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.

SCHOOLS MINISTRY

• 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.

HOLIDAY CAMPS

• 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!

DAY CAMPS

• 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 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.

LAKE MAC

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

GALSTON GORGE

• 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.