CRUview Autumn 2023: The Fearless Edition

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The Big Picture

God’s powerful work in schools from coast to coast

Let's hear from our CRU Camp leaders

Serving God together in community

Upcoming Events*

CRU Holiday Camps Training and Community Events

Event: Winter First Aid Training

Date: Saturday 27 May

Event: Snow Camp Leaders Lunch

Date: Saturday 3 June

Event: Study Camp Community Dinner

Date: Monday 5 June

Event: Bronze Medallion Refresh

Date: Saturday 21 October

The Holiday Camps team has planned numerous training dates to equip volunteer leaders for camp, and community events to provide leaders with opportunities for team building and fellowship with each other. For more information about these events, please email cruleaders@cru.edu.au

CRU Week of Prayer for Schools

Date: Monday 5 – Friday 9 June

Want to help us reduce costs, and receive CRUview by email instead? Let us know by scanning the QR code or emailing supporter@cru.edu.au

The Schools Ministry team will be coordinating a dedicated week of prayer for God’s work in schools. We welcome any teachers or chaplains who would like to join us in praying for schools to attend one of our online prayer meetings (afternoon/evening) on Monday, 5th June. For more information, please visit www.cru.edu.au/weekofprayer

CrossTrain

Date: Monday 10 - Friday 14 July

Location: CRU Galston Gorge

CrossTrain is a very unique camp for Christian students in Years 7-12, where the whole camp is about encouraging students to prioritise living for Jesus at their school. The camp equips students from many schools with leadership skills to serve God and others at their school and for a lifetime. For more info, visit www.crucamps.com.au/crosstrain

*These events are correct at the time of writing. Prior to each event, please contact us at info@cru.edu.au to confirm the most current details.

Nicola Olyslagers, keynote speaker at the 2023 CRU Business Lunch

The Big Picture

The Fearless Edition

By Gary Hill, Executive Director

Where is courage found?

At a time when young Australians increasingly report feelings of hopelessness and fear about the future, where can they gain the courage to face what lies ahead?

The popular suggestion is to look inside yourself to find meaning, identity and courage, but the Bible speaks of a better way; one which is grounded in the permanent character of God. The Bible repeatedly urges us not to fear (partly, I suspect, because we are so prone to worry) but especially because we can be confident that those who find their shelter in God can draw courage from His power and might.

In Deuteronomy 31, all Israel and specifically Joshua are reminded by Moses that they can take courage because God has promised to be with them. Paul reminds Timothy that God’s Spirit is in him, and that He is not “a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love and self-control.” (II Timothy 1:7)

We are struck by the courage of Esther, Daniel, Peter and John as they demonstrate a willingness

to stand for God and what is right even when the prevailing culture mocks people of faith, and even when the authorities pass laws that seek to undermine God’s ways. We too can show courage even in difficult times.

Notice the way that other people can help us find courage by pointing us to God’s faithfulness.

In I Samuel 23:16, Jonathan helps the anxious David “find his strength in God.” Who are you encouraging to trust in God’s faithfulness?

CRU seeks to come alongside our young people just like Jonathan does for David. We seek them out and help them see God’s goodness and that He can be trusted, even in tough situations. As they grow in their knowledge of God, they can grow in their courage. In turn, they are able to build others up.

As you read the stories in this edition of CRUview, please pray for courage to be shown even when times are tough. And pray for a deeper understanding of the love, power and purposes of God, because this is courage’s foundation.

Those who find their shelter in God can draw courage from His power and might.

God’s

powerful work

O in schools from coast to coast

Every week, we hear encouraging stories of how God is working through schools and in the lives of students across Australia, both on the east coast and through the ministry of CRU West in WA. CRU Groups have growing attendance, new lunchtime groups are starting up, and opportunities for providing Schools Ministry support to teachers and chaplains often exceed what our teams can offer. Praise God!

CRU’s Christian leadership camp, CrossTrain, is held in NSW and WA each year during the school holidays. This camp for high schoolers aims to grow students in their love for Jesus, and equips them to serve Him in their schools. Recently, our Schools Ministry teams witnessed the positive impact of this camp on the students who attended, for they left camp with new friendships, enhanced leadership skills, but most importantly greater confidence and increased boldness to share the gospel in their schools.

