The World Cup – An Eternal Opportunity for YOU!

The world is about to stand still, and it's not just for a game – it's for an unprecedented opportunity to share the light and life of Jesus! The World Cup is coming in June and July of 2026, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With an estimated 5 billion people engaging with this global soccer tournament, it's a moment we, as followers of Christ, simply cannot miss. This is a chance to tap into a global conversation and introduce countless individuals to the hope we have in Him.

You might be thinking, "Soccer? Sports? That's not for me!" But this is bigger than sports; it's a strategic moment for global evangelism. Consider the Super Bowl, which draws 125 million viewers. Now, multiply that by 12 – that's how many people will watch just the final game of the World Cup: 1.6 billion! Over five weeks, 5 billion people will be engaged. This is where the world is, and you, our dear partners, have a unique chance to meet them with the love of Jesus, extending the reach of the Gospel far beyond what we can imagine.

Your Living Room: Your Mission Space – A Micro-Outreach with Global Impact!
We believe that your home can be a powerful mission field, a local hub for global outreach. Imagine inviting your neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and friends into your living room to watch a game and, in doing so, creating natural, accessible opportunities to introduce them to the love of Jesus. How easy is that? Ministry in your living room! This is an accessible and natural way for you to engage with those around you, making a tangible difference right where you are.

How YOU Can Prepare to Get Involved:
Cru is actively creating a special digital and physical kit to equip and empower you to have spiritual conversations and share your faith during this incredible moment. Our goal, in alignment with Cru's global vision, is to mobilize 100,000 believers and 10,000 churches to utilize this opportunity, and that includes you and your church family.

While the kits are still being finalized, we want to encourage you to begin preparing your heart and home.

A Vision for Hearts: Cultivating a Heart for God and Others
This initiative is not just about the World Cup; it's about cultivating a lifestyle of sharing your faith for the rest of your life. We encourage you to take a few minutes to ask the Lord who the five people are that He is putting on your heart – those individuals you can intentionally pray for Him to move in their lives over the course of this year and through the World Cup.

Let's trust the Lord to see what He will do through this incredible outreach, as we all play a part in His global mission! To sign up to stay informed, go to: http://www.victorybeyondthecup.com/.

DEATH, a reality check

Death is an unavoidable reality, it will happen to each of us. Since Oct. 18th our family has known 12 people that are no longer alive. Among them were Mike’s former roommate, a woman we did ministry alongside with at church -- Mike knew since his early 20s, a childhood classmate of Leslie, our son’s classmate’s father, a young child of fellow adoptive parents, Mike’s childhood Boy’s Brigade leader. All but two we know are believers -- people who had a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. Grief has been a heavy, dark cloud over our minds and hearts these past months.

One specific relationship has had immense-lasting residual effects. Ms. M, was a therapeutic provider (play therapist) for one of our kids. Her unexpected death was like a sucker punch. We’ve known her and saw her weekly for two and half years. Ms. M was an immense blessing and answer to prayer as she worked tirelessly with our son. She has a son, the same age as ours, that she’d often speak about with our child. What continues to cloak my mind is her spiritual reality upon her death. Ms. M from what we know, didn’t know the Lord as her Savior and Lord. It’s haunting to think she’s eternally separated from God. I wonder on occasion what opportunities I missed in sharing
my faith in Christ with her.

“All mankind is sitting on Death Row. How we die or when is not the main issue, but where [we] go after death,” said Billy Graham. God gives life eternal to those saved by Christ, as He conquered death. The New Bible Dictionary has this to add regarding death, “For those who are apart from Christ, death is the supreme enemy, the symbol of our alienation from God the ultimate horror. But Christ has used death to deliver people from death. He died that believers may live [eternally]… Heaven is the abode of God and those closely associated with him.” Christ conquered spiritual separation from God for eternity. One of the deaths was Mike’s former roommate, Stan.

Processing these many months has left me with a newfound ache for the Lost. At another level it has hit our family hard as Ms. M is another loss for our son who has already faced so much loss in his decade of life. Add to that three additional people we are close to, have a cancer diagnosis.
These deaths: friends, parents, classmates, elderly and the like have brought about the brevity of life that it’s easy to take for granted. We (Mike and I) are in the vocation of life and death matters. It is a humbling yet weighty place to steward.

 

Year in Review of Cru's Digital Strategies One of the ministries of Cru is focused on how to use our internet presence to share the gospel and to continue to enhance people’s walk with the Lord. Here are some of the things that happened in 2024.

6,000,000 Total Visitors Our main website, cru.org, had 6 million global visitors! The team creates and edits articles, studies and resources available on the site. The top five countries with the highest viewers were the U.S., India, the Philippines, Nigeria, and Egypt. The site reaches nearly every country in the world, including those “closed” to the gospel 65,000 Monthly Newsletter Subscribers We provided discipleship and evangelism resources to 65,000 Cru Newsletter email subscribers three times every month.

9,600 Evangelism Series subscriptions We created a series for people to learn how to share the gospel and their testimonies. Nearly 9,600 subscribers have joined us to more effectively get the Good News to more people. 13,680 Christmas Devotional Subscriptions We created a 7-day Christmas devotional series to help people connect with Jesus through Scripture, thoughtful reflections, and guided prayer. More than 13,000 people joined us through email, PDF and YouVersion.

11,600 Holy Week Devotional Subscriptions Our 8-day Holy Week devo series had 11,600 subscribers on YouVersion. The series discusses the events leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection and the significance for us today. 10,750 Easter Guide subscriptions We created a truth and reflection guide for people to understand how Jesus’ resurrection changes everything.

This is a small fraction of the kind of work that we support in our roles. Leslie presently is coaching a staff person on this team to get her full support raised to engage even more in this work. Mike provides leadership for the overall care of all the employees within this department. "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now..." — Philippians 1:3-5, NIV