Earlier this month, Robin and I were in New York City to help run a conference (pictured at right) to recruit Cru staff to live and minister in NYC. Thirty-one Cru staff attended to see if God is calling them to NYC to help reach the 1.3 million college students in the area.
We all visited college campuses, like New York University, Columbia University, Queens College, and City University of New York. We met students who are involved in the NYC Cru ministry. We had dinner in Cru staff apartments. Everyone experienced how to get around in the city.
Please pray for these thirty-one Cru staff to hear clearly from the Lord as to whether He is calling them to NYC. Pray that they will trust God to overcome some of the obstacles that may be causing fear about their potential move, such as raising the additional financial support needed to live and minister in NYC. Some of them have families and may be wondering about the challenges to raise children in the city. Others may be thinking about how hard it can be to meet and minister to college students when many of the campuses only allow students on campus. It was exciting for Robin and me to see and experience NYC as our future home! We flew up before the conference and spent two nights with Cru staff friends so we could explore the city on our own. One thing we discovered is that we will be in good shape. There is a lot of walking and stair climbing involved in traveling around the city.
It was exciting for Robin and me to see and experience NYC as our future home! We flew up before the conference and spent two nights with Cru staff friends so we could explore the city on our own. One thing we discovered is that we will be in good shape. There is a lot of walking and stair climbing involved in traveling around the city.
Compared to Orlando, New York City has a very different culture. Robin and I are mentally approaching this as an overseas move, even though we’re not leaving the US. Over 35% of the people who live in NYC were born outside the US, and over 800 languages are spoken in the city, so we will interact daily with people from all over the world.
Less than 3% of the people who live in NYC identify themselves as Evangelical Christians, which is about the same as Beijing, China. Even doing day-to-day activities will be different. We’ll sell our cars and walk or take the subway everywhere we go. Over the next few months, as we meet with people to raise the additional support we need in order to move, please pray for our hearts and minds to be prepared for this new ministry opportunity.
The NYC Cru staff told us over and over how eager they are for us to move to the city. Robin and I will be launching an Operations Team for NYC, handling responsibilities like finance, technology, conferences, events, communication, and strategic planning. Our work will enable the NYC Campus Team to be more effective in reaching college students who will be leaders of the next generation.
Thank you for praying for us. Because of your involvement in our ministry, people are hearing the good news of God’s love and forgiveness.
Yours in Christ,
Steve & Robin
