Our worldwide leadership has concluded that in order to enable our vision of Movements Everywhere by the Year 2020, and accomplish the mission of Campus Crusade for Christ, significant change must occur in our organisational culture. We need to challenge how we think of ourselves and the way we get things done.

Therefore, the global leaders are inviting all of us to engage in refining our organisational culture, under the slogan “Shaping Our Future Together.” The vision of Movements Everywhere and the urgency of our mission are causing us to think deeply about our effectiveness. This means more than simply evaluating strategies. It has to do with underlying values, beliefs and principles, which are observed in our practices and behaviours.

Five interdependent aspects of culture

Over the years we have been talking about and experimenting with the kind of organisational culture we desire. This has led to the definition of five interdependent aspects of culture, each of which is described on the Shaping Our Future website. You can download these descriptions by going to http://www.shapingourfuture.me …

Note: If clicking on the link does not work, copy this link into your browser, login to the GCX. If you do not have a GCX account, you will have to click on “Sign Up for a new account.”  Then click on ‘Resourses’ from the menu bar at the top of the page and find the ‘Rationale Documents’ section on the left side.

We’ve included a short summary in this document:

1.    Value-driven

Realizing that our work is ultimately spiritual, we must lead from our values of faith, growth and fruitfulness. We are motivated by these values rather than being driven by events, donors, or numbers. It’s about a passionate walk with God, working in unity, speaking the truth in love, and doing whatever it takes to help people connect with Jesus and become true followers of Him.

2.    Local Ownership

“Movements Everywhere” implies that the greatest growth must take place at the grass roots level. In order to ensure that the local level is growing and expanding, the whole organization needs to adjust. This means that we must have local teams who are focused on building movements, whether through direct ministry or catalytic ministry. They are fully empowered to innovate and be creative, whilst committed to multiplying.

3.    Kingdom Perspective

Penetrating the world with true followers of Jesus will require efforts far beyond those of Campus Crusade for Christ. We must keep a Kingdom perspective. We must join forces and resources with the rest of the body of Christ to reach our goal. This means that we promote God’s heart among the nations, embracing both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. While making disciples and launching movements locally, we continually entrust the ministry to others.

4.    Learning Environment

The world is constantly changing. What was effective last year may not be effective next year. We must be able to rapidly respond to God-given opportunities. We need leaders with the spirit of Jonathan and his armour bearer who will take the initiative to “. . . go up and see what the Lord might do for us.” We must create an atmosphere where people are free to try new ideas and to adapt to changing local, regional or global realities.

5.    Shared Leadership

To pursue even our part of movements everywhere, we must share the responsibility for the work. Leadership cannot be left to a few; it must be entrusted to others. The extent of “everywhere” requires an expanding leadership base. Shared leadership means that we execute the mission through effective ministry teams at every level. To function together effectively on teams, we must be leaders who serve others with grace and humility.

We invite you to engage with the worldwide ‘culture’ discussion

This internet site and a discussion guide have been designed to help teams embrace the desired organizational culture within our movement. Working through the discussion guide will help your team understand the five aspects, evaluate how you are doing as a team in each of the areas, process change where needed and talk about how the team can live out each of the aspects.

Every team in the organization (local, regional, national) will be engaging in these conversations. We value your feedback on how the conversations went with your team. The website http://www.shapingourfuture.me facilitates your feedback. This website also allows you to see and interact with other teams around the world who are also engaging in this process of culture change.

Javier Garcia: “A movement that does not take into account cultural values is going to fail.”

David Wilson: “Use the culture website to give your input. The world needs to hear from you.” (Also view what David has to say about one of the culture aspects ‘Local Ownership’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MZlWP3tMng)

Hans Pruis: “I am convinced that our organisational culture has a major effect on our fruitfulness. I think it isn’t so difficult to agree with the definitions of the desired culture. But it really is a challenge to turn these principles into daily habits of behaviour. It’s like our personal testimony: the message isn’t only what I tell people about Jesus, it is also what others see of Jesus in me.”

With its unusual ‘moral dilemma’ prize draw, Agapé Student Life’s national ‘Freshers’ Week’ campaign gives Student Leaders a chance to step up and make a stand.