God has been powerfully working in one such camper, Daniel Becker, a Year 10 student at Shore School. Growing up in a Christian family, he describes his childhood as “Going to Sunday school every week at

church, scripture in primary school, and listening to Colin Buchanan!” However, it was in high school where he began to think more deeply about Jesus and faith.

Daniel is thankful for his church youth group and school CRU Group which he feels have been key in helping him grow in his walk with Jesus. “In Year 8, I went on a camp with my CRU Group and it had a big focus on student leadership. But that camp was really helpful for realising how Jesus died for me and it wasn’t about having to be ‘good enough’ for God,” he shares. “I realised my sin and that I needed saving by a rescuer, Jesus, who saves us by His work on the cross. And now I have eternity to look forward to with Him.”

Last year, Daniel attended CrossTrain for the first time during the winter holidays and was greatly encouraged. He really enjoyed the talks, workshops, seminars and discussion groups because they “balanced having fun with getting deep into faith topics,” and a real highlight was the prayer groups where “campers shared different things going on in their lives and prayed about them.”

Making new friends and meeting like-minded students from different schools was also a highlight for Daniel. He reflects, “It was great to see that the gospel is not just at Shore or at my church, but it’s spread throughout Sydney and there are people sharing it every day in different schools.”

“It’s been really good to watch God at work at Shore. When I started in Year 7, the group was about 50 or 60, but now it’s definitely grown a lot bigger, with many younger boys attending. I think there’s also a significant number of boys from non-Christian backgrounds, so that’s really encouraging to see.”

On camp, students also heard daily talks from 1 Peter, which Daniel found impactful. He shares, “They were helpful for being a Christian at school, where we can face quite a bit of opposition. By following Jesus, we can expect to suffer, but at the same time, we can be encouraged – we know that it’s worth it because of the eternity with Him that we can look forward to.”

“It helped me to be more confident to share the gospel. Understanding how good the gospel is means that suffering for the gospel isn’t bad - it’s part of serving God. It encouraged me to be a witness for Christ at school. I’ve definitely been more willing to talk to people about Jesus.”

We praise God for how He’s working through the CRU Group at Shore and pray for its continued growth. We pray that God would continue growing Daniel and other student leaders in their likeness of Jesus as they serve Him and live out their faith at school.

Across the country, in Western Australia, Isabel Dunster (Year 10) and Rose Cudmore (Year 12) attended CRU West CrossTrain last April. Both residents of Broome, the pair travelled over 2,000km in a plane to attend camp in Perth. They know each other from church and attend the same local high school. Given that many of the kids in their local church youth group are younger, and the limited opportunities for them to meet likeminded kids their own age, their parents agreed that it would be an incredible opportunity to have the girls experience a Christian camp community – something they themselves had experienced as teens.

Both Isabel and Rose loved the Christian camp experience with a main highlight being the ability to meet and connect with believers their own age.

Daniel has been able to take his growing confidence and the skills learned on camp to his school CRU Group where there are lots of opportunities for students to serve. The CRU Group has also seen growth with student attendance increasing year after year.

Isabel shares that her absolute favourite thing about camp was “being able to be a Bible nerd with teenagers that are Bible nerds like me!” She explains, “We don't have religious education or Christian classes at our school, so being able to talk about Jesus in such depth and being able to have discussions about the Bible with people who understand and were going through the same things I am was amazing – I loved it.” Rose adds, “I really enjoyed the evening meetings and getting to go through a whole book of the Bible over the week. I just loved that we looked at the Bible every day.”

I needed saving by a rescuer, Jesus, who saves us by His work on the cross. And now I have eternity to look forward to with Him.

The girls left camp incredibly inspired by the other campers and hearing about what was happening in different CRU Groups around Perth, so much so that Isabel and Rose decided to start a lunchtime group at their own school!

“We were hearing from students from other schools about how God was working through their CRU Groups, and we thought, they sound like a good idea!” Rose continues, “We also knew that there were kids at our church youth group who also attend our school, so we knew we would have the numbers to start.”

