bonding, responsibility/self-control, forgiveness (dealing with both good and bad), and authority impact execution.

I will have to report on progress made in “execution” within Student Venture during Module 4 in April 09.

Will It Solve The Problem?
My SLI team of six were “hired” (for free) by the National Team of Campus Ministries to solve a critical two part problem. Our vision: 1) All strategic roles are filled. 2) Veteran staff find ways to move into strategic roles that fit them well. Our mission: 1) Analyze the cultural problem of veteran staff not moving into strategic organizational roles. 2) Propose a blueprint for cultural change that will address this problem. After six months of intense research, on October 20, we presented our Strategic Solution: Four steps to capturing the contributions of our most experienced staff. A principle and founder of a multi-million dollar firm that consults the nuclear power industry read our report very carefully and he was thoroughly impressed saying, “there are many important findings in this report, as well as some great solutions.” He also said that in the business world you would pay $100,000 for a study and report like this. Pray that the implementation of our solution would achieve the desired results!

Dad’s Cancer
My father (Howard) is doing great battling his brain and lung cancer. Dec 15 will be his one year anniversary of the diagnosis. He is currently on chemo and radiation sabbatical until the doctors conclude if further treatment is necessary. He is a trooper! Please pray his medical reports continue to come back with good news.

Launching SV in College Towns
Kendra is a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and active in the Cru (college) ministry. She is married to Nate, a farmer. During the summer of 2007, she worked at a summer camp for teens. When she got back to school in the fall she asked one girl from the camp, who lived near IUP, if she wanted to be in a small group. This soon expanded to include up to 20 girls from the basketball team and the cheerleaders. Kendra recognized that students can lead and she began to help some of the girls reach their friends. As the year progressed they saw other college students and a mom get involved. Because Kendra was familiar with Student Venture, she and Nate took some students SV’s Fastbreak in New York in February. Kendra began to sense the tug to consider interning with Student Venture.

During this past summer, Kendra and Nate began a weekly co-ed Bible study. IUP local leader, Phil Floyd, and Student Venture coach, Shawn Basone, are working together to help Kendra keep Win/Build/Send in their Bible Study’s DNA. During a training segment of each week, they are taking time to go through the CoJourners evangelism training. They are being purposeful about taking students out to share their faith. Recently, they invited a staff member in the region to lead an evangelism training. Kendra was encouraged to have about 15 teens and 15 college students come out. College and high school students paired up to go out witnessing. According to Kendra some of the college students had either never shared their faith or it was the first time since Summer Project. They were encouraged by the younger kids’ faith. Some of these students continue to look for sharing opportunities. Kendra and Lizzie went out to follow up a girl that came to their Bible study. After they went through the Gospel, the girl said she had already trusted Christ when she attended Kendra’s study.

In the coming weeks, Kendra and the teens are planning an outreach that will include students from two different high schools. They are already recruiting high school students to go to the Winter Conference, where they will have a high school student track. And they are making plans to take a group of IUP and high school students on a Student Venture mission to St. Petersburg, Russia in the Spring. College students, a USCM staff, a SV staff and others in the region are all working together to see an exciting ministry among high schools students grow. Please pray many other SV movements will be launched by college students!

Thank You
Helping provide national leadership to Student Venture is a huge honor and responsibility. We see your partnership as being critical. Thank you for your prayers and support!

Grateful for your Partnership,
Howard & Laura Crutsinger

Attack of the Gator...

Saturday morning, I literally almost got mauled by a 10-12 foot gator while fishing!  It rapidly swam up to me and lunged out of the water with his jaws open wide!  I took off running like a school girl...  After regaining my composure and changing my soiled shorts, I went about 100 yards farther down this canal.  After about 3 casts, I see the same gator off in the distance.  He spashed around in the water and took off toward me a second time!  Realizing that this Laviathan was not going to give up until he nabbed a large pink man, I decided to bail out and end my “relaxing” day of fishing...

Howard

Two Major Changes to our Lives

We’re writing today to let you know of two significant changes that will affect our lives for the years to come - our recent move to Campus Crusade for Christ’s international headquarters in Orlando, FL and the near arrival of our BABY BOY!