If you’ve been a new student at university, you may remember the buzz and the terror of Freshers’ Week.  Starting with your first hesitant steps out of halls with some fearful fellow first-years, you begin your quest to define yourself as a university student.  The Freshers’ Fayre greets you with a rabble of voices, temptations and prize draws.  Will you sign up for a credit card?  Join a society?  Go to a party? Throw yourself into a cause?

So why, with all of its chaos and calamity, would Agapé Student Life want to dive headfirst into Freshers’ Week?  And why on earth would we be adding yet another prize draw to the mix?

The first term of university is a whirlwind, and it’s about so much more than academics. Students are out to define who they are and what they think.  Friendship groups, interests and patterns of behaviour are quite often established for the rest of their university careers.  For Agapé Student Life, Freshers Week provides an amazing opportunity to make contact with literally thousands of first-year students who find themselves at this significant crossroads of life.

And so The Connection campaign was borne. It’s a simple concept. What appears initially as a classic prize draw is really much more.  The winners of the prize draw receive a moral dilemma: the choice between an iPod for themselves or two goats for a family in the developing world.  Plus everyone taking part in the competition is offered the chance to receive a copy of a specially designed evangelistic magazine which will be delivered personally by a Student Life staff member or student.

This autumn, The Connection campaign has been run by all nine of our Student Life teams across the country.  “It’s fun and bold,” says Bristol Team Leader Ben Evans, who helped to coordinate this national effort.  “Most importantly, it’s helping us to connect with huge numbers of students to find those who are spiritually interested.  We get to meet them face-to-face and help them think through the most important decision of their lives.”

“These days, it seems that being seen to do what is socially or politically correct holds a higher value than actually doing what is right. From politicians to business leaders to celebrities, we see people living public lives of virtue, until a skeleton or two is uncovered in a closet or an expense account. No one sets out to be a hypocrite. Yet to one degree or another most of us experience that painful disconnect between who we want or claim to be and who we really are. So the important question isn’t really goat or iPod? It’s, who are you when no one is watching?” -The Connection Magazine

THE MORAL DILEMMA

So why goat vs iPod? “We thought that not only would the moral dilemma add a really interesting element to the campaign but would also help to overcome the cynical attitude that we have developed in this country towards advertisements and prize draws,” says Ben. “We have become saturated with clever advertising and brand promotion.  When an organisation offers a free prize we immediately begin to look for what they want in return. We wanted to provide a prize draw which not only interested people but maybe even helped them think through the kinds of choices they make and why.”

Ross McCall, Glasgow Team Leader, recalls some interesting responses from students on this score. “We had one student decline our invitation to enter the prize draw on the grounds that he already owned both a goat and an iPod! Others declined because they said they were uncomfortable even at the thought of having to make that choice.” The actual winner from Glasgow chose the iPod, apparently under some peer pressure from friends. She chose to remain anonymous.

“A group of girls told us the goat vs iPod competition had framed their whole initial view of their first week of university. They had all the badges, they wanted posters, they had their photos taken with the goat…” recounts Allan Ooi, Operations Intern, also working at Birmingham Uni.  At Birmingham University alone, 1,316 entered the prize draw.  Of these, 155 said they wanted to know more about how to connect with God.

MOBILISING STUDENT LEADERS

The vision for reaching first-year students through The Connection is exciting and huge.  And for our staff teams, the dream was never for them to do it on their own.  “We wanted to provide a lot of the means and the resources, and as much as possible, give our Student Leaders the authority to use their own initiative in running it,” says Ben.  Agapé’s Communications Team worked closely with Student Life to produce the magazine, entry cards, a website and other materials.  But the creative juices were also flowing on campus, with both students and staff donning goat and iPod costumes, producing their own t-shirts, balloons, pens, badges and anything else they can think of to get the word out there about The Connection.

“I feel more of an ownership over Student Life because we are organising a lot of it, like contacting the Student Unions and deciding what to do in the Fresher’s Fayre, says University College London Student Leader, Nengi Omuku. “We’re more involved, not just showing up on the day.”

