CHANGE IS NOT EASY

In my last letter, I talked about how New Jersey is a “different world”… but really, it’s more like college life is a different world.

When a freshman walks onto the college campus, he/she is very aware of the differences from home life. Sometimes these differences stem from their ethnic cultures. Often students will start to feel alone, misunderstood, and frustrated by the second month of the semester… unless they meet a friend… someone else who may feel alone or scared but chooses to smile and say “hello”.

Beyond college life, many people are scared of what they do not know or understand and often that leads to assimilation or isolation. However, when someone is bold enough to engage with another person made in the likeness of God, they choose freedom over the bondage of fear.

A friend of mine gave her 3-year old daughter advice for whenever she would meet someone new at our biennial staff conference in July of this year. After her daughter greeted me, Sarah said “Pheobe, do you have a question for Ms. Tabitha?” “Oh yes…. Ummm…. What’s one good thing that happened to you today?” Pheobe would reply. Sarah is teaching her young daughter to not live in fear of the unknown when it comes to relationships but to engage in conversation that leads to freedom over fear.

At Cru15, I witnessed God do something with the fear once in our leaders hearts that was passed on to the 5,000 staff in the room.

Steve Sellers and the national leadership team began to look around and truly SEE who was and who was NOT yet in the room and then they encouraged us to wrestle with the question “why”...Why were there so few ethnic minorities on staff with the ministries of Cru in the United States?

I believe this year's national staff conference was the visible beginning of change for Cru in the U.S. and may even impact Christian evangelicals in America for the next decade. For forty days before the conference, staffs were invited to fast and pray for the Lord's hand in and through Cru15. The staff at Cru15 engaged in difficult conversations, many of which helped bring up some underlying racism they didn't know existed. We did this so that we can move to expand in our diversity ethnically as staff in order to show God’s love in our unity to a dividing nation. We were also challenged to grow in our commitment to share the Good news, move forward in building partnerships with the body of Christ, and take the good news beyond our borders so that everyone may have the opportunity to know God personally.

Jersey Metro Cru is Unique

Students who are and alumni who were involved in the Cru movements of New Jersey (known as Jersey Metro Cru) are unique. These young Christian leaders have been exposed to the Good News of Jesus as expressed through a variety of people and cultures.

Kean University Cru @ Fall Retreat 2014

A DIFFERENT WORLD
Not many college campus movements are made up of such an ethnically diverse group. Being involved in Cru at just one campus, you can befriend someone from Singapore, dorm with a Filipino American, meet African-Americans, Chinese Americans, first generation Haitians, second generation Dominicans or Puerto Ricans, Portuguese students and even 7th generation Germans. It's not uncommon to see this group having dinner, fellowshipping in the game lounge or going on mission trips together - especially in the northeast parts of New Jersey.

In fact, Steve Douglass, president of Campus Crusade for Christ - the worldwide non-churched based organization to which Cru belongs, spoke at Jersey Cru (our statewide Cru meeting) just two years ago. He told stories of people from around the world coming to know Jesus and then looked at the crowd and pointed out the reality of the amazing diversity in the room. We once asked how many people spoke a second-language and 2/3 students stood up. Darryl Smith, president of the high school ministry of Cru also came to speak at this meeting and noted feeling like it was heaven but without the amazing food.

STEP BY STEP
This type of environment didn't just happen overnight. 
A few students had to make a decision to be uncomfortable in a setting that was for the majority different than what they were used to. These students challenged the band to learn new music for worship, gave the staff different background music to play before and after the meetings, and introduced various Pastors and speakers to the team. Each individual student engaged with as many of the majority culture in the room as possible so that each person they met would know that not all stereotypes are correct and crossing culture isn't so scary. When other ethnic minorities came, they felt more comfortable seeing people who looked like them and sounded like them. This initial group stayed and created space for others to come and continue to create space. The ministry in New Jersey isn't perfect but also hasn't lost it's core values to glorify God but now expresses them through a variety of ways.

OUR VISION
Empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, each staff and student strive to advance God's kingdom by making Jesus Christ known in whatever way possible to whomever possible for the sake of influencing the state and the world. These staff and students recognize that there are students attending college on U.S. soil who are citizens of countries in which Christians are not allowed. They also see and seize opportunities to create communities that are ethnically diverse and reflective of their state.

SO WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? 
Students, staff and alumni of New Jersey have a unique perspective of the body of Christ. 

• We can more easily connect with others across cultures unlike many in our nation.
• So we can share the Good News of Jesus with MORE people.

• We see the spiritual depravity first-hand as we engage in spiritual conversations across ethnic barriers on campus.
• So we can step up in leadership within and outside of our ethnic cultures to bring about positive change.

• We have seen and acknowledged the racism within our own hearts and the relational divide within the body of Christ nationwide.
• So we can challenge our brothers and sisters in Christ here and around the U.S. to grow in building relationships and loving others across cultures.