Laura is doing well and is only days away from our due date! Crazy! We are so ready to welcome home our little boy. Can’t believe our baby won’t be born in Texas.... I guess everything can’t always be perfect! The past 2 years have been a time of growth and joy for us in Georgia. We’re so thankful for God’s provision in our lives—and are trusting in His faithful, good hand as we follow Him on this great adventure!

We have seen the Lord bring in tremendous fruit within the last season of recruiting. Just this year, we’ve had over 107 applicants who desire to join our staff, a huge increase from the past. Because of this, our national team within Student Venture has come up with many creative and significant changes to take advantage of the momentum being built...

The first change came about a month ago, when they decided the recruiting department, including Laura and myself, needed to relocate to our world headquarters in Orlando. This relocation is key in developing new national partnerships with other Campus Crusade ministries, primarily the Campus (college) Ministry. We believe that in doing so, our number of Student Venture staff will jump significantly as a result of having so many new college volunteers who, after graduation, would prayerfully join us full time. This partnership will enable us to leverage the common resources of each ministry to accomplish the mission of launching spiritual movements in every group of college students, high school students, and faculty. Keep in mind, we see that every one of our staff will personally touch the lives of well over 1000 students per year. So when we increase the number of qualified staff, the number of impacted students grows exponentially!

After much prayer and consideration, we have accepted this opportunity and are looking forward to what this could mean in accelerating the Great Commission. This was difficult for us because we love our home in Atlanta, neighborhood, church, new friends, small groups, and doctors, but we feel God is leading us to invest the next years of our lives in this more significant way. Though it is tough, we do not ever want our comforts, possessions, or circumstances to hinder us from whatever the Lord would call us to do. I will continue to be on the national recruiting team, helping to partner with the college ministry, create, strategize and bring ideas to life that will continually increase the number of new SV staff.

Please pray for our increased financial needs to be met, as we make this rapid transition. With a baby coming very soon and relocating to an insanely high real estate market in Orlando, we are forced to depend even more on the Lord's provision. When I lived here in 1995, Orlando was one of the cheapest places to live in the country. Things have changed! Within the last 2-3 years the prices have skyrocketed. We’re paying significantly more now and are getting much less in a house! In order to be prepared for our baby’s arrival, we recently purchased and moved into our new home in Orlando. We will move our furniture once our Atlanta house sells. Please pray our house sells for a great price in the next few weeks, that the baby would remain healthy in his development, and for a smooth, healthy delivery and transition for Laura.

We must raise $2650 in monthly support ($31,800 annually) to cover the new expenses of the baby’s delivery, additional salary with our expanding family, recovery of lost support, and increased cost of living in Orlando. In order to see this come in quickly, we are trusting the Lord to bring in several large contributions as well as many smaller ones. Would you consider a special gift toward our goal? Please give as the Lord leads, knowing whatever amount is significant to you, is significant to us. If you’re in a position to do so, please click here to make a contribution.

We so appreciate and value your partnership with us as we work toward seeing the Great Commission fulfilled and many young people come to know Christ. What a joy! Thank you for your friendship and faithful support in our lives and ministry. We look forward to sharing the future with you!

With great joy,

Howard and Laura

Cuba Mission Trip - 400+ Trusted Christ!

I went to Cuba with a group of 12 business men to do lots of personal evangelism. We partnered with a Cuban church and translators to go door to door explaining how they could come to know Christ. It was unbelievable! As you probably know, Cuba's communist government is against organized religion and is not very friendly to Americans. Once I was even interigated by police officials when out sharing our faith. The openness of the Cuban people was a breath of fresh air. Our schedule was simple: eat breakfast, go out with your translator to 4-6 homes to share the gospel, come back for lunch, go out again to 4-6 more homes to share the gospel, come back for dinner, and share with teammates of the miraclous stories of new Believers that came to Christ that day! The next days were basically the same. In total we saw over 400 Cubans begin a new relationship with the God they've been restricted from hearing about for years. The church is now following up these new contacts. Please pray for their discipleship and for the pastor's wife (28 years old) who is recovering from brain surgery.