CRUview Spring 2021: The Harvest (Now & Not Yet) Edition

CRUVIEW Spring 2021

arvest HO THE

(NOW & NOT YET) EDITION

2-4

Our Need for Camp Leaders

6-7

Growing in the West

8-10

Investing in the Future

14-15

CRU Ministry & Property Updates

Contents 1

The Big Picture

2

Camps are an incredible way to reach young people… but we need leaders!

5

Thank you Phil & Anna

6

Growing in the West

8

Investing in the Future

12

30 Years of Service, and Still Going Strong

14

CRU Ministry & Property Updates

16

Thank You

17

CRU Community

Upcoming Events* CRU Wills Days - Online Dates: Friday 22 & Saturday 23 October 2021 Have your Will written or updated for FREE by one of our qualified and experienced lawyers. To make an online appointment, please visit cru.edu.au/willsday

CRU Zoom Prayer Meeting Date: Monday 8 November 2021 Location: Online Time: 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Join us online to pray for God's hand on the ministry and operations of CRU. Email info@cru.edu.au to receive details.

CRU and the COVID Delta Wave

Mega-CRU Date: Friday 12 November 2021

CRU’s ministry and finances were hard hit in the middle of 2020 when holiday camps and school camps were limited, and school camps were unable to run from March to September. But we saw an astounding rebound from October on. Schools clamoured to run programs with us, parents were eager to book their kids onto holiday camps, and the new Lake Mac attracted great interest. A packed Term 4 of school camps in 2020 was followed by a record summer season, a massive Term 1 2021 and then another record over autumn holiday camps.

And CRU Groups in schools were flourishing.

In 2021, bookings for winter holiday camps were also at unprecedented levels with 23 residential camps and 4 day camps attracting almost 1700 campers.

Week 1 went off without a hitch, and we had just started a new Study Camp at Galston, when the Premier announced Greater Sydney’s lockdown.

While we gained NSW Health’s approval to continue the Study Camp, all other camps on the east coast were cancelled. 1145 campers had their camps called off. (Thankfully the two Perth camps proceeded, although one needed to be shortened by a day to accommodate West Australian COVID restrictions.)

While our Schools Ministry staff are producing digital resources and videoing talks at a rate of knots, we have needed to cancel all east coast spring camps, and at the time of writing we don't expect school camps or in-person school visits to resume until late Term 4. But parents are expressing a huge desire to send their children on summer camps, and our school camp bookings for 2022 are larger than ever before. Please pray that we can resume this face to face ministry soon!

This year Mega-CRU will be online and will allow students in Years 7-12 from NSW, WA and the ACT to gather, connect and praise God. It will be a great afternoon for everyone who attends. For more info, email crugroups@cru.edu.au

CRU West Partnership Dinner Date: Monday 22 November 2021 Location: St Mark's Anglican Community School, WA Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Enjoy dinner with friends and other supporters of the CRU West ministry. Hear about the exciting growth in school groups, camps and face-to-face ministry. For more info, please visit cruwest.edu.au/dinner

CRU Summit Program Thanksgiving Service Date: Wednesday 8 December 2021 Join us as we celebrate God’s faithfulness and blessing to the ministry of Summit and CRU Educational Camps. For more info, email educationalcamps@cru.edu.au

*These events are correct at the time of writing. CRU is committed to following all government health advice which may require events to be postponed, cancelled or changed.

Prior to each event, please contact us at info@cru.edu.au to confirm the most current details.

The Big

Picture Gary Hill, Executive Director

The Harvest (Now & Not Yet) Edition Why don’t we pray?

the people’s condition, describing them as being like “sheep without a shepherd”; a phrase often used in Speaking at CRU’s Teachers’ Conference in 2021, Sue the Old Testament for those who had been led astray, Hume, a retired teacher, urged attendees to reflect on chasing after things which would never satisfy. And the importance of their interactions with their students, consider his recognition of the Father’s sovereignty. and to pray for them and for challenges that arise.

God is the Lord of the harvest. He is the one who gives “Focus on the greatness of God when you pray,” she growth and who can provide workers. said, “not the size of your problem.”

