Newsletter August 2009

U.S. Staff Conference July 2009

How did Jesus minister?
Matthew 11:4 - 5. Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor."

As Dr. Tim Keller pointed out in his plenary sessions, Jesus did not just talk about the spiritual Kingdom of God, but rather took a more holistic approach – He took care of practical needs as well, so that word and deed were meshed together. In a world filled with so much violence, poverty, disease and injustice, we must dispense relief along with the gospel.

This approach reminded me of the old adage: "People don’t care what you know until they know that you care." During the week and half of the U.S. Staff Conference, we certainly had ample opportunities to see how ministries of Campus Crusade for Christ are using a variety of strategies to reach the world by providing for physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs.

Here are some highlights –

GAiN (Global Aid Network – a humanitarian arm of Campus Crusade) focuses on Nutritional Food Programs, Clean Water Initiatives, Critical Care and Community Care needs in over 35 countries, having distributed greater than $125 million worth of aid and mobilized more than 12,000 short-term mission participants. For example, GAiN is working with our national staff in Zimbabwe where over 10% of the nation are orphans, primarily due to the AIDS crisis. In two days during the conference, the children of our staff packaged 175,000 meal pouches to help out.
Here’s Life Inner City works in America’s most economically distressed communities to give hope through the gospel, demonstrated in practical ways such as Boxes of Love, Homeless Care Kits, Prison Ministry, training and neighborhood development. A media-based Bible study on God’s heart for the poor trains partner churches in evangelism and discipleship ( see www.compassionbycommand.com).

Military Ministry assists chaplains and commanders with caring for the spiritual well-being of troops and their families. Since 9/11 MilMin has distributed over 2 million Rapid Deployment Kits (includes camo-cover pocket NT and other materials) and developed a variety of resources for our warriors and their families

Of course, evangelism was not neglected! In a super-seminar entitled "Connecting with the Lost," Dr. Larry Crabbe, Tim Muehlhoff and Doug Pollock discussed good listening and the use of questions. A more relational approach allows one to build trust and lay the foundation to answer in-depth questions. Especially in this post-modern age where many question the existence of God and/or do not have any background of Bible knowledge, we need to start where people are, and build from there. Other seminars shared new tools, techniques and resources.

There is so much more to share, but not enough room.