Dinner with Cru's Presidents, Past & Present

2001 was a historic year for Campus Crusade for Christ. Bill Bright, Cru's founder and president since 1951 passed his baton of leadership to Steve Douglass. With Bright's health in rapid decline, he entrusted to the Douglasses the ministry that grew from one group at UCLA to 191 countries around the world. Bill's wife, Vonette, had always been integral to the ministry, and she and Bill worked together as a team even while they raised children. Steve's wife, Judy, had done the same, and together, the Brights led us through a ceremonial time of celebrating 50 years of ministry and inducting the next phase of leadership. 

We were in the room for this beautiful ceremony.

This meaningful summer marked our first year on staff with Cru. Our first united staff conference was this experience. It made a big impact on us. We were young, and inexperienced in ministry and adulthood, but we vividly remember the laying on of hands, the anointing with oil, and the complete reverent surrender of this Spirit-filled moment. 

Our family on the grounds of Cru's World Headquarters
for an Easter celebration and outreach, our second daughter
was only six weeks old. 

A few years later, from 2007-2008, we accepted an invitation to serve at Cru's World Headquarters in Orlando, Florida, as part of a staff development program. During our time there, we learned from our leadership at formal functions, but what sticks out to us most is the privilege of getting to know them personally over dinner at their homes. Steve and Judy Douglass hosted us, as did Steve and Christy Sellers, and Mark and Christie Gauthier (who just took over the roles the Sellers' moved from). We recall stories they shared with us of trusting God in big and small ways, through personal trials and triumphs in the Spirit, as well as stories of personal humbling. These were men and women who have been in it with the Lord for all of their adult lives. Through it all, they testified to God's goodness, and they spoke of our Lord with joyful smiles and tearful gratitude. 

After that year at Headquarters, getting to know our leadership, whenever someone else would speak ill of our leaders, we would correct them. It's easy to be critical of someone you only know from afar. Every pastor or leader with a platform of influence receive criticism, we have as well, and I'm certain its a tactic of the enemy to divide and discourage. We consider it a privilege to say that we have gotten to know our leaders, and while yes, they have faults as all of us do, they are humble, and genuine, and trustworthy. 

When Cru named it's newest president, Steve Sellers, along with his wife Christy, we rejoiced. Steve is the one who addresses us each year with tears in his eyes for the lost. He is the one who when the internet criticized our mission, accepted a spot on Fox News and rather than use it to speak highly of our organization, used it to share the Gospel with a national audience. Steve has led us with integrity through the divisiveness among the Church regarding race. He stands on God's word that all men and women are created equally and have equal worth to God. Whenever he gets an audience, he shares the Gospel, and he says the name of Jesus more times than normal in an average minute. 

We thank God for our Cru leadership! 

Highlights from the global presidential induction ceremony and quotes from Sellers here.