We hope you are encouraged, celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior during this Christmas season. We have been encouraged this year by your prayers and support as we continue in the ministry that the Lord has provided to us and to you. Thank you for being a part of it.

recent prayer letters:July 08, September 08, October 08, November 08

Campus Crusade for Christ and the ministry of Ryan and Rachel Strandt. relevantmedia.org

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Our staff account number is 0527740.

All contributions to Campus Crusade for Christ are income tax deductible. Campus Crusade for Christ is financially accountable by the ECFA.

Donate :: By Check

1. Please make checks payable to Campus Crusade for Christ.
2. Please do not write on the memo line.
3. Make sure the check is signed and dated.

You can send the check back in the envelope we provided.

Questions? Just contact us. We’ll be glad to help you!

Donate :: By Credit Card or Checking Account

• Make a donation online using our secure servers
• Call toll free: 1-888-CRUSADE (1-888-278-7233)

As we wrap up 2008, would you consider giving a special gift for our ministry so that we can continue this important work of serving our Campus Crusade staff -encouraging and resourcing them to be better able to share the gospel of Christ with college students both here in Indianapolis and throughout the world?

As a family, we’ve experienced a shortfall this year. Our health insurance costs and financial needs have increased with the recent addition to our family. Also, we will be traveling to Colorado for 8 days in July for the National Staff Conference. In total, we are asking the Lord to provide $10,000. You have been so gracious in the past, and for that, we give thanks to the Lord. If you are able to help with our need, please make your check payable to ‘Campus Crusade for Christ’ and mail it back to us in the enclosed envelope, along with the response card.

Thank you for partnering with us to bring the message of hope to students both in Indy and throughout the world.

Maximizing Ministry with you,

On the Thursday before Fall Retreat, I (Rachel) got an “urgent” email from a Greg, a Butler student. In this email, he tells me that Allie, another Butler student, is dying to go to Fall Retreat, but just can’t afford to go. He is practically begging me to scholarship her. I emailed him back, telling him that of course we will give her a scholarship, and that she should come.

Later that day, I got a phone call from another staff member, telling me that another Butler student, Adam, had just given his life to Christ and wanted to attend Fall Retreat as well. He wanted to know if he could just come and if we could scholarship him. Again, I said, of course.

A month later, Allie is a changed girl. She told us that she truly gave her life to Christ at Fall Retreat, and is growing like a weed. She has graciously let us share her story in her own words:

“I had never been involved in CRU before this, and had just happened to attend one of Butler CRU’s monthly meetings, where I heard about Fall Retreat. I was informed of this amazing news [scholarship] only 20 minutes prior to when everyone was going to leave for the retreat. I had no idea where I was going, who the people were that were going to be there, what we were going to be doing, and why in the world I was going. Let me tell you, there was a reason that God wanted me on that trip! It was then that I realized what I had been missing and longing for.

I was putting Christ in a corner and I was sitting on the throne. I looked to him when I needed something (healing, a good grade on a test, safety, etc.), but pushed him aside the rest of the time and said “I got this, I can handle it.” I actually believed that what I had in mind and could achieve would be better than what God has planned for me. I was WAY wrong. My life before Christ was filled with anxiety, stress, fear, frustration, and disappointment.

Now, I can truly say I live a Christ-centered life. I live a life filled with security and safety. I live a life that is both satisfying and fulfilling. Jesus Christ has become my #1 love and priority. I am looking now at a new chapter of my life. The pages are blank and just waiting to be filled with a new story of a glorious, spirit-filled life!”

Adam, too is growing like crazy. An interesting thing about Adam is that his roommate is Albert, a student who has been involved with Crusade at Butler, but who has yet to give his life to Christ. Albert has lengthy, in-depth conversations with the staff, and we are all praying that seeing Adam’s life transform will be instrumental in him trusting Christ.

Although my job running registration and finances was small and behind-the-scenes, it is always amazing to be a part of what the Lord is doing. These two stories of changed lives are only two students out of the 150 that were there that weekend. I have no doubt that the other 148 experienced God in powerful ways as well, whether they are a part of the 20 plus Butler men who have committed to spending time in the Word everyday for a month together, or the 5 African-American students from Indiana State’s Impact movement who came to Fall Retreat for the first time.