“Academic success is to be applauded. But if you begin to believe that your value is somehow determined by how much you achieve or deserve, then you are headed for disappointment.” –The Connection Magazine

“It has been great to see students involved at the Newcastle Freshers’ Fayre,” says Newcastle staff member Pete Moll. “At one point we came back to the stall to see just students running it totally without us because they were so keen to get people to sign up for the competition.”  Nearly 3000 people entered the competition, between Newcastle and Northumbria universities.

“The Connection has really brought our movement here together.  The Student Leaders took hold of the whole thing and ran with it,” says Birmingham Team Leader, David Blower.  “It’s been intense and a lot of fun.”

“For me, it was great to start the year off by running this campaign,” says Allan Ooi.  “It allowed Birmingham Student Life to bond. Taking turns dressing up as a goat really drew us together and provided much hilarity!”

Sam, a first year student at Birmingham, commented to one of the Student Leaders, “I saw the Goat vs iPod thing on campus and thought it was such a great initiative. That’s the kind of thing I want to get involved with!”

LAUNCHING MOVEMENTS

The Connection campaign has been a particularly helpful tool for building momentum in locations where Student Life is just starting up.

“It has helped us find potential Student Leaders in the first place and has given them something they could immediately get involved with,” says Aston University team leader, Chris Carter.  After chatting at the Student Life stall, two Aston students asked if they could become Student Leaders in writing on their entry cards for the competition!

“It was really great being able to approach my peers in a way that was fun and not threatening but still told the other students what we are trying to do and what we care about,” says Hadassah, Alaskan exchange student and the first Student Leader for the newly-launched Student Life Glasgow.

“Having only arrived in Glasgow the week before our first fresher’s stall, I saw it very much as a little looking glass into Glasgow student culture,” says Glasgow Team Leader, Ross. Despite just having arrived, the team quickly made some good connections.  At Strathclyde, they asked the Student Union to do the prize draw, and at Glasgow, the editors of the biggest student newspaper, the Glasgow Guardian. “The Connection gave us a chance to just get our name and a flavour of what we are about in the Glasgow ether.”

“Jesus is a hard act to follow. Certainly impossible without counting the cost and making a big choice. The tragedy is to never make a choice at all.” –The Connection Magazine

“The Connection campaign has been invaluable in pioneering a ministry in Nottingham, enabling us to connect with many hundreds of students who would otherwise be strangers to us and to the gospel,” says Nottingham Team Leader, Matt Walmsley.

“We’ve featured on the student radio, in a student film, appeared in countless photos on peoples’ phones – It’s amazing what dressing up in a goat costume can achieve! But beyond that, we’re bringing a positive contribution to the life of the university, and we have an instant point of connection when we meet people again.”” says Nottingham intern, Tom Glen, who also contributed his design expertise to the national campaign.” The beauty of the prize draw has been how non threatening and non ‘Christian’ it is. It allowed us to engage with the widest possible group of students.”

CHANGED LIVES

The impact of the Connection campaign will continue to be felt across the rest of the term and into the future.  But as Student Leaders and staff begin the monumental task of connecting personally with those who have indicated spiritual interest, lives are already being changed.

"Asking Jesus to take charge of my life was the most real, full of feeling, telling, scary, life changing, rewarding, transforming, freeing thing I have done. I have had my eyes opened when I didn’t even realise they were closed. But I’m still me. In fact, I’m more me that I’ve ever been.” -from Sara’s Story, The Connection Magazine

“A girl who we had seen many times at Newcastle’s Freshers’ Fayre, met with Phil and Diane,” recounts Pete from Newcastle. “They gave her the magazine, using it to explain the gospel to her. She said that this was what she had been looking for, even giving an illustration about sin that can’t be covered up. She went away and spoke to God, committing her life to him.”

“Aaron spoke with a guy about the magazine. He said that he was a Christian already, but that it was just a cultural and family thing. After talking with Aaron, he decided to put his faith in Christ. He and his friend came to our open house a few days later, as did some of the other guys we had met or who had helped us with The Connection.”