This ‘Harvest’ edition of CRUview recognises that there It’s an important approach. When Peter allowed his are many opportunities to share the good news of eyes to drift from Jesus to the Jesus, despite the restrictions threat of the waves around and limitations that COVID him, he sank (Matt 14:29-31). continues to bring. Before Prayer is a reflection of our the recent lockdowns in God is the Lord of the harvest. He is dependence on the Sovereign Greater Sydney, CRU had the one who gives growth and who God, and a trust that His power already seen record numbers can provide workers. and love is not bound by our attend CRU Camps, with circumstances. even more booked in for the winter season, which was cut Nehemiah demonstrated this. short. We also saw booming He knew God to be great and awesome (Neh 1:4), and attendance in CRU Groups and other Schools Ministry so he engaged in a potentially hazardous conversation events. Sadly, even before tighter COVID restrictions with a king (2:4) and then a clearly hazardous conflict were introduced, we were having to turn away with an unlikely alliance of opponents (4:7-9). In each hundreds of young people as we simply did not have circumstance, he prayed. enough leaders.

“

“

On the other hand, sometimes we don’t pray because we don’t recognise the magnitude of the need. Our perspective is too small. Recognising the urgency of reaching the lost crowd, Jesus tells his followers to pray that God would send workers (Matt 9:36-38).

When lockdowns are lifted and camps can resume, we anticipate that young people will flock back to camps and CRU Groups. So please pray for God to send workers. We may not know the exact time of the harvest season, but God does.

There are many things worth noting from this passage.

Consider Jesus’ compassion for the people, which propelled him to travel, teach, proclaim and heal, as well as ordering prayer. Consider Jesus’ reflection on

Pray also that we will have eyes to see the millions more who are as yet unreached. May we be filled with compassion, recognise the need to seek God’s power to provide, and pray and work earnestly to God’s glory.

Page One

Camps are an

incredible

way to reach young people… but we need leaders!

In the ten years Emma Pesavento has been working with CRU, she’s seen huge growth in the educational camps division.

CRU Educational Camps offer schools a ‘'wake up till bedtime' camp program, providing schools with a venue, camp leaders, and a program full of exciting activities and Christian Discovery sessions.

One of the distinctive features of CRU Educational Camps—and something schools come back for year after year—is the way CRU leaders interact with and care for students on camp.

The team consists of senior staff plus Summit trainees, who undertake a two-year program training in Outdoor Education and biblical studies, as well as gaining invaluable experience in youth and children’s ministry.

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Running over 150 CRU Educational Camps every year, the team has plenty to do. In non-COVID times, the trainees are on a camp approximately 30 weeks of the school year and doing training in the off weeks.

More school camps means the CRU Educational Camps team has had to grow. In 2021, 19 trainees joined the Summit Program, double the number of recent years. “There’s always a need for more people to join our traineeship and lead on CRU Educational Camps,” Emma says.

The best part of being a Summit trainee, according to Emma who started out in the role but is now a Staffing Manager, is not just learning skills, and being paid while you learn, but having the opportunity to connect with campers and share the Christian message several times a week.

“

More school camps means the CRU Educational Camps team has had to grow. In 2021, 19 trainees joined the Summit Program, double the number of recent years.

“

K

ids love CRU® Camps, and they turned out in massive numbers in the first half of this year. With record numbers signing up for Holiday Camps, and so many CRU Educational Camps booked, getting enough leaders to run camps was the only thing holding CRU back from reaching more young people than ever before.

CRU Holiday Camps reaches over 4,000 young people a year, at least half of whom have never heard the gospel. It’s well known that 80 percent of Christians make their decision to follow God before the age of 18, and research also shows that nearly 50 percent of Christians who’ve attended a camp or retreat say that it was a catalyst for them in their faith journey.

CRU’s new opportunities also bring a challenge: where will the extra leaders come from?

Pictured: Emma Pesavento

“It’s awesome when kids come out of a Christian Discovery session affected in some way, or surprised by what they’ve learned about God,” Emma said.

“Sometimes there are weeks where we are blown away by how God has worked through campers. Other weeks we might not see the fruits of our labour, but we know God is at work.”

Just like the CRU Educational Camps division, CRU Holiday Camps was extraordinarily busy in early 2021, according to director Phil Rawnsley.

During the COVID lockdowns in 2020, Phil and his team were concerned that parents might be nervous about sending their children on holiday camps, but in fact, the opposite happened, with CRU Holiday Camps seeing record season after record season since resuming operations.

Leader recruitment is often by word-of-mouth, and CRU is in conversation with Bible colleges and ministry trainee schemes to create partnerships, but there is always a need for more leaders.

“We’d love pastors and youth leaders to encourage their church members to lead on CRU Camps,” Phil says. “It’s awesome to spend a week on a camp where you can share the gospel formally and informally every single day.”

