Investing in gospel work - past, present and future

Investing in gospel work – past, present and future

As we reach to press the doorbell, the door swings wide open and we are warmly greeted by a welcoming party - three grinning children strong! Angie and Andrew Davidson appear alongside their kids, welcome us with cups of tea, and we all settle down to hear about their involvement with CRU - past, present and future.

Angie grew up in a Christian family and remembers coming to faith as an 8-year-old, praying in Sunday School one morning and asking Jesus to be her friend. Her first involvement with CRU was in high school where she attended the Ravenswood CRU Group and became a leader in Year 12. She shares, “Being a leader there had a big impact on the way that I matured in my faith. It was exciting to have a Christian leadership opportunity at school.”

Another highlight for her was January Leadership Camp, “JLC was a really big deal at the time for equipping young leaders. I attended that then went back a couple of years later to lead on it.” She continues, “I’m thankful I had the opportunity to grow and be stretched and be challenged, and always in a supportive environment where there was always somebody you could go and ask a question to or be mentored by.”

Years later, after completing university, Angie’s first full-time job was in CRU’s Marketing & Fundraising team where she enjoyed “seeing how it all works behind the scenes and getting to go on the Holiday Camps to take a lot of the photos and video footage for all the advertising material.”

By comparison, Andrew was also brought up in a Christian home but didn’t seriously consider his faith until he was living out of home as an adult. He shares, “My dad was a Baptist Minister and I was brought up in a Christian family. But at 18, I think I was at a stage where I just realised that God loves me independent of my heritage, so it became a bit more my own faith at that point.”

Andrew had never heard of CRU until he saw his church friends leading on a CRU sailing camp. “I sailed when I grew up and the sailing camp sounded like a fun idea. In 2000, I went on my first Sailing Adventure camp and you know, the sailing was exciting, but also meeting other Christians not from my circle was a great experience. 20 years later, I’m still texting people who are my friends through CRU,” he shares. “After doing that camp for 10 consecutive summers, the friendships that we have with those people are probably my closest lifelong friends.”

The way Angie and Andrew met is a familiar CRU story. Andrew had been leading on Sailing Adventure and Angie was good friends of a mutual CRU connection. They had both attended a party and Andrew knew pretty quickly that he was interested in the “short and loud one” …and 3 kids later, they’re still connected to the CRU community.

When our time on earth is done, what really matters is that the good news continues to be shared.

Nowadays, Andrew works as a teacher at Barker and Angie manages the busyness that comes with raising 3 young children. Their involvement with CRU is mainly through valuable financial and prayer support, however, they can foresee that “CRU Camps are in our kids’ future for sure!”

We’re so thankful that Angie and Andrew have supported CRU for so many years and when asked why they are so committed to supporting us, Angie shares, “I think there are a lot of great organisations doing good things to help others, but I know CRU is doing the most important thing in sharing the gospel… at the end of the day the only thing that’s going to last, and is of eternal significance, is the good news of Jesus.”

Before having kids, as a young married couple, Angie and Andrew had left writing a Will in the “important and will get to it someday" pile. So, when the opportunity came up to have a Will written for free at a CRU Wills Day, it was something the Davidsons found really useful.

We’re thankful that they decided to leave a gift to CRU in their Will. And now, even after having children, have decided to continue to leave a bequest to CRU. Andrew recalls, “Writing our Will gave us the opportunity to have a really deep and meaningful conversation about guardianship and the future of our children and resources.”

Angie continues, “I think there’s an element of trust isn’t there? You’ve been responsible in dividing up your assets and trust that God will provide for the kids. And also, that we can trust CRU to continue to share the good news after we’ve gone. It’s good for people to know that you can leave a bequest in your Will and no matter how big or small, it’s going to help the organisation in sharing the good news into the future.” By leaving a gift to CRU in their Will, Angie hopes to leave a legacy, “We do all that we can in this life to share Jesus with our own children, our friends, and our community. But you know, when our time on earth is done, what really matters is that the good news continues to be shared.”

We’re so thankful for the many years Angie and Andrew have supported CRU, not only for the years that have passed but for supporting us in the future through a gift in their Will. Their support is evidence of God’s kindness and faithfulness, especially in these times of uncertainty and turmoil.

As Andrew reflects on this year, we echo his thoughts, “I’m thankful that God’s in control. I often come back to God’s sovereignty because it helps me to not worry about the future or things that are out of my control and that’s something that provides peace.”

Have your Will written or updated for free!

Attend a CRU Wills Day:

- Friday, 23 October 2020 in Mona Vale OR

- Saturday, 24 October 2020 in North Sydney or Eastwood

Contact us to secure your appointment: philippa.mccredie@cru.edu.au or 0417 254 617