An Interview with Erica...

In our January 2015 newsletter, we shared a couple items from an interview with Erica.  Here is the full interview:

What part did your Keynote summer project experience play in growing your faith?

God used my time on summer project with Keynote in 2009 in incredible ways to grow me. I look back on that time remembering a few significant things. One was about God's forgiveness of me and with that my ability through him to forgive my sister when she hurts me. Another thing I learned was spending time alone with God each day. I watched another student all summer read her Bible in the mornings and that's when I first started that spiritual discipline in my life. This was also a time learning how I could use relevant things like music to share Christ with others.

When you met with Mike and Leslie, what solidified your decision to intern with Keynote?

From what I remember of our conversation, I appreciated being able to ask you both many questions and felt cared for in an unbiased way. I'm sure you guys wanted me to intern with Keynote, but it was very important to me to feel cared for in whatever decision I would come to make and I felt that way with you guys. That care actually helped me make the decision to intern with Keynote.What role has Cru, its trainings, experiences played in your Spiritual Growth/ walk with the Lord?SO MUCH. I would say the past 6 years of my life have been extremely life-changing as God has used 2 Summer projects, 5 Christmas Conferences, discipleship, and 2 years of interning to equip me. I feel like I've learned so much about who Jesus is and the life God has given me through him, in the midst of my trials and errors, in the past 6 years. I've seen people who don't give up on me and the reflection that is of how the Lord will not give up on me. Learning to walk by the Holy Spirit was something He taught me and is continuing to teach me all the time. 

Tell me a bit about your year overseas?  What did you do while there?

While overseas in the Middle East I was a part of a team doing campus ministry in a large city. We went to 5 different university campuses and would have conversations about life, God, and the gospel. God gave us many opportunities to share Christ and we had spiritual discussion groups and English clubs each week. My favorite part was getting to think through and create a few digital strategies that helped us get in touch with students who may have never had another opportunity to share the gospel. For example, we had the Falling Plates video translated and advertised on Facebook. In the first two weeks, there were over 17,000 views by college students in our country. Crazy!! 

As you look back on the past years, is there anything that the Lord used to confirm you calling to Staff?

In the midst of MPD [Ministry Partner Development], I've been reminded of the need for people to know Christ for the future (eternity) and immensely here on earth. I've been refreshed hearing countless stories of students who've made decision to follow Christ and hearing how Jesus has brought them fulfillment and purpose. I've been reminded of my deep desire for getting the gospel out to students who might not have anyone in their life who follows Christ. I've had times where I've rejoiced at knowing my life matters because I have Christ in my life no matter what the circumstances and this fervent desire to make this possible for other students has further confirmed my calling on staff. And in general, I really enjoy Cru. :)

Jesus has changed Erica’s life!  Through these different ministry opportunities (Summer Project, Internship, and joining staff with Cru) she is helping others see the life-changing message of the Gospel in their lives as well. What a journey it has been to walk alongside the next generation as they are called reach people for Christ.  Erica is just one of the many people we’ve had the opportunity to pour into, to equip, and to train so that the Gospel goes forth. Thank you for the opportunity to not only help change lives but see young men and women use their talents, vocation and to help build the Lord’s Kingdom.   

Thank you and Merry Christmas from Mike & Leslie Rebholz and Keynote.

Campus Crusade for Christ to change its name

Campus Crusade for Christ 

to become Cru

Earlier this week, Campus Crusade for Christ announced to its staff that it will be changing its name to Cru here in the USA.  There are a lot of news stories happening about this and some are accurate and some are not.  Leslie and I felt it was important to send you information about the name change as Keynote (the ministry we work for) is a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.  Our ministry prepared the following to help describe what is happening and why it is happening.

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is becoming   

That's right! In the U.S., Campus Crusade for Christ is becoming Cru. We know you care about this ministry and we want you to be among the first know. We're announcing it now. We'll adopt the new name early in 2012.

This change is being made in order to be more effective in sharing the gospel and to see even more people come to faith in Christ. It's been a two-year process, but ultimately we have come to this decision through much prayer and with a deep sense of dependence on God.