Training camp leaders is something that CRU takes seriously. Phil’s team creates resources and runs events designed to equip leaders not only to run a great, fun, safe camp, but also to confidently and competently answer campers’ questions about the Christian faith.

“In autumn we had a wait list of 170 campers,” Phil told us. “But they didn’t get to go. We had the beds to accommodate more campers but we didn’t have the leaders.”

The numbers booked in for winter camps were also incredibly high, with long waiting lists, although many of these camps were not able to go ahead because of Greater Sydney lockdowns. However, judging from the response to camps after the 2020 restrictions, CRU expects that campers will flock back after the current COVID outbreak is over.

“By God’s grace we have an amazing opportunity to reach an audience that’s come quicker than we expected,” Phil said.

Pictured: Phil Rawnsley

“Never has there been a greater opportunity than now to reach young people with the gospel,” Phil shares.

“God is doing amazing things through CRU Camps.

We’re inviting leaders to join what He’s doing and get on board.”

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Never has there been a greater opportunity than now to reach young people with the gospel.

Stats and facts about CRU® Holiday Camp leaders and junior leaders

34%

working professionals

19%

Type of camps: Sports camps, study camps, horse riding camps, activity camps, water-based camps, ski camps… and more.

university students

23%

school students

Phil says: “Leaders pick the camp they naturally gravitate towards. Some people love study camps because they’re academic. Others love riding dirt bikes or water skiing.

There’s a camp for everyone.”

Phil says: “There’s a conception that once you finish your studies, you say, ‘well, camp is something I did when I was at uni’. But we love to see people come back. The experience they bring is so valuable, and what they model to younger leaders is absolute gold.”

Average age: 24 Junior leaders: start from 15

93%

of leaders said they had grown in their faith because of serving on camp with CRU.

92%

said they had grown in their skills and competencies while serving on a CRU Camp.

Phil says: “We have a volunteer in his 70s who’s an inspiration to the younger leaders. There are all sorts of roles like director, speaker, camp parents, camp family or camp cooks that can keep you in the game and still serving.”

Help share Jesus with thousands of kids.

If you would like to serve kids and youth on future CRU Camps, we’d love to hear from you.

Email cruleaders@cru.edu.au to find out more.

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Phil says: “Our leaders get practical, hand-on skills as well as theological and ministry skills. Plus, there’s the joy of fulfilling the Great Commission—seeing the gospel go out and lives being transformed.”

Do you know someone who’d love to be part of the Summit team?

Encourage them to apply at www.summitprogram.com.au

Thank you O

Phil & Anna!

One came from Scotland; the other, Sydney. One had no previous connection with CRU, while the other had attended CRU Camps and her CRU Group as a schoolgirl, and then led on camps while at university. One was on staff for 5.5 years, and the other for over 22 years! But both made a significant contribution to CRU. Sadly CRU is now farewelling both Phil Rawnsley and Anna Burke from our staff team.

Phil first contacted CRU in September 2015 when we advertised for a new Director of CRU Camps to fill Nick Hood’s shoes. Initially, the idea of bringing in someone from outside CRU circles, let alone from a remote country, for a role which linked so strongly with CRU’s volunteers seemed crazy. But initial discussions revealed a man with a passion to see the gospel shared, and a mix of skills well-suited to the role.

After several interviews, committed prayer, and a visit to Australia with his wife Lozzie, he was offered the role and accepted, and prepared to emigrate.

In the time that Phil has served with us, we have seen some extraordinary camp seasons. Some have been impacted by bushfires meaning daily tracking of air quality before launching activities. Several have been affected by COVID with numbers reduced, but then others have hit record levels as parents have sought opportunities for their children to benefit from camps in their holidays. And we’ve seen the first use of the new Lake Mac with multiple camps running simultaneously. CRU thanks God for Phil’s work in this area, and we pray for him as he starts a new role with Australian Christian College as HR Manager.

Anna also initially joined CRU’s staff with a holiday camps focus when she was appointed Director of Holiday Camps and Marketing in 1999. Her enthusiasm, insight and drive triggered an increase in camp types and numbers, and in particular an expansion in Study Camps. Her skills and background in marketing equipped her to build networks of communication so that more and more campers booked each season. As CRU’s ministry grew and new opportunities emerged, Anna’s skills became targetted on leading our growing fundraising activities as Director of Marketing and Development.