“I knew that there were Christians from church who had just started Year 7, so I thought, ‘I need to encourage them’ because it’s always really tricky going into high school and all the things that come with that. Being the only Christian in all of your classes can be hard - you always need godly encouragement.”

Their idea was to start a group in the new school year, but God had other plans. When the girls arrived back at school, they raised the idea of starting a Christian group with a teacher and, by God’s grace, they were met with support and were allowed to meet in the library each week. Isabel and Rose went from having no group to having a weekly Christian group in the span of 20 minutes! Praise God!

With guidance from the “How to run a CRU Group” booklet they received on CrossTrain, the girls were able to start their group. Isabel admits, “It is small and very new. I’ve never done this sort of thing before, so I don’t know what I’m doing,” but adds, “When I’m nervous about leading the group, I just need to pray and remember that God’s there and He’ll do whatever He wants to do!”

Do you know a student in Years 7-12?

CrossTrain (July in NSW, April in WA) is a Christian leadership camp that will grow them in their love for Jesus and equip them to stand firm in their faith at school.

To register or find out more, visit crucamps.com.au

Rose describes a typical meeting: “We have maybe six or seven of us, meeting consistently each Wednesday at lunchtime. We only have 25 minutes, but we make it work. We usually skip the activities and try to focus more on the Bible study and make sure we leave enough room for prayer.”

Although the student-led group is new and small in number, the girls can already see God working through the group. Rose shares, “Two of the girls in the group are non-Christians. They have been to youth group a couple times, but haven’t really come back to church. But they do keep coming back to CRU Group each week! It’s really encouraging to see that.”

She continues, “We meet in a corner of the library and someone actually came over to see what we were doing. After hearing that the group was reading the Bible, they ran away. But they then came back five minutes later and asked us a bunch of questions about Christianity.” Isabel adds, “We just spent that lunchtime answering his questions as best as we could.”

As Isabel and Rose continue to lead their school Christian group, we thank God for the girls’ trust in the Lord and longing to keep meeting and supporting Christians in their school. In His kindness, may God keep growing them in their confidence and give them the courage to stand firm in their faith at school!

We remain greatly encouraged that God continues to work so powerfully within schools, and for the opportunities He graciously provides for CRU to encourage and support young people to follow Jesus with fearless hearts.

Over the summer break, 431 wonderful CRU Camp leaders ran 27 activity camps, day camps and study camps for nearly 1,300 campers. Every season, we thank God for His provision of faithful volunteers who dedicate time and energy to serve Him on camps. Let’s hear from a few who served in different roles, but were equally encouraged by how God worked through their particular summer camp.

Ethan Harithupan, Leader on Getaway

Ethan didn’t have the opportunity to attend a CRU Holiday Camp as a camper, but this past summer he had his first CRU Camp experience as a leader on Getaway, an activity camp for primary school kids.

Why did you decide to lead on camp?

I wanted to show the love of Christ to children and serve in a way beyond my church. I heard from a friend that there was an opportunity to serve on Getaway, and it was a no-brainer!

What were the highlights?

There were so many highlights, so I’ll just share my top three. The first would be seeing one of the girls realise that she wanted to make Jesus Lord of her life! Secondly, seeing one of the boys face his fear of heights, reach the top of the leap of faith and jump off.

Leaders

hear from our CRU Camp O

And thirdly, seeing another boy learn how to ride a bike without training wheels on the BMX track.

What were the challenges?

I was really challenged by the complex pasts that some of the campers had. I could resonate with them and I remember praying on day one asking God to guide me in how to support these children. It struck me that all I had to do was show Christ’s love to them through genuine care.

By the end of the week, we had a ball of fun. Many of the campers had begun to battle their complex pasts and fears, and they all went home knowing that Jesus loves them through the good, the bad and the mess.

How do the activities on camp enable connections and conversation?

Not only are they heaps of fun (the campers loved the BMX track, and I actually had to convince them with food to leave the track at the end of the session!), the activities provide opportunities for gospel conversations. Many activities required them to step out of their comfort zone and consider what they have faith in. This allowed for safe and open conversations about faith in Christ.

Why do you continue to support CRU and its ministry?