Words Matter

Although our name for the last 60 years is well respected in Christian ministry and missions, the word “Crusade” now carries serious negative associations. Also, the word "Campus" actually hinders people who are not students from engaging in our broad range of ministries. Research has shown that 20% of the people in the U.S. willing to have a conversation about Jesus are less interested when they hear the name Campus Crusade for Christ. Words may take on new meaning over time, but our calling never changes. We are committed to give every person around the world an opportunity to hear the gospel and a chance to say YES to Jesus. That's what makes a name change necessary.

Field Tested

Cru has been used for over 15 years by a number of our local college ministries. It has a track record of success in evangelism and discipleship. To those who are familiar with us, it connects with our past and yet is forward looking. For those that we will connect with in the future, the name will be filled with all of the experiences and meaning of who we are and what we have to offer.

Changing Our Name Will Help …

• Increase evangelism as more people are willing to engage with us in discussions about Christ.
• Involve more people who want to make a difference in their world for Christ.
• Improve synergy between all our ministries. They will benefit from a more cohesive connection while still maintaining their individual ministry's identity.

In the months ahead, there will be a period of transition where you will see both names used. For more information, please visit http://www.ccci.org/cru to see a brief video, graphics and answers to the most frequently asked questions.

You can be sure that our calling and mission have not changed. Our heart remains the same— to help fulfill the Great Commission by winning people to Christ, building them in their faith to see their lives transformed, and sending them out to reach others for Christ. Thank you again for your partnership in this ministry. Please pray with us that many more people will come to Christ as we take this step of faith together.

Stories from the Road

What the summer project students have shared from the road as they were on tour with their Keynote Summer Project bands:

I know tired and busy are my new favorite adjectives while being on tour, but it has been so worth it!- Cory, bass player for stop on green
It was nice to bring a little light and a little hope to an otherwise disheartening situation. – Danielle, Tattooed Planet

I feel so blessed to be a part of that and just to get to pray over people.-Danielle, Tattooed Planet

It’s a good thing we didn’t cancel that concert! Sometimes you play for 1200, sometimes you play for 12, but God can work just as well in either circumstance.- Lauren, Swerve, vocalist It confirmed what we’d learned this summer about how our past, good or bad, can be used to bring glory to the Lord.-Lauren, Swerve

Stories from the Road:
Swerve- Pennsylvania at the North Hampton Correctional Facility for two different audiences, each of about 60-70 inmates. We were not allowed to pass out comment cards for security reasons, but we were hopeful to get to share afterward. Many of the inmates were hurried out before we got to talk with them, but we got the chance to talk briefly with the women from the first group. Several of us agreed that our first experience playing in the prison was one of the most humbling so far. It was easy to walk into that prison with a stigma about what to expect. One of the women asked me what we thought about playing in prisons. My initial thought was “it’s terrifying!” Luckily, instead of saying that, Allie and I told her how we were all sinners and on equal footing in God’s eyes despite how “good” or “bad” society considered our sins. The girls around began to agree, but unfortunately, they were ushered out at this point. But for Allie and me the conversation provided good perspective and a heart-check: we were no better than the inmates, and they need Jesus just as much as anybody else. At one point during tear-down, Allie had an officer approach her. He told her that he has a daughter named Angel and that he used to sing the song that ties in with her testimony, Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel). He explained that he’d never thought about the words to the song in the way that Allie presented them and it really made him think. When telling us about this encounter, Allie expressed how she had somewhat forgotten that we could be ministering to the officers too. She said she had been so focused on working with the prisoners that her conversation with the officer reminded her to always be open to ministry.

Swerve-Christian Haven- at-risk youth home, where we played for ~55 students. at the end of the concert the students were so appreciative and we found that 12 of them made a decision for Christ. An encouraging comment card from Tom said that the concert “just made me think about how great it is to be alive.” Our host informed us that Tom came from a home where he was unloved and was hard to reach since being on the campus. Tom has been struggling with depression problems and he expressed how encouraging it was to hear the music and Allie and Nate’s stories. This concert taught us that even though our audience doesn’t seem to be engaged it doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit isn’t working.
Summer Project Dad Who Received Christ
My team had been praying for my dad for the last few weeks of rehearsals. He was the only member of my immediate family that had not accepted Christ and God had really been putting that on my heart. My parents started to go to a community church and he started asking a lot of good questions about it, even that last weekend before the dress rehearsal when we went to a local church, together he was asking a lot of God questions. He asked, “People keep talking about giving their life to God but how do you do that?” Both of my parents came to the dress rehearsal. Afterward I went over to them to hug them and see what they thought and I saw that my dad was crying. I asked him why he was crying and he said he was so proud of me. Then I asked him if he prayed with me and he said yes! He cried some more and I held him. He said, “Sorry I’m such a slacker” because he was the only one left in the family who hadn’t made the decision to start a relationship with God. I told him I was so proud of him! I feel so humbled because I knew God would get a hold of my dad but I really didn’t think he would do it through me.