Anna helped lay the foundation for the move to ‘CRU’ and was also responsible for establishing our annual Crusader Business Luncheons and Breakfasts. More recently, when we began to prepare for Lake Mac’s redevelopment, Anna became the CRU Fundraising Director. The Lake Mac campaign successfully raised $26m from individuals, government and private

foundation grants, thanks to God’s miraculous provision and the sacrificial generosity of some 600 faithful supporters. Anna has often expressed her love and admiration for CRU’s amazing supporters.

Anna’s enthusiasm to see the gospel shared with school students has been infectious. In each role she has served with diligence and passion. Her work has supported the growth in CRU’s impact as the number of students reached has increased from 20,000 per year to over 100,000 each year. CRU has benefitted from her insight, application and ability over more than two decades. Her contributions as a Divisional Head and member of Senior Management have been enormous. God has gifted her, and she has been faithful in using those gifts to serve others.

Anna has been appointed Director of Community Engagement at Shore School. We pray for her, and her husband Cameron, as they move into this new stage of life, knowing that she will continue to stay connected to CRU. She has commented how much she will miss the CRU staff team; and we know we will miss her!

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Growing O

in the West

D

ougal Steven believes in CRU® ministry so much that he flew from Perth to Sydney to come to CRU’s Teachers' Conference – and he’s done it twice!

CRU Teachers’ Conference provides the opportunity for teachers and chaplains from all over Australia to come together and be encouraged to grow ministry in their schools. As Biblical Studies Coordinator at St Stephen's School, Duncraig in WA, Dougal teaches primary aged children in his K-12 school and is also involved in mentoring high schoolers through the school’s CRU Group.

“The first time I came to the Teachers’ Conference, I found the content so helpful for people like me, working in schools endeavouring to teach the Bible effectively and skilfully,” he said. “Every single elective was highly relevant.” His immediate thought was “I need to come back in two years.”

“

The first time I came to Teachers’ Conference, I found the content so helpful for people like me, working in schools endeavouring to teach the Bible.

“

COVID meant that the Teachers’ Conference was postponed for a year, but even the ongoing threat of border closures didn’t dissuade Dougal from coming back in May 2021 to network and hear ‘great gospel ideas’ to teach the biblical text faithfully, but creatively and get kids engaged.

Teachers’ Conference is not the only thing that Dougal is enthusiastic about when it comes to CRU. Ever since 2015, when a group of chaplains, teachers, parents, ministers and churches established the work of CRU in Perth, and CRU West ran their first camp, Dougal has been involved in different ways.

Not only is he on the CRU West Committee, and a big supporter of and participator in CRU ministries, but he freely admits his family is a ‘CRU family’. His children love their camp experiences, and one son even completed a traineeship with the Summit Program recently. “We love CRU,” Dougal enthused. “We’re sold”.

The key reason he’s so keen on CRU is the centrality of the gospel teaching they bring to every activity.

“Kids search for identity, meaning and purpose in life and identity horizontally, and yet they are designed to go vertically—to God,” Dougal said. “If you can assist them gently, consistently over years sowing seeds and assisting them to put their eyes on things that are eternal, that’s huge.”

After six years of CRU ministry in WA, Dougal is excited to see growth happening, both now and into the future.

The first CRU West camp was a study camp for Year 12 students, but the ministry has expanded into more schools, and more camps, with numbers growing year by year. While the larger reach is exciting, it comes with the challenge of finding bigger teams and more leaders so that the growth can continue.

“The reason the camps are populated is because kids are finding out about it through their CRU Groups in schools,” explains Dougal.

CRU Groups play several roles. Not only do they provide places for students to be taught and built up in their faith, but they connect students to each other at school and across the city, through the Inter-CRU meetings. “Friendships and networks grow,” Dougal said.

And leadership grows as well. As young people move through CRU Groups and camps, they are encouraged to become leaders both in their groups and on camps.

As a Committee member, Dougal supports the CRU West staff to build networks with schools that may be open to having CRU Groups start. “We are so fortunate with CRU West staff. They are enthusiastic, wonderful, engaging individuals,” he said. “We encourage people who want to get involved, to pray for them, and to support them financially. This is vital to the growth of this ministry.”

Over the last six years, Dougal has seen plenty of young people head out on camps, including some who weren’t keen on the idea at first.

“One primary school child was not at all enthusiastic when he left for camp,” Dougal said. “He thought he didn’t know anyone and was worried about what might happen.” His worries were needless. Dougal happened to be there when he was being picked up after camp.

“His face was beaming!” he said. “He got in the car, and when his parent asked him how it went, the child said, ‘Words can’t express how good that camp was.’”