#GETOUTTHERE

God didn't just place you in the Jersey Metro ministry of Cru for no reason. Our nation is currently suffering from the lack of knowledge and love for each other that comes with the experiences we've had living here. You know this breaks God's heart. So Have His Heart for our nation.

Could God want you to go somewhere, say something, do something, or give something that can be a small step towards the healing of our nation? 

The Deaf Community & My Heart

Yes, I am still a missionary with Cru who is a caring community, passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ. Actually, I'm the state director for Cru on colleges in New Jersey, known as Jersey Metro .... BUT My heart is still to reach the Deaf community and connect them with their Creator and another community - the family of God.

**That's why I love that Cru sent this open letter to the Deaf just last week.**

I graduated Kean University in 2007 and have worked with Cru since. I am still working on developing multi-ethnic movements in NJ with Cru but one day I hope to serve with a Deaf Cru movement, like at the National Technical Institute of the Deaf in Rochester, New York (NTID). Who knows, maybe I will help start a Christian Cru movement at Gallaudet University!!!

For now, I continue to stay connected with my former professor, Dr. Goodman, and the students studying American Sign Language at Kean University. I hope their interactions with me show that not all Christians are pushy and "force their faith" on others, but are willing to "listen/see" others for who they are and where they are.

So April 1st, I will be supporting the Deaf community and those who care to communicate with them at Kean University, at 6pm. Will you care to join me in developing friendships in this way? It will be a FUN SHOW for the Deaf and hearing alike!

Deaf Jam IV - Through the Decades:

**At the end of April, we hope to get The Hilarious Magic of Sam Sandler, a deaf magician who has performed over 8000 shows in 45 states! Just last year he performed over 400 shows in 40 states alone! He is a full-time evangelist and has spoken in churches from Montana to Puerto Rico and for organizations such as Jews for Jesus. Pray with us as we continue to raise funds and book the theater for April 23rd at Kean University as well! :)

Social Media

As I mentioned in November of 2013, social media is an advancing avenue for our students to use to start spiritual conversations with their peers.

#getoutthere is the slogan we have been using as @JerseyMetro to track  spiritual conversations on various social media outlets. One tactic we use to start these conversations is called “The Bi-Weekly Buzz”, where members of our staff team send out a video that can be re-posted, shared, and commented on. We’ve also started a blog on our newly designed website: JerseyMetro.com

On which, staff member, Joey Sforza recently posted:

Virality is in high demand.

Everyone on social media wants their posts to have more likes, shares, comments and re-posts. There is a deep emotional high that fills the soul when you see your post is getting lots of attention.

As part of this social media generation, Joey admits in his post his desire, like all of ours, to be known and loved. He then connects the reader to the terrible news that none of us will ever have that void filled through “likes” or “shares” or even in relationships. Joey then follows up with the good news that God can fill that void! J

Joey’s post was shared by nearly 30,000 people. This follow-up blog about it with a spiritual correlation was shared or liked by only 99.

It’s sad how so many people now live seeking purpose through how many “likes” or “shares” they receive. People are distracted with taking “selfies” in hopes to be “liked” while the enemy rages war against true loving community.  

Our hope is that through stepping into this social media world, we can engage people where they are and usher them into truly loving community with God and His family. That’s exactly what Joey did through this post and that’s exactly what our staff and students work toward in sharing the bi-weekly buzz (set up by Christine & Chris).

Join us on social media to #getoutthere with the good news that Jesus truly satisfies! You can follow @JerseyMetro on twitter or Facebook.

8PM Midnight Prayer

This is happening tonight! Shining a light at Rutgers University in New Brunswick only a week away from Halloween! Please cover us in your prayers team!

A Social Community

Playing Mafia in the freshmen lounge

Last Wednesday, at Kean, we had an Ice Cream Social. It's so fun meeting new freshmen who want to get involved in a Christian group on campus. We played MAFIA, a card game where you guess each persons character, and the students really enjoyed themselves. They were laughing so hard, the Kean police stopped by to see what all the noise was about! Haha!

The week before that, we played ManHunt and the week before that, we had a game night! Freshmen have had multiple chances to see and hear us. Especially those who live on campus! :) This week was our first Kean Cru Bible Study and I had the privilege of speaking on who we are and why we exist as a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ. Check out my presentation on prezi.com (on the right).

Game night

Thanks to those who just prayed for this event and for those who gave $ to purchase the ice cream! :)

Minority in Ministry

As a Puerto Rican-American from the Bronx (NYC) who attended a differently diverse university in an urban New Jersey community and joined staff with a majority Caucasian organization, I can assure you that it is not easy to become part of a community where you are a minority and still hold true to your individuality and culture.

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As a child, I had always seen multiple ethnic backgrounds and diverse cultures represented in nearly every area of my life.

When I moved to New Jersey for college, I witnessed a shift in the cultural population and slightly felt the need to adjust. Stepping into the classroom was noticeably and often uncomfortably different in its ethnic demographic.

As a Deaf education major, I became well acquainted with the feeling of being uncomfortable in a community of people who are all of a different culture. (Most Deaf adults asso ciate with their deafness before they do with their ethnicity. In their world, you are either hearing or Deaf.)