“I was chatting to one girl whilst she was filling in her entry to the competition, and she started to ask me about God,” says Oxford Associate Team Leader, Pam Robertshaw. “I shared with her about how God is love and how he loved us so much that Jesus was willing to die for us so that we could be forgiven.  When she came to fill in the last question on the flier, ‘Would you like to find out how to personally connect with God?’ as a result of our conversation she changed  her answer from a ‘no’ to ‘maybe’. This was a real encouragement to me that as people hear the good news about Jesus, it creates a desire to know God.  We are going to meet up and chat again soon.”

There are many others around the country who would like to talk more about issues of faith.  Staff and Student leaders have begun setting up Connect groups, where students can have their questions addressed and get a fuller understanding of the gospel in a small group setting.  The hope is that many more of these students would become committed followers of Jesus with a vision to reach their university.

“Of the many thousands of students starting university this autumn there are many who would like to begin a relationship with God, given the opportunity,” says Ben Evans. “They are out there. This year, The Connection is helping us to find them.”

The project became a reality in record speed. In May 2009 the decision to launch the websites was made. The Norwegians brought together several Christian organizations to hear the French organization TopMission and Agapè Netherlands present the plan. The resulting unified vision was to firmly plant the gospel of Jesus Christ in Norway. Enthusiastically they declared, “Lets make this happen before Christmas 2009, the best time for a launch!”

The LookingForGod website, developed for those interested in spiritual issues, explains who God is, what He would like to do for us and how someone can make a choice to become a follower of Jesus Christ. This website follows the ConnaitreDieu site created by the French organization TopMission.

WhyJesus is an internet course for people desiring to take a step forward in their spiritual journey to get to know Jesus Christ better. The course was developed by the Evangelical Broadcasting Organization in the Netherlands and handed over to Agapè Netherlands this year.

Both websites have been translated into several languages through which many have entered into a personal relationship with God through faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

LookingForGod is a first step for people wanting to know more about God. WhyJesus takes a further step and links visitors with an e-coach to join them throughout the five week course. The e-coach invites participants to an Alpha course and to visit a local church. They are nurtured in their spiritual journey with God and ultimately connected to other Christians who can help them grow. This process, developed by Agapè Netherlands and TopMission called a Stepping Stone Strategy, involves partnerships across a whole network of organizations.

Erik Furness, a Norwegian partner, admits, “When our French and Dutch friends presented the idea and tight schedule six months ago, I had my doubts that this could work out so fast. But, now we are where we dreamed to be! Thanks to a skilled project manager, volunteers who have spent much of their leisure time, good cooperation with the Family and the Media and P7 Kristen Riksradio, and behind it all – a living God who has cleared the road.”

Visit LookingForGod: http://omgud.jesus.net and WhyJesus?: http://www.hvorforjesus.net.

Ala & Marek Wyrzykowski

In September 2009 Marek Wyrzykowski became the first non-American Director of Affairs in Eastern Europe and Russia. Together with his wife, Ala, he has been involved in the ministry in Poland since the earliest days.

The time had come to let Marek in on the secret. The young Polish engineering student had become a Christian several months earlier and begun attending Bible studies led by foreigners. There he’d met  a pretty young woman named Ala, and wanted to spend more time with her, but she had to go to more conferences than he wanted to attend himself. He didn’t understand why Ala had to go to all these meetings, so he approached Larry Thompson, the American who told her to go.

“You need to keep your nose out of other people’s business!” Marek brashly declared.

Larry and Roy Stiff (campus director in Warsaw) explained to Marek Wyrzykowski (Vizh-i-kof-ski) that Ala actually worked for a worldwide Christian organization. However, in the communist Poland of 1984, this group, Campus Crusade for Christ, could not work openly. Ala had become a Christian while translating for the very first Campus Crusade mission project in Poland, and later became one of the first people in Eastern Europe to join the ministry fulltime.

Marek, a natural leader, had turned to Christ in his second year of university. He’d always wanted to know God, and though he tried to be good, felt he was never doing enough. Then a friend introduced him two guys – a Syrian and a Pole – who were leading Bible studies in their Warsaw dorm. Marek went to a study on the Gospel of John, and by the fourth study, he knew what to do with the gospel. Right there in his dorm room, he prayed out loud and gave his life to Christ.

