What is Campus Crusade for Christ? Better known on the Mines campus as Cru, they are a group of Christians coming together to share their love of God.
To the outsider unfamiliar with the club, they just look like a bunch of students getting together to have fun, but their real connection runs so much deeper. “Our goal is to get the Gospel of Jesus to our members and to the Mines campus,” said Kylie Taylor, a Bible study leader for Cru. “This comes in a variety of forms,” she explained, their meetings might be in the form of a discussion, they might organize a few games to play, “Or we’ll start by listening to some worship music followed by a speaker.”
Along with its strong devotion to God, Campus Crusade focuses on providing a supportive community for its members. The older students pass on advice and help to newer students still trying to find their way. “Especially the first few weeks, the upperclassmen were really inviting,” recalls Michaela Hammer, a freshman in Cru. Another freshman in the group, Tina Gallmeyer added, “The atmosphere is loving and awesome.”
School of Mines’ Cru is part of a much bigger global organization, with Cru clubs in many campuses across the country and an influence all over the world. Students have the opportunity to go on a summer mission project through the national Campus Crusade for Christ to learn leadership skills and better themselves as Christians. Matthew McNew, sophomore, described his summer project in Virginia Beach. He stayed there for 10 weeks last summer, with the goal of furthering his understanding of God and how to pass that knowledge on to others.
Like so many clubs, Cru provides students with a chance to stretch themselves beyond their classes each week. “It’s a nice break from the day-to-day to let me relax and be in the presence of friends and the presence of God,” said Finn Hovem, a freshman. Every Cru member experiences this same joy of being with each other and with God. As Kylie put it, “It really is a lot of fun. If it wasn’t so much fun I wouldn’t keep coming back.”
