Club Spotlight: Cru’s Impact at UCF and Worldwide

With over 73,000 students involved nationwide, and more than 500 UCF students in attendance at their first meeting of Fall 2012, Cru’s impact is already immense, and will potentially become greater at their upcoming Fall 2012 conference.

Specific to UCF, Cru is hosting a Fall Conference named “Revolution,” emphasizing “evol” in the name, which backwards spells “love”. It should be an enjoyable weekend getaway, from September 21-23, during which UCF college students will join other students from USF and UNF at the “Word of Life Bible camp” in Hudson, FL. All students are welcome regardless of background or beliefs, and are encouraged to register for this fun experience as an opportunity to connect with other peers.

For more information, please see Cru’s “Revolution” Facebook event page here.

At the UCF campus, Cru meetings are held weekly on Thursdays at 8:30pm in the Ferrel Commons Auditorium. Known as “One80,” the meetings include fellowship and performances by a band featuring Contemporary Christian worship songs, followed by a message from the Bible.

One of the largest evangelistic organizations around, and present in roughly 191 countries worldwide, Cru is a non-profit, interdenominational and international ministry dedicated to training people in spreading the love of God. Formerly known by many as Campus Crusade for Christ, the group recently changed their name to Cru.

“‘Crusade’ carried a negative connotation,” said Steve Sellers, vice president of the U.S. Cru. The new name went into effect earlier this year, in hopes that it would seem more inviting, whereas having “Christ” in the name may make people feel as though they are being forced to believe something.

“We want to see students everywhere embrace the purpose, love and forgiveness that God offers them in a relationship with Jesus Christ,” Cru said on their website, Cru.org. Among the organization’s many ministries are Athletes in Action, the “Jesus” film project, and their magazine “Worldwide Challenge”.

Athletes in Action allows for sports to assist people in growing in their faith, through various means of working with many professional athletes and coaches. Furthermore, Cru made “Jesus” (a movie from 1979) the “world’s most translated film,” translating it in over 1,000 languages, and showing it in every country of the world. Finally, their magazine “Worldwide Challenge” portrays how the group reaches out to countless people around the world, and won second place for the “Best Overall Magazine” from the Florida Magazine Association last year, according to their website.

Bill and Vonette Bright probably never imagined how extensive Cru would become when they first created the organization at UCLA in 1951. Seeing the success of this international club, Cru surely has enough passion required to stay closely aligned with their values of “Faith, Growth and Fruitfulness,” and continues to be a moving inspiration to numerous groups of people around the globe today.