Even later in life, as an interned with a national organization where I worked with a  majority Suburban American team, I would occasionally feel uncomfortable and alone. Sometimes I felt misunderstood and often pride led me to believe I deserved special attention because "they needed to learn about my differences".

Being a minority, ethnically, spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally is never easy and rarely, if ever, comfortable.  This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t purposefully place ourselves in places where we are the minority.

Look at Peter, a friend and disciple of Jesus Christ. Acts 10 and 11 record:

·         Peter’s fear to enter into a different culture - Peter originally didn't want to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. They were completely different than he was in culture, spirituality, ethnicity and more.

·         God's calling for him to stay uncomfortable - The Holy Spirit led Peter to bring the truth of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Later in chapter eleven, he is even able to be a bridge-builder between the circumcised Jews and the Gentiles.

·         The fruit of his obedience to the Holy Spirit – Despite Peter's obvious discomfort and fear, his obedience finally led him to the opportunity to be a bridge-builder between the Gentiles and God and into the whole body of Christ (The Church).

It wasn't easy for Peter to be the only Jew amongst Gentiles, nor was it easy for him to be one of the few Jews within his community who believed Gentiles could know and experience the Holy Spirit. He probably often felt scared and alone like I did entering the deaf community and like I'm sure you have at some point as well. He may have even though it to be an impossible task (outside of God) to merge the two different cultures together. However, as believers, God calls us to be part of the impossible. He doesn’t just call us to Himself, but He calls us to community so that we may be a brighter example of what love looks like to this dark world.

May Updates

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!

Crashing into trials (car accident)

2012 Keeping Tabs with Campus Ministry

Kean Cru - Stand guard!
Red Rover, Red Rover, Calling Satan over?!

Kean Cru Bowling in September 2011

Every semester, the Cru ministry at Kean University tries to have an "open house/welcome" meeting. Typically this consists of a snacks, games, and an explanation of the ministry according to Acts 2:42-47.

I was asked by the Kean Cru leadership team to give a short presentation explaining the ministry and our mission and vision at Kean on the first Thursday of the semester, February 2nd. Although I felt physically ill the morning of the talk, I had already prepared a "prezi" for that evening. As I spoke about the ministry, the Holy Spirit kept emphasizing community in my heart. So I pointed out how the community in Acts 2 was constantly together, in prayer, studying scripture, giving to others and staying in fellowship. This community characterized by love caused those around them to be in awe and have favor upon them! I then asked: "Does our community at Kean University cause the faculty, staff and students to be in awe? If not, why? Are we loving one another as God has loved us to the point that it transforms the community around us?"

Interestingly, the Holy Spirit gave me an analogy I never expected to communicate to the twenty-five students before me. Do you remember the children's game "red rover"? As I asked the question, the room of twenty-somethings looked blankly back at me as though I were from an entirely different decade! "I'm only a few years older than you all! Come on!" In the children's game, "Red Rover", there are two lines of people holding hands and facing each other. When one team calls someone from the other team to come over, that person has to try to run and break through the hand-holding chain of the other standing team. If the person breaks through, he/she takes the two people who's hands they separated and brings them over to join his/her team. If the person CANNOT break through, then he/she must join that team. I used this analogy to show the importance of real community in the body of Christ. I defined "real community" as a group of people who know more than each other's names and majors. For example, when I see the enemy coming after my friend, I can "hold her hand more tightly and stand firm". However, if I'm unaware, I'm in danger of being knocked down & allowing my friend to be knocked down as well.

Front of my car (not nearly as bad as the back)

I know the Lord is allowing the enemy to run at me and Kean Cru through trials of various kinds because nothing happens outside of God's knowledge. BUT GOD!... Praise God, I've seen our leadership team at Kean hold tightly to one another through prayer and love in the power of the Holy Spirit so that the enemy CANNOT break through. Sure it hurts when he rams into my car at 45MPH while I wait at a stoplight behind several cars with a student in my car. Yes, it's difficult when the tire on the car I rented pops on the way back from Kean the following night. Sure, it's painfully devastating when I find out I'm allergic to the pain medication I was prescribed at the hospital. However, I know God will be glorified, for we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus! :) As 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 says, "...we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed...."We are staying in prayer, keeping our eyes focused on Jesus, and running the race with endurance until the end.

As for my car, it may be totaled but I'm still not sure. It's definitely not drivable in the state it's currently in (basically squished) but insurance will cover the damages. I'll just have to wait and see God provide! :) Through this all, my students have been getting very sick mentally and physically. I think God is drawing them to their knees to fight this spiritual warfare, remembering that in our weakness, His strength is perfected! Romans 12:12 says "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." When I want to complain, I remember that God is good and ALL that He does is good! I'm grateful for how this is bringing unity to the Kean Cru leadership team. They are recognizing their need for wearing the whole armor of God to engage in this spiritual warfare for the hearts and lives of college students, faculty, and staff on their campus. They are being reminded of the importance of community when we are under attack.