I strongly believe that children should grow up in safety and surrounded by the love of Christ. CRU’s values align with this and give me the humbling opportunity to serve as a leader to support these children in their discovery of who Jesus is.

Tiana Hazlewood, Co-Director on Extreme Games

Tiana’s CRU Camp journey started in primary school when her parents served as camp parents and gave talks on Extreme Games. In high school, she attended several camps and appreciated the experience of going on camp with friends and meeting other Christians. She has since served as a leader, co-director and director on Extreme Games for the past nine years!

Why did you decide to lead on camp?

Attending camp as a camper and seeing how awesome the leaders were made me want to become a leader when I was young. Now I have found a real passion for camp ministry. We have the opportunity to share the greatest gift with these campers (the good news of Jesus!) and have lots of fun. Getting to lead a group of leaders to have this same passion and desire is something I love to do.

What were the highlights?

As I’m not always in a discussion group with campers, it’s great to hear from the leaders about how the campers are travelling and the different questions and thoughts they are wrestling with.

Another highlight is mentoring the younger leaders and seeing them challenge themselves. This year, we had one of the youngest leaders we have had. I watched her get alongside the campers so quickly, saw the joy on

her face from interacting with the campers, and saw her challenge herself to step out of her comfort zone. It is so awesome to see this in the next generation of leaders.

What were the challenges?

The challenges that happen on camp change every year. Sometimes it is navigating other camps onsite, and sometimes it is managing campers and the different things that can bring. At other times the leadup can be quite difficult, needing to find and source leaders. This year, we had one of the strongest teams of leaders I’ve ever had, which meant my job was pretty easy while I was on camp. I have a lot of faith and trust in my team to do what they need to, which means camp runs smoothly.

How do the activities on camp enable connections and conversation?

Often, we get campers coming on camp just for the activities so having new or upgraded activities increases the excitement levels of these campers. Quite often, the campers who didn’t want to hear anything about Jesus at the start are the ones who have hearts and ears ready to listen and learn as days pass and they enjoy the different activities and camp community.

Any encouraging stories from camp?

We had a camper who didn’t want to engage in any of the activities on camp - she didn’t want to participate in any of the games, talks or discussion groups. The leaders were finding it really challenging, but they persevered and constantly made an effort to try and get her involved. By the end of camp, she had decided to follow Jesus but was trying to work out how to be fearless and bold at home. She was wrestling with how she would share the news with her parents and how she would ask them about attending a local youth group. It was amazing to see God at work throughout camp, not only in this camper’s life but also in the perseverance of the leaders.

Why do you continue to support CRU and its ministry?

I love CRU’s ministry and getting to serve on camp each year. It gives me the opportunity to serve and meet a new bunch of kids that I open the Bible with every year – some may never hear about Jesus again.

Serving alongside friends as leaders and serving God for His Kingdom is an awesome way to spend a week in the holidays!

Matthew Hill, Camp Parent on Survivor Junior

Growing up on the CRU

Galston Gorge campsite and riding BMX bikes every day was part of Matt’s childhood. He’s attended, led, cooked for, spoken on, directed and been a camp parent on many camps over many years! This summer, he and his wife, Elise, served as the camp parents for Survivor Junior at CRU Galston Gorge. Joined by their young children (3 and 6), they acted as camp “mum and dad” to the amazing leadership team and a group of wonderful campers.

Why did you decide to lead on camp?

We love sharing our family life with the whole camp community as one big family for the week. We are so impressed by what the leaders are doing every hour of every day and are keen to support them. I want to share the same blessing that I was able to experience as a camper from my own leaders with the next generation, and I am so pleased that my kids get to be a part of that as well.

What were the highlights?

A highlight was serving alongside two excellent junior leaders who are students from Barker College where I work, and seeing students from the school attend as campers. I loved the overlap of being able to serve as leaders together even though we take on different roles at school.

What were the challenges?

Some campers were there for the first time and were a bit anxious, so I enjoyed being able to chat with various parents throughout the week. It is a privilege to be entrusted to care for a group of young people away from home, and it is also a joy to help them have a great time being challenged and growing in many ways throughout the week.

Any encouraging stories from camp?