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Investing in the

Future O

Page Eight

E

nthusiastic supporters have always been the backbone of CRU’s ministry. Some supporters volunteer as leaders on Holiday Camps, some engage with the Educational Camps team to run school camps, some are supported by our Schools Ministry staff, and others offer faithful prayer or give financially. Daniel and Jane Wong have partnered with CRU® in all these ways—and more.

Dan Wong first encountered CRU when he was invited to lead on a Holiday Camp. He continued to volunteer on camps while at uni and afterwards served as camp director of Winter Escape for a further 11 years, seeing firsthand the “tremendously accessible opportunity for young people to hear about Jesus.”

Schools Ministry Worker regularly visits and seeks to support both the Christian students in their faith and the Christian teachers who are leading the group,” Jane explains.

Now with two primary school-age children of their own, Dan and Jane’s involvement with CRU has moved from volunteer leading on Holiday Camps to financial support. This support takes the form of both regular giving and leaving a gift to CRU in their Will.

Dan and Jane are both teachers and in their working lives have been part of many school camps run by CRU Educational Camps. Dan recently organised a series of school camps and, working with the CEC team, was able to tailor the camps to ensure unique and rich outcomes for the students.

Why is camping ministry so effective? Dan says that one of the biggest reasons is the relationship building that comes out of gospel ministry. “In the same way that teaching is centred on relationships, the heart of camping ministry is relationship. It’s through that channel of relationship that the opportunity of the gospel can be leveraged.”

Of course, the lack of distraction for kids on camp also plays a role. “They can focus on enjoying the camp community and entertaining the bigger questions of life,” he says.

But Dan recognises that some things are preventing the gospel from being shared on camps—specifically, the constant need for more volunteer leaders.

As someone who volunteered on CRU Holiday Camps for over a decade, Dan gives this encouragement to those who are thinking about leading: “If the gospel is on your heart and you like working with young people, then just do it. The outcome is that you’ll live out your faith whilst having a cracker of a good time.”

Dan and Jane both teach at independent schools with Christian lunchtime groups which are supported by the CRU Schools Ministry workers who visit. “The

Pictured: Dan & Jane Wong

Before deciding to leave a bequest to CRU, Dan and Jane had not been intentional about writing a Will. As Dan says, “Who in their 30s thinks about that?” He confesses that the only reason they considered it was because they saw a promotion for CRU’s free ‘Wills Days’. When the opportunity arose, it just seemed like “it was the logical thing to do”.

Jane shares, “One of the reasons why we made a Will was having peace of mind in knowing where the kids would go if we were not around.”

Page Nine

Use the financial gifts that God’s given you to serve and extend God’s kingdom, even when you’re no longer here.

Page Ten

Deciding to leave a gift to CRU® in their Will was an easy decision to make for the Wongs. Jane explains, “By giving to CRU, it’s investing in their future as part of the Christian community. We know that one day our kids will go on camps, they’ll have leaders who will impact them, and they’ll have a place to hear the gospel and invite their friends to hear it too. It just seems right to be able to financially support CRU both now and in the future.”

Dan and Jane’s generous partnership and commitment to supporting CRU’s ministries over past and future years is a huge blessing.

Dan shares, “To hear how young people are engaging with the gospel through CRU’s ministry is fantastic.

Some of these people may become Christians, others I don’t know, but ultimately the gospel is going out, and that’s all that’s required of us to be faithful to the Father.”

Dan continues, “We’ve seen firsthand the work of CRU and a lot of young people coming to know Jesus through camps. The work that CRU does for God’s kingdom is tangible and significant. So it wasn’t hard to decide to leave a gift in our Will given the impact that we’ve seen.”

When asked what they would say to someone who was thinking about writing a Will, Jane said, “Don’t put it off.

Use the financial gifts that God’s given you to serve and extend God’s kingdom, even when you’re no longer here.”

Pictured: Dan & Jane Wong with their two kids

Have your Will written or updated for free!

Attend an ONLINE CRU Wills Day: Friday, 22 October OR Saturday, 23 October Contact us to secure your appointment: Email felicity.schmitz@cru.edu.au Phone 0425 304 621 Online www.cru.edu.au/willsday Page Eleven

30 Years of Service, and Still Going

Strong O

CRU® gives great thanks to God for the faithful service of Peter Crawford for three decades as a member of CRU staff.

fewer people knowing the Bible, we’re seeing more young people in CRU Groups than ever before, and we’re hearing really exciting stories of what God’s doing in schools.

