May 07 :: What is Crugle?

This spring has been an exciting end to our first school year on staff, but I cannot believe that it is over. It seems like we just got here and it has already been almost a year.

Besides some of the small conferences that we have had this semester and our spring break trip to New Zealand, the majority of my semester has been focused on one project. We have called it “Crugle.” Although that is not officially the name of the tool, everyone has been calling it that. I have worked on this project all semester with another intern in the office because according to my director, “it could be one of the most influencial projects that we have ever created.”

Crugle is a demographics web tool that maps out the universities within our region. We are able to see the schools where we currently have movements. We can also see the many schools in our region we have not reached yet.

Crugle shows the cross section of our growing ministries in a 10, 25, and, 50 mile radius from a university or college. Our hope is that this will help our teams on the ground move their ministries beyond their own school to some of the other campuses we have not reached yet.

We were able to create the tool so that it was ready for our local leaders to see at the Local Leaders Conference. Needless to say, they are very enthusiastic about using Crugle in the fall.

Many of the teams have already formed partnerships with each other – realizing “their scope.” For example, Loyola University has been in the scope of the Chicago Metro team in the past. Because of Crugle, Northwestern staff saw how close to them some schools were and have said that they will take ownership of Loyola as well as 3 other campuses on the north side of Chicago to allow the Chicago team to focus their attention elsewhere.

Unfortunately many of our teams focus on their campus alone. There is so much to do and little time to do it each year, that their scope becomes narrowed to their own campus. I am so excited to be able to create a tool to help our staff see the larger vision of the ministry.

My director will be presenting Crugle to the National team down in Orlando this summer. Crugle has the potential to become a national tool used by all of our regions. Some of the regions have already requested the data we have collected.

I was thinking this morning, this is why I joined staff: to use my gifts to take dreams and creative possibilities and make them realities. You have allowed me to do this and I cannot thank you enough for being a part of my vision and ministry.

Please Pray

> For safety as we travel to Chicago, Michigan and Colorado this summer.

> For staff and student preparation for summer project in Traverse City.