I’ve always loved BMX at Galston – I was riding on the old 1980-90s track since I was five years old! The new BMX

track is incredible and designed really well. Going fast around the track is a lot of fun, but I also love teaching campers to ride a bike, some for the very first time. It does involve a lot of running alongside them, but watching their fear turn to the joy on the bike is amazing.

Why do you continue to support CRU and its ministry?

I am incredibly grateful for all those involved with CRU, especially those who have cared for me, prayed for me, and supported me over so many years. Watching the campers and even my kids be cared for in the same way by this next generation of leaders makes any form of support thoroughly worthwhile.

CRU is so thankful for the generosity of our donors and volunteers who continue to support this incredible ministry. Because of this generosity, we have been able to offer campers new and updated activities such as the BMX track at Galston, the new Cave Maze, and the second climbing tower and zipline under construction at Lake Mac.

It is exciting that these activities are bringing more young people on camp, and that our sites are fuller than ever before. But we still need your help with an important upcoming initiative at CRU Lake Mac.

As electricity prices soar, we need to reduce costs and our environmental impact as we carefully steward both our finances and the environment around us well. This year we are planning on adding between 320 and 650 solar panels across many of our new buildings at CRU Lake Mac – reducing our electricity bill and allowing us to invest more funds into activities for young people. But we can’t do it without you.

Will you consider donating to help purchase solar panels and combat rising electricity costs, as we look to continue reaching young people with the gospel? Your gift of $650 would cover the cost of a solar panel – getting us one step closer to our goal!

Will you help us combat rising electricity costs?

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O c munity Serving God together in

Kiki Knight completed Summit, CRU’s 2-year mission and ministry training program, last year and now works in the CRU Educational Camps team as an Outdoor Leader, leading on camps, maintaining site activities and helping to support Summit trainees.

Kiki remembers first deciding to follow Jesus when she was in Year 6. Still, she felt like she started to take her faith seriously in her senior years when she studied Christian Development Extension as a subject at school. It really helped her consider more deeply what it meant to live her life as someone who followed Christ. She recalls thinking, “If the Bible’s true, what does that mean for me and how am I supposed to live my life according to it?”

Like many others in the CRU community, Kiki grew up experiencing and taking part in various ministry activities run by CRU. She recalls her first experience in Year 6 when went on a CRU Educational Camp in Canberra. Many more CRU Educational Camps later, while in Year 9, she was invited to lead on Super Week Day Camp at St Paul’s Castle Hill during the school holidays and thought “that was fun.”

But it was while attending a Year 10 CRU Educational Camp where she vividly remembers one of her camp leaders, Emily Matthews, running up to her at the end of camp and inviting her to join her team on a CRU Holiday Camp as a Junior Leader. So, two weeks later, she was leading on her first residential CRU Camp and feeling excited, thinking, “This is cool. These guys get to do this as a job! I want to do this too.” Kiki has led on the same CRU Holiday Camp every year since and this year, her fifth year leading, she served as the camp’s Assistant Director.

Having experienced the joys of camping ministry and as someone who loves the outdoors, the Summit Program was starting to look very attractive. Kiki shares, “I knew I didn’t want to go to uni straight after school. The outdoor recreation side of things was really appealing, as well as being able to get a Certificate in Ministry and Theology, and develop myself in that way. I also looked at the people who had done the program and saw the way they were serving God and thought, ‘Wow, I want to be like them.’”

Though there were other ministry training programs that Kiki could have considered, she was drawn to

Summit. She was already familiar with the camp setting, had existing connections with others in the CRU community, and there was the added benefit of Summit being a paid job. Another big drawcard was, in her own words, “The food. I’m also very much here because the food is phenomenal. Especially the butter chicken at Lake Mac!”

Convinced that it was what she wanted to do, Kiki applied for the Summit Program in Year 12 while attending a Study Camp as someone preparing for their HSC!

they do not see the need for Jesus in their lives. It’s so heartbreaking to have them hear about God’s amazing grace to us in Christ and then respond with a, ‘Nah, I’m good.’” She adds, “I just remind myself that God is good and that I don’t know what His plan is, but I can pray that seeds have been planted and that later they might know Jesus.”

