Evangelism on Your Phone

Do you remember when everyone kept saying "There's an App for That!"? 

Well, now Christians have a wider variety of apps to use. Not only do we have various Bible apps to study and learn the word of God, but we even have tools to help us share our faith directly from our phone! Many of which are accessible with any phone and can display in multiple languages, including American Sign Language!

One of the things I love about Cru is the opportunity for outreach innovation. 

Here are a few by Cru that I love.

__________________________________________________________

A Safe Place to Explore Questions About Life and God

Cru started with a passion to reach every student with the message of Jesus Christ. Students are the future leaders of governments, companies and communities. Students are influencers, activists, and often-passionate people.

This website was created to help students learn who God is and develop their faith by facing some challenging questions. Millions of people have visited this website because it answers the tough questions students face everyday. The website is in multiple languages and now available as an app!

In 10 months, there were 53,645 visits to the website from New Jersey alone! 473 people indicated decisions for Christ after reading an article on the website and 158 people signed up for the Spiritual Starter Kit! Praise God!

________________________________________________________

Another one of those innovations is an app called “Perspective Cards," a free evangelism app designed by Cru to help you ask good questions and share the love of Christ.

Many people’s worldviews are becoming increasingly eclectic, while the Christian worldview is becoming increasingly irrelevant and confusing. This can be huge barrier to understanding spiritual reality and knowing God. How can we help those we care for?

Imagine a deck of cards, or a smartphone app, which can guide you through an enjoyable and deeply revealing spiritual conversation.Perspective Cards allows people to share what they believe, explore the Christian worldview, and take the next step on their spiritual journey in an environment where they feel safe. This is the beauty of Perspective.

The app has been carefully designed to faithfully reproduce the Perspective Cards experience, moderating great, face to face, spiritual conversations. As a smartphone app the cards can always be with you…and it’s free!
________________________________________________________

Jesus Film Media is the digital expression of Jesus Film Project®. The entire Jesus Film Project library can be accessed directly from your smart phone or tablet.

Through the robust search feature users have the ability to find resources by country, language name, and title of the film. You will have access to films in more than 1,300 languages!

Featuring the films "JESUS," "Magdalena," "The Story of Jesus for Children" in full length and segments; the series "Following Jesus" and "Walking with Jesus" and catalog of short films like "My Last Day."

This app has A LOT and so you definitely need storage to keep it on your phone, but it's such a great tool when you are planning to go out sharing with your church friends or on a missions trip. The Jesus Film Project is a ministry of Cru and our students use their Global Short Films to start spiritual conversations or to attract people to their weekly meetings. 

A Willing Heart

Will you check out this video describing the organization I work with as a full-time missionary and consider joining my team through prayer or financial support today?

"I think God wanted us to meet..."

Sometimes I forget that this job I have is actually titled "missionary". Don't get me wrong, I always know who my boss is ;) and I am held accountable in many ways to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit as I do my job. But if I were honest, I sincerely enjoy my job! I get to talk to college students about the eternal love found in a Father who never runs out on them! 

This semester started quickly and has been moving by very fast but there was a sweet pause in the middle of February where I had a conversation that SLOWED ME DOWN! I had the opportunity to conduct a few video interviews with John Biddle, a co-worker on staff at our Regional Office in PA. We chose random college students at Kean University to tell us what they thought about God and spiritual things. "He's just a higher power - up there..." said Zuleika, a junior Latina who struggled with security in her personal relationship with God.

She continued "I looked to him like a Father -- someone I could talk to when i was struggling or even when something good was happening." But she felt estranged from him; "little by little there's been separation between us." I could NOT leave this conversation simply at a video interview! As the interview came to an end, in the confidence of His Word to always give us the words to say, I took a step of faith and asked Zuleika if we could continue the conversation off camera and inside a warm place.  "I think God wanted us to meet, so yeah - that would be nice." 

I took Zuleika into the University Center, where we continued our conversation about the nature of God and the seal of the Holy Spirit. On a scale of 1-10, Zuleika wanted to know God personally at the highest possible value! "Oh yeah. Definitely yes...but I think I did..." I immediately recognized her quick excitement turned disappointment and asked her if she had ever prayed to know God personally through the knowledge and reception of His Son, Jesus. "Yes, I think so. But I don't know - I've been so busy. I don't think I could ever go back to church." 

One of the main reasons I made the decision to join staff was to help bridge the knowledge so many young Christian adults have of Jesus Christ and it's application to their lives. Many don't stand up for their faith or continue to represent Christ because they never really learned who He was and they never understood why it was such a big deal. That day, I explained how big a deal Jesus is and how His love NEVER fails, NEVER gives up, and NEVER runs out on us -- even if we have tried running from Him. He is a Father who NEVER abandons us!

After I prayer with Zuleika to rededicate her life to Christ, she commented: "I know God wanted me to run into you. Thank you so much for stopping to talk to me! Can I have your phone number to talk to you some more about God and Jesus?" Uhh....YES!! 