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A Story of Life Change

At Keynote's recent Vision Dinner, a video was shared of a life that was changed in a partnership with Keynote and Student Venture. Watch it here:

{if receiving this by e-mail, you can view this video at: http://rebholz.blogspot.com/}

Keynote Vision Dinner 2009 - Online Archive

The 2009 Keynote Vision Dinner which was held on Saturday November 12 had quite a number of people watching live online. The online stream is now available on our ministry's blog site at: http://www.keynote.org/connection/vision-dinner-2009/

Keynote Vision Dinner 2009 - Online Streaming

The 2009 Keynote Vision Dinner (which is one of Keynote's primary fundraisers) will have a live stream viewable over the Internet.

The event will take place Saturday, November 7, from 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM (Eastern Time). This is one of the best ways that you can be exposed to the full breadth of what Keynote does.

Come join us on Saturday.

The stream can be found here:

http://www.keynote.org/connection/vision-dinner-2009/

An archive of the event will be available following the live broadcast.

Christmas Greetings

Here is a copy of our latest prayer card. You can click the image to get a larger version for printing off.

We want to share with you this poem as we are remembering and celebrating the miraculous birth of our Savior. We give thanks to God the giver of ALL gifts!

May you know we are blessed by you!

The True Meaning Of Christmas
Jesus Christ was born this day

So many years before

He came a servant to the lost

Though he was Lord of Lords

We celebrate this joyous time

Reflecting on His birth

Not born in a mansion, but a stable

As if He had no worth

He came so He could identify

With the human heart of man

And gave His life as a sacrifice

Offering a better plan

A plan that reconciles us back

To our loving Father God

Bringing hope and redemption from

Sins ruling iron rod

For this is the only reason that we

Should celebrate this day

To become focused on anything else

Would take the meaning away

So let’s arise with joy in our hearts

And share it with everyone

The meaning of Christmas will always be

The birth of Jesus – God’s son

© By M.S.Lowndes

Back from New Zealand

We are back from our tour to New Zealand. We wanted to share with you some additional things beyond what our upcoming newsletter will contain.

We are praising God:

• We praise God for the fact that prior to leaving for our trip we backed up our computers. Upon our return from New Zealand, we discovered that the hard drive in Leslie's computer crashed and had to be replaced. We had all of the information available to be restored.
• This trip was a true blessing and an answer to prayer. As we shared in our June newsletter announcing this ministry opportunity, we had prayed since our engagement for the opportunity to serve together on an overseas ministry trip.
• We were blessed by the people we stayed with there. We gained a great understanding of the Kiwi culture and were able to see God’s AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL creation!

You may ask “What is touring like?”
Touring is a spiritual greenhouse: it requires flexibility, and logistically- having to trust God (for bringing people, the essential equipment to be provided, etc...).

Highlight:
For me (Leslie) I got to talk with Lilee and Penelope who were interns with the campus ministry in Dunedin. Before our late night show the three of us were talking and I had the privilege to encourage them about relationships, keeping high expectations in a future spouse and the cultural differences in dating. These two girls were such a joy to spend time with and have a heart for their campus. I had the privilege to be the first to hear that they both had decided to do another year of internship with the campus ministry. (see photo of the 3 of us)

The campus ministry is in the midst of growing and we are grateful to have played a small part in this continuing process. This tour in New Zealand was one of a lot of first time risks for the campus ministry, like having an event in a bar. We pray the Lord will continue to bless their efforts in reaching their campuses for Christ.

You may view additional photos from New Zealand by clicking on the picture below:

Additional New Zealand Photos

New Zealand Updates

While we are in New Zealand, we thought we would try to share some photos of our trip.  We don't want to clutter up the blog here, so we will post them all in our shared photo albums on Picasa.

