Bill and Vonette Bright founded Campus Crusade for Christ in 1951, and while its mission statement is to turn lost students into Christ-centered laborers
the organization does much more than that. it is an international organization that is active on almost 1,300 college campuses.
Brian McCollister, the director of Campus Crusade of Campus, at Ohio University, said Campus Crusade is an organization committed to presenting claims of Christ and helping students grow in their relationships with God.
During the weekly meetings, which are usually held in Morton 201, about 400 students - roughly 2 percent of undergraduate students - attend to worship and hear teachings and stories from students, he said. Meetings are entirely student-planned and -run, and while the focus is on Christian worship, all students are welcome, McCollister said.
Along the same vein, Bowling Green State University has Cru-instead of Campus Crusade. The change occurred seven years ago, said Christian Rogers, an involved student from BG. Cru is marketed for the everyday college student instead of the Christian so the name was changed to reflect that.
Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, has one of the most involved Campus Crusade for Christ ministries in Ohio. The organization has been at Miami for at least 26 years. Up to 450 people - about 3 percent of undergraduates - attend Primetime, the weekly meeting, said Kraig Buesch, a junior at Miami. Jess Roberts, also a Miami junior, leads a Campus Crusade Bible study, which usually includes about 800 people through the whole network. The weekly meeting consists of announcements, speakers and testimony to which all students are welcome.
Just as we want people to learn about what we believe we need to go out and learn about what other people believe
Roberts said.
McCollister said he felt that Athens is a good environment for Campus Crusade because it values people speaking out about what they believe.
The University of Dayton, a Catholic university, also has a chapter of Campus Crusade. Nick Wiarda, a junior at UD, started attending meetings his freshman year and says the interest is because of a growing number of evangelical Catholics. Unlike other universities, UD's Campus Crusade has biweekly meetings, with community groups meeting on off-weeks. Wiarda said community groups are small groups focused on Bible study.
John Carroll University, a Catholic university near Cleveland, also has a Campus Crusade organization, although it is still very young, said Mark Falbo, the faculty adviser. Its membership has numbered 15 for the past two years, he said.
The University of Cincinnati also has a chapter of Campus Crusade, as does The University of Akron and Ohio State University.
In addition to weekly meetings and Bible-study groups, Campus Crusade organizes a host of social activities. These can include anything from Guy's Weekend at Miami, which includes paintball, to starting Campus Crusade organizations in other countries. Cru at BG has a partnership with a sister organization in Liverpool, UK, and other fundraisers such as a dance marathon for charity. Rodgers said that he believes that much of CRU's success comes from its attitude: [We] come at life from a Christian perspective but don't get in people's faces or slam a message down on the table.
Jess Roberts agreed, saying the best part of Campus Crusade was the community of believers
because of the way we encourage each other but also reach out to other people.
Service projects, both local and national, are an integral part of Campus Crusade on every campus. Miami's previous summer projects have drawn volunteers from as far away as London and Macedonia. OU has a service project in France each year. The projects may be as labor-intensive as inner-city construction, or simply talking to people, Roberts said.
Many of the universities join together to achieve their goals. Miami has a fall retreat that includes both the University of Dayton and Wright State University. Both OU and UD recently sent volunteers down to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina in order to help out with the rebuilding process.
For many though, the main pull is still the sense of community and camaraderie that comes with being a part of a group with shared interests and beliefs.
Roberts pinpointed a huge part of the Campus Crusade for Christ's attraction: the people. I had a lot of friends that were involved in it before I came. To start out I wasn't that interested in it [Campus Crusade]
but . . . I realized these people were pretty cool.
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Alex Hazlett
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