Just a few short minutes later, I met another young woman who was visibly upset with God for taking her religious aunt out of this world and leaving her 18 year old daughter alone. Having had just lost my aunt as well, I asked if I could pray for her even though she didn't believe in God because I knew He would hear my prayer to bring her comfort. Immediately after our prayer, this second student looked up to me with tears in her eyes and said "WOW...can I hug you? I've never had anyone pray for me before! Thanks so much!! You have no idea what this means to me!"

*Please continue to pray for these two young women as they go about their college careers.
**If you're interested in seeing the video, click here to watch.

Caring Community

Jersey Metro Cru: A caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ.
Last month, I told you about a conversation Maria Yousef & I had using the “perspective cards” with two Muslim women, Oraib and Saeeda, the president of the Kean Muslim Student Association. Since I met these women, we’ve had multiple conversations on campus practically every week and they’ve met nearly every female student leader in Cru! Visit my blog: tabbystab@blogspot.com to read more about our encounters. Another fun adventure with Maria (pictured left, next to me) was our trip to Mt. Vernon Alliance Church in Mt. Vernon, NY. Using the materials I mentioned in my last letter and a “prezi” I created, I trained six young seminary students from Nyack College in evangelism and then went out sharing our faith with High School students at the local park. We prayed with 3 young girls who weren’t sure of their salvation to be sure and encouraged them to talk to their youth pastors or visit the local church!

Quest Week - Spring 2012

Jersey Metro Cru: A caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ.
Across the state, students are intentionally starting conversations and taking steps in their relationships to sharing Jesus Christ.

Quest Week: At Kean, we'd like to start spiritual conversations with students and faculty to get a better perspective of their views on life, love, God, and spiritual things. Join us in prayer as students start enlightening conversations, play games, and having lunch on the lawn for the sake of an opportunity to change a life with GOOD NEWS!

Week Schedule @ Kean:

Souls on the Green

Kean Cru students at "Souls on the Green"

• What? Have lunch together on the lawn daily. (Acts 2:42-47) Use tools like Soularium and Perspective Cards to start spiritual conversation & pray for the campus (an evangelism tool using pictures).
• When? 2-4pm(ish)
• Where? On grass in front of University Center (center of campus)

3:15-4:30pm daily activities:
Monday - Sports Outreach/ Evangelism using Perspective Cards
Tuesday - Prayer table and Soularium in the UC
Wednesday - Extended Souls on the Green
Thursday - Easter Egg Hunt (meet at UC clock tower)

Regularly Scheduled Other:
Prayer Walk - Monday 6:30pm - Clock tower
Women's time - Mon. 8pm - Library
Men's Time - Tues. 7pm - Basketball Court
Cru weekly mtg Bible Study- 8pm Hennings Hall Room 113 Thursday

Prayer Request:
Please continue to pray that the Kean leadership team endures, not giving up in helping make Christ fully known at Kean University!

Ministry Tools

Did you hear about the earthquake on the east coast? 

Have you noticed it's been raining way more than typical for this time of year? 

Have you heard what's happening in Texas? 

Who's your favorite NFL/MLB team? 

Although there is nothing wrong with asking these questions in everyday conversations, have you ever wondered how to get into a deeper, more meaningful conversation with your neighbor, friend, peer or co-worker? Well here is an online video tool to help:

 
crupressgreen.com

.... offers evangelism tools and training for engaging people in meaningful conversations.

Colossians 4:5,6 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

What is CoJourners?
Click here to see a video about an evangelism tool called "CoJourners" which helps you enter into spiritual conversations with friends, family & peers who may not yet know Jesus.

1. Learn how to be a brighter light to those around you by becoming the "explorer", the "guide", the "builder", and the "mentor". 
2. Be aware of barriers that may inhibit this person in your life from hearing about Jesus.
3. Understand how to engage in conversation with each individual person and where that person is.
4. Do it.

There are 5 videos in this series. 

Attached is just the first one, but feel free to look through the website for the rest! Enjoy!

God's MOVING!

God is moving today in so many places and ways. 

Here are a few examples from Campus Crusade for Christ president, Steve Douglass.

1. In Awassa, Ethiopia last August our ministry sponsored a conference for 7,300 students. (Incidentally, people from the local churches there had the students stay in their homes.) The students were challenged to go, at least short-term, to help reach other African countries.Approximately 5,000 said “yes” to the challenge.
• Since last summer those students have launched new movements on 127 high school and college campuses. They have also gone in missions teams to 79 towns which were considered “closed” or difficult.
2. As another example, the Magdalena: Released from Shame version of the JESUS film is remarkably effective. In one Central Asian country, 60 percent of the inmates in a women’s prison indicated receiving Christ after watching Magdalena.
3. And our Internet ministries are growing in size and effectiveness. Global Media Outreach is seeing three times as many indicated decisions per month as they were one year ago. Their on-line missionaries receive over 6,000 e-mails per day. Through EveryStudent.com, of the college students indicating decisions and signing up for follow-up, 48 percent have connected with a Christian group on campus and/or a nearby church.

There is no doubt that God is moving today in many places and in extraordinary ways. The Bible is clear that our responsibility regarding His opportunities is to redeem them (“making the most of every opportunity” Ephesians 5:16).