Bonfires, s’mores, hiking…these are a few of the things that our New York City students experienced while on Fall Retreat last weekend at Camp Tecumseh, NJ. Some students, who’d never been out of the city, experienced those things for the first time. Other students on the retreat experienced what it means to have a personal relationship with God for the first time.
About 60 college students from a mixture of campuses in NYC joined students from NJ for the retreat. Students spent time in worship and hearing from the Word in large group sessions, and had the opportunity for community and sharing in smaller group settings. They were able to attend seminars with topics like Knowing God personally, Living a Spirit-filled Life, Engaging with our Culture, and the Power of Prayer. There was plenty of time for fun, too!
Candice, who attends NYU, is an extremely quiet person. However, the retreat gave her the boldness and the opportunity to share her Christian testimony with other NYU students at the retreat. Now, it seems like Candice can’t stop talking and went home from the retreat excited to share her faith with her non-Christian friends and family. Please be praying for Candice and the other students who went on the retreat. Pray that those who heard the Gospel for the first time will continue to dwell on what they heard. Pray that the students who went on the retreat will bring friends with them to Cru club meetings.
Last month, we mentioned that Robin and I would be helping lead a conference for Cru staff being recruiting to serve in NYC. Thank you for praying. The conference went very well, we had great weather, and out of the 19 being recruited to move, 13 have said yes, they feel like the Lord is leading them to come to NYC. We are giving thanks to Him for that!
A few of these staff plan to serve on the Cru team in Manhattan, but others will be launching a team at Brooklyn colleges, and expanding the team in Queens. During the conference, the group visited colleges and neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens to experience what it would be like to live and do ministry in those neighborhoods.
While at St. John’s University in Queens, we heard from “Miss C”, a Cru volunteer who ministers to the ROTC cadets. She started with just a few in Bible study, and as others have learned about it, the study grows and grows. Students are hungry for the Gospel and want to grow in their faith.
Please be praying for the Cru staff who are planning to transfer to NYC from ministries around the US. By 2020, we hope to have about 150 Cru staff ministering on campuses throughout NYC, Long Island and Westchester County (just north of NYC).
Thank you for your prayers for us and the Cru ministry in NYC. We are so grateful for your partnership.
Yours in Christ,
Steve & Robin