You can find our New Zealand album here:

New Zealand Photos

Keynote's Summer Project Dress Rehearsals

Keynote's Summer Project Dress Rehearsals - June 11-13

Keynote's summer project bands are getting ready for their debuts. Each band has been preparing for weeks to be ready to go out on their two week tours. Each band will have a dress rehearsal in front of an audience so they can tweak any last minute things that need to be chagned and to encourage them in the process they have been going through.

We have a total of five bands this year. The dress rehearsals will be Monday June 11, Tuesday June 12, and Wednesday June 13. There will be two bands on the first two nights and one band on the last.

The concerts will be held on separate stages in Keynote's new Rehearsal Building located at:
18880 N East St, Westfield, IN 46074
(for a map, just click the above address)

Here is the schedule:

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Monday June 11
6:45 PM

Acoustic Rock

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8:30 PM

Modern Rock

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Tuesday June 12
6:45 PM


Rock/Pop

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8:30 PM
Praise & Worship

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Wednesday June 13
6:45 PM

Urban Gospel

Coffeehouse at Keynote - June 8

Coffeehouse at Keynote - June 8

Every summer, Keynote hosts college students to participate in our summer project. One of the things we do is every Friday evening we host the "Holy Grounds" coffeehouse. This is an opportunity to showcase one of our full-time Keynote groups as well as give the students an opportunity to show off their individual talents. Our second coffeehouse will be this Friday (June 8) at 7:00 PM.

If you are local to Indy and are interested in attending, please let us know and we will meet up with you. There will only be two bands performing this Friday. It will be Chasing Elvis an acoustic funk band and The Boyd Family Band a high-powered worship band. The location is Keynote's new rehearsal building located at 18880 N East St, Westfield, IN 46074

CORRECTION:Coffeehouse at Keynote

CORRECTION:Coffeehouse at Keynote
Every summer, Keynote hosts college students to participate in our summer project. One of the things we do is every Friday evening we host the "Holy Grounds" coffeehouse. This is an opportunity to showcase one of our full-time Keynote groups as well as give the students an opportunity to show off their individual talents. Our second coffeehouse will be this Friday (June 1) at 7:00 PM. If you are local to Indy and are interested in attending, please let us know and we will meet up with you.

Unlike previously stated, there will only be one band performing this Friday. It will be Giants of Silence, Keynote's aggressive rock band. The location is Keynote's new rehearsal building located at 18880 N East St, Westfield, IN 46074

Coffeehouse at Keynote

Coffeehouse at Keynote
Every summer, Keynote hosts college students to participate in our summer project. One of the things we do is every Friday evening we host the "Holy Grounds" coffeehouse. This is an opportunity to showcase one of our full-time Keynote groups as well as give the students an opportunity to show off their individual talents. Our first coffeehouse will be this Friday (May 25) at 7:00 PM. See details in the image below. If you are local to Indy and are interested in attending, please let us know and we will meet up with you. The band this Friday is blue sky nine

Our friend Emily

Our friend Emily
We want to introduce you to Emily Davis. Emily is one of the missionaries that Leslie and I support. Emily has a dance ministry through Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.).

A couple of weeks ago, I got the opportunity to go to an event that Emily was involved in putting on. Emily was working with the Central Indiana Crisis Pregnancy Center. She had choreographed a dance presentation that has been taken into local schools to promote abstinence. The night I participated, the group had done an assembly during the day at a local high school and promoted an event that evening. The event partnered with Keynote by having one of our bands, "Chasing Elvis" come and perform.

The evening began with Chasing Elvis performing some songs and then "Breakdown" (the dance presentation) did their presentation. Following that, Matt Giovanni who is a football player from the Super Bowl champions, Indianapolis Colts, gave his testimony of how he came to place his faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

The band closed out the night with a few more songs. There were probably about 100 people in attendance at the event and we just heard that five people received Christ as a result of the event. It was a great event as it combined both Keynote and Emily's ministry that we support!