Please Pray

> For Allie and Adam as well as other students who went to Fall Retreat…that their faith would be strengthened and they would walk closely with the Lord.

> For Ryan as Staff Conference and Christmas Conference demand much of his time directing and running multiple aspects of technology.

This fall, our region has been spending time with the campus staff at these smaller training times to sharpen the skills we already have within the ministry. We are also collaborating with each other to learn new skills, which will prayerfully help us to be more fruitful in reaching out to students in the Great Lakes region and around the world.

My team has also felt that this is a great time to let our field staff know how we can help them. We wanted to personally inform our fellow staff that we can do creative work for them and help them solve their technological problems. Whether they need a flyer for their next outreach or a new website for their ministry, even giving tech support when needed, our team is a great resource.

This invitation to take advantage of my team has been met with great enthusiasm from our field staff with a new realization of what we are able to do for them. This is not a new service that we are providing, but many of our field staff have thought that the regional design team only supported the regional office and conferences. We decided to change that perception. For our local level to know that we are able to effectively help them accomplish many of these creative needs in a real way has breathed life into their ministries.

We have been attending each skill set to personally introduce ourselves and share our expertise with our local teams. What better place to do this than at a skill set training? Sometimes it’s a problem we can fix right there, like a tech problem with a laptop or “I just can’t get my email.” Another staff member came up to me and asked, “We have a lot of ideas for a web presence for our ministry, can you help us?” I am so excited about the opportunity to help our teams throughout the region answer questions just like these.

Our current team is small, but our hope is that the more the local teams realize and value what we do to serve their ministries, the better they can inform and recruit students with these gifts to continue maximizing the ministry in the field.

Ephesians: 3:21-22
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, forever and ever - Amen!”

Please Pray

> For the skill set training’s to be prosperous for the Gospel that every student would hear it.

> For Ryan’s team to trust in the Lord to accomplish all they desire as we team up with the our field staff.

> For Braden’s continued growth and health.

Unfortunately, this does not take into account our increased health care and our hope to increase our living needs. If you noted from our last prayer letter, we are currently at 85% of our new goal. Over the past year we have seen this deficet met by one time special needs from many of you and we graciously thank you.

We trust that threw you and others, the Lord will provide the last $1,100 of monthly support we are hoping for to continue to keep our family in ministry until the Lord determines otherwise.

With Much Love,
the Relevant Family

Ever since Braden was born, I (Rachel) have been asked, by just about everyone, what I will be doing this fall. In fact, I have even asked myself. I have the wonderful opportunity to stay home with Braden, and eventually our other children, if that is in our future. However, I wish to remain as involved as I can in the ministry and invest my time in things that will help to change the lives of college students.

This fall, instead of being on campus 3 days a week, I will be mostly working from home. My responsibilities include managing our website (with Ryan’s help) Indianacru.com, helping to organize Fall Retreat, and coordinating our volunteers.

This role, the volunteer coordinator, includes helping volunteers get involved in the ministries on the campuses they wish to give their time to. I am working with 10-15 individuals, keeping them up to date with what our team is doing, resourcing and equipping them for ministry, and providing them with additional training that they might need.

I am hoping to add some time on campus with the students, but I know that by investing in these volunteers, I am investing in all the students they are working with, multiplying my efforts and time in ways that I couldn’t do by myself. Braden and I did go to the first meeting at IUPUI last week and he was a big hit! Thankfully, he is a good baby and will go anywhere. We will hopefully be making multiple visits to IUPUI this semester.

So far, my involvement with Fall Retreat has been limited, as I have passed the torch to two of our eager interns. I set them up with all the details and a task list, and turned them loose! My main responsibility has been to get an online registration set-up, that will take credit cards. I am hoping and praying that by making registering and paying for Fall Retreat very easy, that more students will come and catch the vision of what the Lord is doing on their campuses.