Throughout this time and in his roles as Boys Field Staff Worker, Assistant Director, and Director of Schools Ministry, Pete has displayed a deep commitment to the ministry of CRU and has been an example of prayerfulness. He has been a witness and encouragement to CRU staff and supporters, teachers from dozens of schools, and tens of thousands of students.

Pictured: Pete with campers & leaders at JLC 1996

Over the 30 years, Pete has witnessed CRU evolve and grow. More camps are run every holidays, more students and teachers are supported every term, more staff have been employed, and CRU’s ministry has expanded into WA. And whilst the numbers have increased, Pete rejoices that CRU’s focus on the gospel remains unchanged and feels so blessed to be able to serve the Lord at CRU each day.

“In some ways, the opportunities are greater now because we’re reaching more people numerically.

But I think they remain the same in that there’s the opportunity to get alongside students and campers that don’t know Jesus, encourage them, and share with them how great it is to know Him. And for those that are Christians, to help them honour Him, live for Him, and grow in Him. Even though our society has changed from what it was in the 90s, with fewer people going to church and Page Twelve

It’s an incredible blessing to be able to partner together with independent schools to impact students for Christ. I’ve witnessed the powerful impact of CRU Groups and long to see a healthy vibrant CRU Group in every school.

My hope and prayer for the next 30 years is that CRU continues to stay focused on its mission. Reading the Bible together as staff, being committed to prayer, and being committed to growing in our faith is just crucial going forward. I also hope that in 30 years, in God’s kindness, we’re reaching more schools and more young people through CRU Groups and CRU Camps and Educational Camps.”

Thank you, Pete, for your many years of faithful service and your heart to see students know Jesus.

We thank God for you and look forward to seeing Him work through you these next 30 years!

THE MOST FAMOUS VERSE IN THE BIBLE IS….

You guessed it – John 3:16!

COVID restrictions are making it difficult for school students to gather together and study God’s Word at school. The need for excellent Christian resources in a digital format is critical.

CRU is rising to the challenge – but we need your help!

We’re compiling two sets of digital resources based on John’s gospel - one for primary schools and the other for secondary students.

This means that kids who usually meet to grow in faith at their school CRU Group will be able to continue to meet and encourage one another online!

These resources will be bursting with creative games, Bible passage explanations, memory verses, song suggestions and prayer points. They take a lot of thought and time to put together.

So please send a contribution today to help us fund this gospel project, so that kids can continue to meet together online and grow in their love of the Lord Jesus. Thanks!

DONATE NOW: www.cru.edu.au/digital

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.

“

"At Autumn Trails, Emma heard the gospel for the first time! She is keen to find out more. She even prayed out loud for everyone at the end of camp. We were able to send her home with a bible. In her survey she said “I now understand what the Christian faith is about and why people believe in Jesus.”

“

- Story from Autumn Trails, CRU Holiday Camps

SCHOOLS MINISTRY

HOLIDAY CAMPS

DAY CAMPS

Page Fourteen

• On Friday, 14th May, the Schools Ministry team ran the largest CRU Teachers'

Conference to date, with teachers and chaplains from around Australia gathering in Sydney to be spurred on in their ministries. The attendees left inspired to continue in their work knowing that what they do today for the Lord will last for all of eternity.

• Give thanks for the many opportunities that the Schools Ministry Associates have to share the Bible in CRU Groups and chapels and on camps, and for the impact they are having in the lives of many young people.

• Give thanks for the number of junior school CRU Groups that have begun as a result of students attending our Followers in Training (FIT) program. Pray that these groups will continue to grow and that more students will come to know Jesus through them.

• Thank God for the technology that enables our Schools Ministry staff to support schools when restrictions and lockdowns are in place. Please pray for staff as they write talks and resources to help students grow in Christ.

• Thank God for such strong interest in CRU Camps in 2020-21 with record

numbers attending. Praise God for our volunteer leaders and staff who work so hard to care for campers, and for the work of staff behind the scenes in marketing, planning, cleaning, catering and bookings.

• Give thanks for the 850+ Year 12 students who attended CRU Study Camps at Galston and Lake Mac this year. Pray for their faith journeys as they embark on their exams.

• When CRU Sports Camp was cancelled due to COVID in winter, the team launched an online trivia competition instead, with a half-time Bible devotion.

Praise God that some 90 people attended this – which was actually considerably more than were booked onto camp!

• Praise God for the interest we had in the winter camp season. Before restrictions

forced the cancellation of all winter Day Camps, we had over 300 campers signed up for camps including 150 on CRU Supaweek! This was due to be the biggest Day Camps season ever!