Suddenly he knew he was going to heaven, and his fear of what would happen after death disappeared. More Bible studies followed. He learned to share his faith, and went on a weekend evangelistic outreach to Krakow. The following summer he attended a two-week Bible conference and loved the teaching. “I’ve got to share this stuff with my friends back home!” he exclaimed, and promptly went home and organized a conference for his friends.

Marek’s leadership skills blossomed. “Leadership comes natural to me,” he says,” but I didn’t notice it until after I became a believer. I wasn’t aware of it before, maybe, because those were Communist times, and people tried  not to stand out. Everybody knew that the piece of grass that stood  taller than the rest got  cut down first.”

Ministry Under Communism

Those were also the days of Solidarity, and the Communist government was more concerned about political opposition than spiritual movements. Campus Crusade, known among college students as just a student  group, had freedom to share the gospel in the university. “There were  informers but we didn’t know how many,” says Ala. “At first, we didn’t know how people would respond to us going door to door. So we just said we would begin doing it the way Campus Crusade does it, then see what happens. And nobody ever stopped us.”

“I wouldn’t call it freedom,” Marek breaks in. “I would call it not being bothered. We knew the authorities could act at any moment.”

When Marek learned that Ala was fulltime with a foreign Christian organization, he did not lose interest. The two began dating in 1984, and married in 1985. Marek wanted to join staff, but one had to be invited back then, and the invitation did not come. The young couple got involved in church work instead, and gained an appreciation for the Body of Christ outside of Campus Crusade. “I like to say I was the first to join staff,” says Ala with a laugh, “and the first to leave. Then I was the first to come back!”

In 1990, just as the walls of Communism were falling, Marek was finally invited to join the ministry. He knew he’d been considered four times before, but each time he was not invited for various reasons. “This has taught me humility,” he says calmly.

Marek and Ala joined 34 Poles already on staff at that time. They worked in Campus Ministry for seven years, then Marek began directing the Great Commission Training Center. He also became national leader of the Community Ministry and  joined the outreach to business executives.

The Polish Crisis

In 2001 a crisis shook the Polish ministry to its roots. The ministry had always allowed freedom to be either Catholic or Protestant, and in the early days, had a flourishing  partnership with Oasis, a Polish Catholic youth movement.

“I appreciate the wisdom of Campus Crusade leadership in finding a way to cooperate with the Catholic church,” says Dr. Wojciech Szczerba, president of the Evangelical School of Theology in Wroclaw. “Poland is 97 percent Catholic, and to detach ourselves from the Catholic side of our culture is almost suicide. Campus Crusade found a way to be faithful to their mission, and their identity as Protestant evangelicals, yet cooperate closely with the Catholic church.”

In the early 2000s, though, the Polish leadership was drifting away from that middle ground. Tension grew, a schism developed, and it began to look like the movement might break up. “I felt like everything I had given my life to was going to be destroyed,” says Ala. “It was a difficult time.” Marek – ever quick to take initiative to resolve conflict – got involved in the debate and tried to reconcile the two sides. He worked closely with Larry Thompson, who had pioneered the movement in Poland. Through God’s grace the  the ministry got through the turbulence onto solid ground.

“Marek looks at reality and sees possibilities, not obstacles,” says Henryk Piechota, operations director in Poland. “He often says, ‘We can do this!’” That ability helped Marek bring healing to the movement, and it led to him becoming national director soon after.

He’s also a builder, and helped build Campus Crusade Poland into a strong and stable movement. Today 98 Poles work fulltime on staff.

Last September Marek was appointed Director of Affairs for Eastern Europe and Russia. “Everybody has a trait that can be used in God’s Kingdom,” he says. “I try to take what is there and make it better.”

From the snowcapped Atlas Mountains to the endless sands of the Sahara, Morocco is a kaleidoscope of colours.

In August, a team of 30 volunteers from Spain took part in “Tetuan 2k9,” a humanitarian aid project in Tetuan, Morocco. Doors were opened to demonstrate God’s love to the Moroccan people.

Being volunteers from different faiths, Baptists, Catholics, Atheists and Muslims, not only granted credibility with the Teutan authorities but also gave the team members who did not know Jesus as their personal Saviour an opportunity to see God’s love in action.

