Every year in December, Northstar takes up two offerings in its December services. One is our regular ministry offering. The second offering is our Holiday Missions Offering. The HMO is given to the ministries and agencies that Northstar partners with to encourage them during the holidays. [For a listing of those, click here.]
Our HMO Spotlight series highlight those ministries and agencies that we support.
This entry focuses on Rebecca Lansford, a full-time staffer with Cru at Virginia Tech. We asked her to give us an update to share with you:
My name is Rebecca and I am on staff full-time with Cru at Virginia Tech. I have been involved with Northstar since I was a student at Virginia Tech and I’m thankful for the opportunity to share with you. I appreciate you taking some time to learn a little more about my ministry at Virginia Tech!
Cru was founded with the vision that if we can reach the college campuses with the Gospel, then we can reach the world. That is the same vision we have at Cru at Virginia Tech. We desire to see every student know someone who truly follows Jesus so that every student has the opportunity to hear the Gospel.
I was involved with Cru all four years of my undergraduate degree and when I graduated in 2013 I joined with Cru full-time. Three years later I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. My favorite part of my job is equipping and training women to follow Jesus, serve as leaders and multiply their lives spiritually. I love seeing women in grow in their relationship with the Lord and share that relationship with others. That’s why I included a picture of one of my “discipleship families”. I disciple the girl in front of me, she disciples the girl in front of her and so on. It’s a joy to invest in these women.
As Cru, we have 40 community groups or small group Bible studies that meet all over campus, as well as off campus. These groups are intended to be a catalyst for spiritual growth, as well as an outreach to their communities. We also use large-scale outreaches to share the Gospel and make connections with students. One recent example was “Girl’s Night Out.” Author Marian Jordan Ellis spoke to women specifically about how we try to fill the God-shaped holes in our lives with things other then God. We also send students to conferences and retreats throughout the year. Fall Retreat, winter conferences, spring break trips and summer missions are all opportunities for students to be built in their faith and learn how to share their faith with others.
This is all so that we can see the vision of reaching the world accomplished! College students are at a unique time in their lives when they can take an entire summer to go a summer mission or an entire year to do ministry full-time. The vast majority of these same college students will go to the world after graduation. They will have significant influence in their communities because they will be accountants, doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. This is what gets me excited – thinking about generations of college students going into the workplace full equipped to walk with Jesus and share their faith with those around them!
If you would like to hear more about my ministry or what the Lord is doing on campus, please consider receiving my monthly prayer letter! I would love to share with you stories, pictures and requests of how you can be praying for us. Email me at rebecca.lansford@cru.org and I can add you to me email list!
Consider prayerfully what you sense God leading you to give…
As you plan your giving this season, remember to give generously to the HMO. A portion of what is received goes to bless Rebecca as she serves with Cru. If you’d like to give to her directly through Cru, you can click this link.