Through the joys and challenges of ministry, Kiki is thankful to be walking through everything in community with others. “I love the community and the people here. There’s a really good balance of supporting one

In many ways, Summit has been what Kiki expected. In addition to the biblical theology study and assignments, much of the time is focused on camps and the outdoors. She especially enjoys the training days spent learning new things and doing outdoor recreation activities with the team. She shares, “You get to learn how to abseil, sail in extreme conditions, how to undo a capsized boat and just a bunch of really cool, fun and challenging things.”

Kiki shares that a great joy of the ministry is the campers. “I really love the everyday moments with the campers. It’s great to build connections with them and see them having fun on camp. She shares, “Once you’ve built that connection with a camper, you can encourage them when they face challenges like being really nervous about going up the rock-climbing wall. Their friends and peers also encourage them to make it to the top and they come down just beaming. It’s really beautiful to see.”

“We also get to have really good conversations with campers about life and faith. It’s great to witness campers understanding more about the Christian faith and taking little steps towards knowing who Jesus is,” she continues.

But there are also challenges. She says, “I find it really challenging when campers are apathetic to the hope offered in Jesus. Many campers come from privileged backgrounds - they have everything and

another as workmates, as well as praying together, and encouraging each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. The Summit family is very real,” she shares. “This is why the community in the Educational Camps team is so good. We’re all in it together and remind each other that God loves us, He is faithful and He is working – He’s the one who changes hearts. It gives us the confidence to just keep serving Him.”

“I get to lead on a bunch of camps, meet kids, have conversations, evangelise and share the gospel. I love it and I want to keep doing that for as long as I can.” As Kiki shares, it’s evident that she loves serving God in camping ministry.

We’re thankful to God for her and the rest of the CRU Educational Camps team that work so diligently to serve the campers who are in their care. We pray that God would sustain them, grow them in their trust in Him, and grant them the courage to live boldly for Him.

I get to lead on a bunch of camps, meet kids, have conversations, evangelise and share the gospel. I love it and I want to keep doing that for as long as I can.

CRU® Ministry & Property Updates

We are thankful for the great work God is doing through CRU. Stay up to date with everything that is happening in our various ministries and properties.

“I was super encouraged by Lily* and her keenness to learn more about Jesus as she said, ‘He sounds like a God worth knowing about!’ She is now wanting to attend her school's Christian CRU Group. I pray that the school group and her teachers will be a real support for her and will continue to point her towards Jesus!”

Laura Schuman, leader on a Year 3 CRU Educational Camp

SCHOOLS MINISTRY

“Loved the space. The central location between the hall, dining room and cabins was amazing. There was tonnes of space for discussion groups and activities and we loved the leaders’ lounge as well. Great facilities, food and staff.”

Stuart Jansen, St Matt’s Manly Youth Camp

• Give thanks for Tom Wilson who joined the CRU Schools Ministry team in January 2023. Pray for Tom as he settles into his role at CRU and starts visiting schools and connecting with students and teachers.

• Praise God that over 200 students, teachers and chaplains gathered together for Mega-CRU 2022. It was a wonderful afternoon of fellowship and fun and we’re looking forward to all of the inter-school Inter-CRU events and Mega-CRU happening in 2023.

• Last year, more resources than in any previous year were purchased by schools, and a new resource on ‘Godly character’ was released earlier this year.

HOLIDAY CAMPS

• The Holiday Camps staff team held our team retreat in March this year. It was a great opportunity to spend time away together, grow in our faith, and be reminded of the mission we are on to facilitate the running of CRU Holiday Camps.

• We’ve recently launched new online training for camp directors. This already has proven fruitful in sharing expertise with these vital volunteers and giving them opportunities to grow in their skills as they lead teams on camp.

• We’re coming up to another busy camp season with over 1,200 campers expected on winter Holiday Camps. It’s great to see so many of these camps running at our Galston and Lake Mac sites where the camps support not only the direct gospel ministry on site, but also fund our sites, which in turn support other CRU ministries.

DAY CAMPS

• We’re looking forward to running our first Day Camp in partnership with Castle Hill Baptist Church in the upcoming winter holidays.