• Thank God for the work of staff who were able to send out postcards to all campers who were due to come on a winter Day Camp. We’ve had great feedback from parents saying their children loved receiving mail from CRU during lockdown.

• A number of CRU staff who work closely with Day Camps have responsibilities for Educational Camps as well. Pray that they’ll be able to balance the responsibilities for both divisions to ensure great ministry can occur.

EDUCATIONAL CAMPS

• During Term 3, CRU Educational Camps was due to run 45 school camps for over

3,150 campers. Unfortunately, these camps were unable to proceed due to the COVID lockdown, and our Term 4 camps will also be considerably impacted. Please be praying that as many programs as possible can occur in Term 4, even if that number is far lower than we would typically expect.

• Throughout winter, with fewer Educational Camps scheduled, the team have been able to be involved in a variety of types of training in leadership, Bible talk writing and outdoor activities. Whilst much of the training had to move to Zoom, a lot was still able to happen. It is exciting to see this training grow the Summit team, further equip them to run camps, and provide them with the skills to introduce kids to Jesus. Pray for the team as they continue to put these things into practice as the camp season starts to pick back up again.

• We thank God that, boosted by the newly developed Lake Mac site, interest in CRU Educational Camps continues to be high. We’re thankful for schools booking in and even more wanting to come. 2022 looks to be approximately 10% bigger than the bookings we had for 2021!

CRU WEST

• Give thanks for our largest ever study camp in July, and great registration numbers

LAKE MAC

• We give thanks for the recent developments at the site. The Boathouse meeting room is

GALSTON GORGE

for spring camps. Demand for camps continues to grow, so please pray that God will continue to provide leaders to help run the camps.

• Praise God that five new school groups started in the last three months, taking the total to nearly 30. Pray that the team will be a source of encouragement and support to these school groups.

• Over 4,000 kids were reached with the good news in school, four times what we could achieve in 2020.

now air conditioned, the Undercroft now has the option to be fully enclosed, and two new coffee machines are now available to use! We trust that these improvements will serve our guests well.

• Additional canoes, a floating pontoon, and a ski boat for tubing means that we can offer our guests more fun activities on the water. God willing, we anticipate a full summer camp season and look forward to seeing the campers enjoying these new lake activities.

• The Lake Mac Team has been growing and we now have over 30 staff. We are developing new procedures and processes to make the site run smoothly. A big thank you to Jaynene Sheraton for 17 years of service. She is now retiring but will always be welcome to come back for morning tea inspection. Mike Sheldon has also left to pursue an apprenticeship and we look forward to seeing him lead on sailing camps in the future.

• With funding received from The Bible Society, CRU Food has made 500 meals for those in need. The meals were distributed by various community support groups and handed out with a Bible and literature for kids. If there are opportunities for additional funding, we hope to continue serving the community in this way!

• Give thanks for the completion of an audio visual upgrade furthering our ability to

clearly communicate the gospel to kids on camp. We hope that these improvements also serve our guest groups well.

• Praise God for the progress made on a new free time area which allows for groups that are sharing the site to have a wonderful and unique experience on camp.

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Thank You CRU® is so thankful for those who faithfully give of their time, money and efforts to support our ministries. We want to say thank you to these three people who have played a vital role in the work of CRU:

RENEE CAPEL

Renee is currently in first year at Moore Theological College. Renee first heard about CRU at Roseville College, where she enjoyed the encouragement of a CRU Group and attended a leadership camp and a study camp in Year 11 and 12. Since then, Renee has had the opportunity to lead and direct many CRU Study Camps. Renee enjoys helping young people to consider the gospel and the life that Jesus offers.

She loves Romans 8:38-39 which reminds her that nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

In 2020, Renee went back to Roseville College, where she helped run the Senior School and Junior School lunchtime CRU Groups. Renee shares, “I have seen CRU make an impact as many young lives are exposed to the gospel.” She sees this happening as Christians are encouraged to keep trusting Jesus, or as girls have the chance to investigate Jesus at school.

Renee notes that as fewer and fewer young people are regularly part of churches, the work of CRU is increasingly important. She has seen several young people become Christians through the ministry of CRU. Thank you, Renee, for your involvement with the work God is doing through CRU, on camps and in schools.

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PADDY BENN

Paddy is a father to six kids who understands the importance of reaching young people with the gospel. He spends his days as a campus staff worker, in partnership with the university students in the Sydney Uni Evangelical Union.