Since writing this, I have received the opportunity to distance coach a freshman girl at Indiana Wesleyan. She is looking to start something on her campus and wants our help. I have decided to join with her, and invest in her, so that we can reach the students on that campus. I am really excited about this opportunity to start something new and fresh.

So, that’s a little about me. I love being a mom and we are enjoying parenthood. Braden is a wonderful blessing and is growing so fast! He is already 6 months old and full of energy. Please check out our blogs to see more of what we are up to.

Thanks so much for your partnership. It is because of you that we are able to invest in the lives (and souls) of college students! We are looking forward to seeing what the Lord has for us this year!

relevant report archives: November 07, March 08, May 08

For the Crossroads Summer Project team, our motivation rose from the chance to use our unique skills and talents for the greatest purpose: the Kingdom of Heaven. What began as a group of students from around the U.S. formed into a team that creatively constructed an effective promotions campaign for the 2008 Indianapolis Christmas Conference.

But great ideas rarely happen over night. The first week of project found us huddled in constant meetings, trying to work effectively and construct the theme for the conference. Our mission? To effectively convey to students “What it looks like to truly follow Jesus.” After a grueling week of bouncing ideas back and forth, we agreed on our final theme, “You Can’t Walk Standing Still.”

With the conference theme selected, it was time to showcase our God-given talents. Writers molded words to captivate our audience. Graphic designers used unique inspiration to produce artwork for an informational brochure. Videographers shot on-location in Indianapolis and in Dayton, Ohio to create four promotional videos for use on campuses throughout Michigan, Illinios, Indiana and Ohio, while web-designers developed content that can be seen worldwide.

Our job as a design team did not focus on Christmas Conference alone. In addition, the team created promotional outreach material for various campuses and a web site for campus staff recruiting.

On Crossroads Summer Project, learning about and creating design were not the only ways in which we grew during our stay in Indy. Spiritual growth played an in integral in our daily lives. As a team, we corporately worshiped God through song, Bible Studies, and devotionals every week. We grew in our faith as we connected with our neighbors individually and through the Global Short Film Network outreach event; a night when we viewed short films and discussed their spiritual implications.

Thank you for the enormous blessing your support has been for our lives and the lives that our work will reach for God’s Kingdom!

Our Stories…

Luke Jordan, Wright State University

“For me, Indy Innovation Crossroads Summer Project was a glimpse into the world of ministry beyond college. Getting off campus and into an office setting was a wake up call that we will be continuing our ministry beyond academia. The opportunities to share with people will be greatly varied than those offered in college.”

Drew Daniels, Unviersity of South Carolina

“Summer Project was a time for me to grow in my faith, step out of the comfort zone of home, and actively pursue something I enjoy for the Kingdom of God. I learned valuable information about writing and design skills while God taught me what it looks like to be both a leader and faithful follower. Seeing what we accomplished as a team in six short weeks is nothing less than God moving on our project.”

Mary Grace Hager, Rice University

“God has been incredibly faithful to blow away my expectations this summer. I’ve gained greater confidence in my freedom in Christ and have new courage to share the gospel with the people around me. I also really enjoyed the tight community on the project and I’m proud of the work we produced. I learned a lot about what a career in writing, design, or ministry could look like; it’s really cool to see the things I worked on go to print to influence thousands. I had a great time exploring the Midwest—it was awesome to see firsthand how God is working in Indianapolis and Chicago, specifically. Now I’m very excited about returning to Rice with the new things I’ve seen and learned—both spiritually and creatively. Thank you for helping me follow after God this summer.”

Chris Frank, Miami University

“Crossroads was a time for the Lord to teach me more about ministry away from college. My greatest periods during SP came as I was pouring out my heart to God — my joys, failures, worries, and praises — and allowing Him to respond. It was during this summer I grasped for the first time in my life that Jesus is all I need.”

Thank you for your prayers and support! We are seeing the Lord do some amazing things through them!

relevant report archives: November 07, March 08, May 08

I have been helping prepare the videos to be used in New Zealand and on other summer projects this summer. We have made the videos available for download in ipod and cell formats so that they can readily be used, spur of the moment, to start conversations on the Boardwalk, Beach or campus.