• A number of CRU staff came together in March for a Day Camps strategic planning day. It was a very fruitful day in considering what the future may hold for this wonderful ministry.

• It’s been encouraging to see at least one trainee join the Summit Program this year who had started his journey with CRU on a Day Camp in 2015. We’re so thankful to see engagement from Day Camps growing over a number of years.

EDUCATIONAL CAMPS

• Fifteen new Summit Program trainees, and one International Intern, joined the CRU Educational Camps team in January. We praise God for bringing them to CRU, for sustaining them through a very busy initial training period, equipping them for ministry and how He has already been using them to grow His kingdom through a full camps season in Term 1.

• During Term 1 of 2023, CRU Educational Camps had the opportunity to run 43 school camps. With this number of camps, praise God that over 4,300 campers came on camp and heard the gospel. We are incredibly thankful for the opportunity. This is an amazing number in one term alone!

• Our Thanksgiving Service, held in January, sought to glorify God as we reflected on His work in Educational Camps during 2022. It also gave the opportunity to recognise the accomplishments of our trainees as they completed various elements of the Summit Program. In a first for CRU, we were thrilled to be able to award graduates of the Summit Program with a nationally recognised Certificate IV in Christian Ministry and Theology. We pray that skills and knowledge they’ve learned serve them, and God’s kingdom, well into the future.

GALSTON GORGE

• We give thanks that the new pump track (for BMX, dirt jumper bikes and scooters) is in use and has been loved by campers on Holiday Camps and various guest groups.

• Give thanks that a development application has been submitted for a new covered outdoor learning area, a new pump track briefing area and storage shed. We hope to complete these projects by August 2023.

• We thank God for His faithful provision of staff for our catering team and grace in enabling us to continue to service camps with our dedicated team. Please pray He would provide more faithful workers to join our ministry.

CRU LAKE MAC CRU WEST

• CRU Lake Mac had a huge summer with loads of camps! In addition to many CRU Holiday Camps, we had the opportunity to welcome several new guest groups to stay on weekends and enjoy the lakeside. We have welcomed back CRU Educational Camps to site for their Term 1 camps.

• Give thanks that construction of the second climbing tower is underway! Excitement is building for when this will be completed and ready for use. This climbing tower will bring additional opportunities for our guests and campers to challenge themselves and enjoy new experiences together.

• The property team has relocated the challenge course. This is now close to the front entrance and much more accessible to our campers who started working through the team challenges as soon as the relocation was completed. The move of this popular activity has made space for the ongoing construction of the second climbing tower.

• Praise God for the four CRU West School Camps that have run in Term 1 this year, where the gospel has been shared with many students. We are thankful to God for the provision of leaders and the years of experience in NSW running Educational Camps as we launch them in WA.

• With Quest (activity camp) and CrossTrain (Christian leadership camp) moving to April this year, we are very thankful to God for the opportunities this has given CrossTrain campers to begin leading CRU Groups at their school with support from CRU West staff.

• Thank God for the addition of Joe Baeg to the CRU West team, and praise God that with a bigger staff team we are able to support students, teachers and chaplains even more, including a Teachers Conference this May.

CRU Profiles

CRU ® would like to acknowledge a few of the many people who serve and support the work of CRU, so that more kids come to know and love Jesus.

Annaliese first heard about CRU during primary school in Canberra which ran CRU Groups at lunchtime. During her search for a gap year program at the end of school, her mother (who taught at Annaliese's school and had attended a CRU Camp) suggested looking into CRU which Annaliese did.

Joining the CRU Educational Camps team, first as a Summit trainee and now as an Outdoor Leader, has been very rewarding. “I have seen CRU make an impact in so many ways! I have seen campers come to know Christ which is just the most exciting thing. I have also appreciated the joy in seeing kids find a space where they are loved and belong, as well as seeing the beauty of relationships in a workplace that is founded on and focused on Christ.”

Annaliese thinks that God has placed CRU in a unique space to share the gospel with kids, providing experiences that will challenge and grow them, and a space where they can consider Jesus and what He means for their lives. She is thankful, not only for being able to help kids grow in their understanding of Jesus on camps, but also for the numerous ways God has, and continues, to grow her!