Beyond the Ultimate

Beyond the Ultimate

In today's USA Today there is a full-page ad (seen below). This year's SuperBowl is monumental for several reasons. Not only is this the first time there has been an African American coach (let alone two), but the men who these coaches really are is monumental. This ad shows just how different these men are. And, the website that it points people to, is worth taking a look at. http://www.BeyondTheUltimate.org/

This ad and the refering website is sponosored by a division within the ministry that we work for (Athletes in Action - the Sports Ministry of Campus Crusade For Christ)

$15 a month Challenge - Update

Well, we have a little more than 24 hours to go in our November 1 deadline. So far, we have only seen about 8% of the envelopes returned from our $15 a month ask letter.

We have seen our support percentage go from starting at 64% to being at 67% . We have also received $520 towards our goal of $2,500 in special one-time needs.

Leslie and I know that God is in control. We are seeing the miracles in the midst of this. But, it is discouraging as well. Can God still provide? You bet!! Are we prepared if He doesn't? Yes. Support raising is a process and we don't desire to circumvent anything God might be trying to do in or through us. We know and recognize that He may not choose to provide in this timing.

Right now, Leslie and I are in a hard place. We trust God can answer our pray in the affirmative and see our entire support raised in less than 24 hours from now. But, humanly, we are thinking it isn't going to happen. We know that God has three basic answers to our prayers "Yes", "No", and "Wait". We know and believe that God desires for us to have our support raised. It is just that He might be saying wait.

For over a month Leslie and I have felt called to pray for the completion of our support by November 1. We have taken bold steps to make our need known and to do the work that God has called us to do. We have been praying name by name for each recipient of the $15 a month ask letter. We have been praying for favor, a quick reply, and for each person to follow God's calling in how they are to respond.

We know that not everyone who was sent a letter could give. We know that there are recipients who it would be a huge faith step to give $15 a month. There are others, who could quite easily give ten times that without even blinking. However, we are seeking that people respond to God, not to us. I would raither not have our support raised than to have our support raised through someone's disobedience to God.

$15 a month Challenge

The $15 a month Challenge has been sent out with much prayer on Leslie's and my part.

What is the $15 a month Challenge? Well, Leslie and I are trusting God to raise up our remaining support by November 1. (Just 9 days from now.) The basic idea is that Leslie and I had a list of people we intended to contact and try to meet face-to-face with to invite to be a part of what we are doing.

Most likely, it would have taken us at a minimum 3 months to get the appointments with this list of people. I believe as I was in the middle of writing a letter that God impressed upon me to just send a letter to each of these individuals (whom many of them have recieved my newsletter for the last 8 years) and ask if they would support us for $15 a month. If each person who recieves a letter will give $15 a month, Leslie's and my support team will be complete!

So, in our letter, we asked each person to pray about what they felt God was calling them to do. If they couldn't give monthly, would they consider a special gift for some of our one-time needs. If they couldn't give financially, would they pass the letter on to someone who would support us at $15 a month.

The hardest part in all of this is that the letters have to be reiceived, read, decide the action, then a reply sent all prior to November 1. Leslie left our apartment to deliver the letters to the Post Office at 3:45 PM today. We are praying that some people will recieve their letter tomorrow and immediately respond and that we will see our first responces on Wednesday. (One week prior to our November 1 goal.)

To some people, $15 a month is just a little bit. To others, $15 a month is a lot. We know that there will be some that could do more and others who can do nothing. But, we know that our support comes from God and it is in His hands.

Michigan Conference

Leslie and I returned from being in Michigan at Michindoh Conference Center for four days for a support raising follow-up conference. It was a good time to be around other Campus Crusade for Christ staff who are raising their support. Along with reminders about our support raising process, we took part in a financial stewardship seminar called Good Sense. Though Leslie and I have been living on a budget since we got married, it was good to sit down with an advisor one-on-one and look at our budget and talk about our finances. Leslie and I desire to be wise stewards with the money God entrusts to us -- not just in how we spend our money, but even how we give to our church and other missionaries.

Leslie and I are continuing to trust God in seeing our complete support raised by November 1. As it stands as of the writing of this message, we have pledges totaling 64% of our goal. It is amazing to me to see how God works. Before Leslie and I left for Michigan, we were at 62%.

Leslie and I often look at the goal that we have and we wonder, "How in the world can we see it all come in by November 1?" And yet, even when we are away and not making phone calls, God provides another 2%. How awesome is that?

Leslie and I continue to seek God in the midst of this time. Even when one of us seems to lose hope, the other is able to step in and help bring the Godly perspective that we need. Marriage is wonderful that way.