4 minute read
Investing in the Future
Enthusiastic 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.”
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 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.
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.”
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 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.” 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.”
Have your Will written or updated for free!
Attend an ONLINE CRU Wills Day:
Friday, 22 October 2021 or Saturday, 23 October 2021
Contact us to secure your appointment at felicity.schmitz@cru.edu.au or www.cru.edu.au/willsday