Paddy is thankful he grew up in a Christian family, but it was in mid high school, while on a CRU Camp, that he decided to own the faith he had been raised in. Paddy started leading on Holiday Camps in first year uni and has since led on over 30 camps, many with his wife Michele.

They continue to support the ministry prayerfully and via monthly giving and have enjoyed seeing their kids leading on CRU Camps.

Paddy had the opportunity to chair the CRU Camps Committee on two occasions and has spent the last 23 years serving on the CRU Board, finishing up early this year.

He describes this time as a great joy and privilege.

Paddy is passionate about the impact of CRU. “Every generation needs to hear the gospel,” he says, “and CRU continues to bring the gospel of Jesus to each generation of school students.”

Thank you, Paddy, for your dedication to CRU and decades of service on the Board.

JUDY HEATH

Judy first heard about CRU through Sunday school, and enrolled with two friends to go to a Junior Crusader Camp at The Grange in Mount Victoria. After that, Judy was invigorated by the yearly camps and the Crusader Drawing Room meetings in Turramurra, where she graduated from a student to a leader. Senior Crusaders began in 1954 and Judy was a regular at the monthly working bees at Galston and Lake Mac. It was on a CRU Camp that the Lord Jesus became a living reality for Judy and she set out to follow Him. Judy’s ministry over the years has been as an artist and storyteller. In the 80s, Judy attended CRU Easter Family Conferences at Gilbulla and told the captivating Patricia St John stories to the whole assembly. As an artist, Judy prepared the Crusader Contact (the old CRUview) for the printer for 7 years in the early 2000s.

More recently, Judy has been encouraged as she comes along to the CRU Women’s Fellowship prayer group. Judy wants to see more children reached for Christ and so she is leaving a gift to CRU in her Will, so young people will hear the Word of God for generations to come.

Thank you, Judy, for your commitment to the work of CRU over so many years, and for leaving a gift in your Will so more kids will come to know and love Jesus.

Community

HOOKED • Eleanore Mercer & Oliver Kucharzewski • Emma Duggan & Michael Deane • Hayley Roberts & Tadhg Richards • Laura Caristo & Brett Taylor • Hannah Low & Jared Crooks

HITCHED

HOME • Wal Utber – 10 April • Ray Rice – 9 June • John Wilkin – 19 June • Peter L Young – 20 July • Helen Campbell – 20 July • Rob Bagnall OAM – 24 July

TEACHERS ON THE MOVE

• Jess Teo & Tom Colgan – 27 June • Ben Gibson moved from being Chaplain and Biblical Studies Learning Leader at Inaburra School to being Head of Christian Studies at Shore School.

HATCHED • Mel & Ross James – a girl, Missy Florence Halle, born 8 February • Bec & Michael Dalleywater – a girl, Matilda Margaret, born 13 April • Tiff & Frank Leonarder – a girl, Rachel Alicia, born 26 April • Sarah & Tim Wearne – a boy, Clancy Paul, born 26 April • Jess & Seb Lane – a boy, Jack Richard, born 2 May • Lorelle & Nick Hood – a boy, Josiah William, born 10 May • Sarah & Ben Harradence – a girl, Abigail Joy, born 13 June • Kristy & James Kinene – a girl, Macy Joy Nakitende, born 8 July • Alice & Calum Henderson – a boy, Colby Elijah, born 31 July

CRU also congratulates and is praying for • Kanishka and Cailey Raffel following Kanishka’s election as the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney.

Kanishka has previously spoken at CRU staff training and Cailey served on CRU’s Board from February 1994 to November 1995.

• Adrian and Kerrie Lamrock following Adrian’s induction as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Australia in NSW. Adrian and Kerrie are long term CRU supporters, with Adrian serving as Executive Director from March 1987 to January 1992.

Page Seventeen

More than a job - make an ETERNAL IMPACT!

CRU’s Summit Program is an exciting full-time mission and ministry traineeship run over one or two years.

“To get trained and equipped in all of these different skills is amazing.” - Brooke

Be trained, learn new skills, get practical work experience, and grow in your faith as you share your passion for Christ with thousands of kids and youth on camp… all while getting paid!

Receive Bible, leadership, youth and kids ministry training, and a Certificate IV in Christian Ministry & Theology

Find out more and apply today!

The Crusader Union of Australia PO Box 590, Eastwood NSW 2122 (02) 9874 8933 www.cru.edu.au ABN 90 213 359 332

Help lead over 12,000 young people who attend CRU camps every year

Complete a Certificate II & III in Outdoor Recreation

www.summitprogram.com.au