We thank God for Annaliese, for her passion to see kids come to know Jesus and her joy in serving the Lord at CRU.

If you’d like more information about becoming a Summit trainee, please visit www.summitprogram.com.au

LINDA NEWMAN

Linda has just celebrated 20 years at CRU as part of the Communications team. Her role as Fundraising & Database Manager involves managing a variety of fundraising activities and events as well as keeping our supporters updated with what’s going on at CRU. She loves serving the Lord at CRU and sharing how God is so powerfully working in kids’ lives.

Her first involvement with CRU was attending the CRU Group at Ravenswood in high school. It was a small group but full of girls who were eager to stand up for Jesus at school. After leading on a few CRU Camps during her uni years, Linda then joined the Summit team in 1993-94 where she honed her outdoor skills, developed a love of abseiling and grew in her own faith as she shared the good news of Jesus with kids on camps. “I remember being very encouraged when I saw kids in my discussion groups come to understand more about Jesus. It was such a privilege to serve the Lord in this way!”

At the end of 2002, Linda returned to CRU as part of the Fundraising team. She continues to serve at CRU because her behind-the-scenes efforts make it possible for those on the frontline to continue telling kids about Jesus on camps and in schools, and that’s vital for their eternal future. It’s a great joy for Linda to be sharing in this mission of sharing Jesus with the next generation.

We thank God for Linda and her 20 years at CRU, helping fund the work in schools and on camps, so that more kids come to know and love the Lord Jesus.

Julian is the Chaplain at Norwest Christian College, teaching biblical studies, running lunchtime CRU Groups and chapel services for students. He attends Kellyville Anglican Church.

He first came across CRU as a Year 12 student when he attended a CRU Study Camp, a place where he could be supported in his HSC study and learn more about Jesus – what a gift! Since then, he’s been a leader and speaker on CRU Study Camps, as well as partnering with and being supported by the Schools Ministry team in running the CRU Group at Norwest Christian College.

“I’ve seen the impact of CRU’s ministry on campers and look forward to receiving a wonderful email from the Schools Ministry team each season, where I learn how many of my students went on CRU Camps over the holidays and who decided to follow Christ for the first time or recommitted themselves to Jesus. CRU plays such an important role in students coming to know Jesus – at schools and on camps.”

A favourite Bible verse of Julian’s is Ephesians 2:4-5, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.” And this is the message CRU is so passionate about sharing with students.

Thank you, Julian, for your partnership with CRU in sharing the gospel with students at school.

ANNALIESE PEARS

JULIAN ELTON

HITCHED

• Evelyn Hoven & Russell Clark - 5 November 2022

• Ella Jolliffe & Dan Jaques –6 January 2023

• Lucinda McKee & Drew Taylor – 4 February 2023

C munity

•Judy Macdonald – 6 December 2022

•Ian de Jersey – 17 December 2022

•John Steele-Smith – 23 March 2023

TEACHERS ON THE MOVE HATCHED

• Chelsea & Tim Sillar -aboy, Theo Blair, born 28 November 2022

• Lisa & Adam Houghton – a boy, Charlie Leo, born 16 January 2023

• Heather & Nelson Hunt, twins – a boy and a girl, Brodie and Lucy, born 19 January 2023

• Adriana & Chris Gates - a girl, Lillian Joan, born 9 February 2023

• Elizabeth & Samuel Baumgart - a boy, Micah William, born 16 March 2023

• Emma & DamonPesavento – a girl, EloiseGrace born 29 March 2023

Keep us posted

•Michelle Kay-Browning finished as School Chaplain at Tara Anglican School for Girls at the end of Term 1 and has since commenced as the Head of Senior School at Roseville College.

•RowenaMcMicking has moved from being Assistant Chaplain at Arndell Anglican College to be Year 7 & 8 Boarding Coordinator at Abbotsleigh.

•Cameron Watt is moving on from Assistant Chaplain at Rouse Hill Anglican College.

•Rachel Watt is moving from being Assistant Head of Junior School at Rouse Hill Anglican College to Head of Junior School at Nowra Anglican College.

If you have any news, updates, or stories that you would like to share with the CRU community, let us know by emailing cruview@cru.edu.au

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