As a native of Syracuse, so I chose to commute to campus to save money on housing for the first 2 years. I found out that not living in the dorms freshman year makes it hard to meet people outside of class. I saw a poster for Campus Crusade and decided to stay on campus late to check it out. When I went to the Thursday meeting, the people were loving toward each other and genuinely interested in getting to know me. After the first year I was proud to have Cru be where I knew most of my friends from and I liked the atmosphere so much I joined the outreach team and starting helping to plan events. Through the last two years I learned so much about what God's role practically looks like to me. I starting relying on the Holy Spirit for the first time. I went on Spring Break to help Katrina Victims and Cru people trusted me enough to make me work site leader. Now I'm looking into leading a Bible Study next semester. Crusade has been an awesome place for me to experience God and for me to grow into the person He knows I am.
I am a senior magazine journalism major from Cleveland, Ohio. I signed up for Crusade during move-in week my freshman year. It was hard to get to know people at the Thursday night meetings so I started going to bible studies and social events. Soon it felt like everybody knew my name. Since then I have met all of my best friends at Crusade, and it feels like a family to me. This semester I am co-leading the Women's Ministry. We will have social events throughout the semester, and The Well (a time to read God's Word and meet with other women) will meet every other Wednesday night.
I greatly appreciate the community and encouragement that the
Campus CRU group has provided me for the last few years. Being a
part of CRU has helped me find a home at Syracuse University by
providing a proverbial hearth to "dry my britches by" and Jesus
has worked in my life in such a way that can only be summed up
by a Hank Williams, Sr. tune:
I wandered so aimless, life filled with sin,
I wouldn't let my dear savior in
Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night
Praise the Lord, I saw the light!"
I am a sophomore Policy Studies and Economics major from St. Louis, Missouri. I've been a Christian since I was 14, but not being raised in a Christian home it was always hard for me to be proud of my faith and really live it out as God calls us to. When I came to SU, I looked at it as a great opportunity to really step out in faith and make sure everyone I met knew I was a Christian and living for God.
However, I quickly learned that in a college environment truly living for God is a lot easier said than done. It was a tough year struggling with the new pressures of college and still dealing with problems back home as well, but building friendships at Crusade that were genuine and rooted in God helped so much. Being involved in Bible studies where I could get into the Word with my friends, learning to share our lives, holding one another accountable and praying for each other made such a difference. It has become so much easier for me to share what God is doing in my life with people on this campus because I know that I'm not alone, other students in Crusade are doing the same thing.
I am from Indiana and when people found out I was going to Syracuse University in New York they acted like I was going to a foreign country. Everybody had advice for me about what I should expect and how to find “good” friends. I believed that by coming to SU I would be struggling just to maintain my faith as a Christian and never fathomed the prospect that I would be able to grow in my relationship with God.
When I arrived on campus, I got involved in Campus Crusade right away (I went on fall retreat and joined the freshmen Bible study). Through Crusade, I have found Christian fellowship that not only encourages me in my walk with God, but also challenges and stretches me spiritually. This past year, I have been learning about grace, and I’m beginning to understand that I am completely accepted and loved by God no matter what I do. God has truly blessed my life through Campus Crusade for Christ.
Crusade has meant so much to me while I’ve been here at SU. I knew I wanted to find a Christian organization when I got here and I was thrilled to find a Freshmen Survival Kit being shoved into my hands at Schine during the first week of classes my freshmen year. As I slowly got involved, I was so impressed and felt so welcomed by the upperclassmen. Each week I looked forward to Bible study and the Fall Retreat was amazing for me. I learned so much freshman year especially during our spring break trip to Panama City Beach. It was there I found myself sharing my faith for the first time. Since then, Boston Winter Conference, Spring Break trips and Summer Projects have been such blessings to me as God has shown Himself to me through them. God has changed my life so much and has provided some awesome friends throughout my time here being involved in Crusade. It has been an amazing ride!