Activities like puppet shows for children, athletics, football, chess and language lessons in English and Spanish connected project team members with the locals. Women were especially interested in talks about self-esteem, Spanish cooking and health issues.

A special relationship developed with Tetuan’s Mayor who during the closing ceremony expressed his gratitude and endorsement of the project. As a result, the Mayor of a neighbouring village met with and invited us to come and use his village’s facilities for a project to benefit the people of his village.

God faithfully opens doors!

The crisp Colorado Mountain air was refreshing.

French students and staff members spent several weeks in the United States this summer. The contingent ventured westward to attend the 2009 Campus Crusade for Christ biannual US Staff Conference in Fort Collins, Colorado and to volunteer time with several charitable organizations in Denver, the capital city of the state of Colorado.

“CSU” – Colorado State University, US. Staff Conference: 21st – 29th of July

Participation in the conference granted insight into the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ in the United States and promoted awareness of ministering in France. Time spent with Javier Garcia, director of Agape Europe – CCC Western Europe, Chip Scivicque and Jay Lorenzen from Here’s Life Inner-City and John Gaither from Keynote, CCC’s music ministry, was an opportunity to think and dream of new directions, new ideas and new steps for France.

Learning on the go – being exposed to new and different experiences builds respect for others and appreciation for one’s own culture.

The main conference sessions were held in the CSU Moby Basketball stadium. Days started with inspiring times of praise and worship and afterwards renowned speakers, Tim Keller, Steve Douglass, Keith Battle and Larry Crabb challenged everyone to reflect on the message of grace and how we live out and share our faith. The days went by quickly – three hour plenary sessions in the mornings and afternoons filled with seminars addressing various subjects like evangelism in its various forms to engage diverse people groups, spiritual growth, trials, etc.

An evening café gave countries an opportunity to present their ministry and welcome interested people to sign up!

We French delegates took advantage of free time slots in the evenings to present the many opportunities in France – the culture, the way of life and the potential to engage with people spiritually. During an evening specifically dedicated to France, each team member was given an opportunity to share – Laurent Bataille shared a testimony of his spiritual journey while a student at the university. Everyone present was invited to join French staff!

During other evenings dedicated to neighbouring European countries like Italy, we were encouraged by reports of what the Lord is doing there.

By the end of the conference, we had taken in so much – many have dreamed of how we can implement what we’ve seen. It will take months to digest it all. We were especially surprised and encouraged by the number of people who have a heart for and pray for France – some have prayed for decades.

The Denver Project: 29^th July – 5^th August:

After the conference, we drove to Denver for a week-long summer project. Javier Garcia challenged us by sharing from Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”

Volunteering at a homeless shelter opened eyes to the needs of the less fortunate.

Our week in Denver gave us a glimpse into what the light of Jesus was to the crowd He was addressing. We learned to have and share the same compassion as we served with these various charitable organizations:

• Pulling weeds from rows of crops at Harvest Farm – a detoxification program offering therapeutic farm activities.
• Removing graffiti in neighbourhoods and tackling small projects in homes lacking resources.
• Volunteering at the Denver Rescue Mission: Serving meals, welcoming the poor, the homeless, those with drug dependency problems and those participating in rehabilitation programs.
• Helping at Habitat for Humanity: Sorting building materials and donated furniture.

“It was not our arms and legs that worked the most, but our heart.” said one participant. Another reflected on the time in Denver, “I never expected to face misery and suffering so close. Often, my heart was filed with sadness and compassion, but also of hope, for as I saw the need, I saw the response from the various charitable organizations. Despite everything, God was present in the midst of this misery.”

270 teachers and students from 24 countries assembled in the culturally rich city of Sárospatak, Hungary to participate in the “6th International Crescendo Summer Institute of the Arts” from the 27th of July through the 10th of August. Under the guidance of internationally renowned master artists, intensive, university-level studies took place in classes for chamber music ensembles, orchestra workshops and dance and theatre studios. Children and teenagers profited from their own parallel program.

During performances given at the end of the Institute, large audiences resonated their approval of the results of the work invested by the participants. In cooperation with the secular Zemplén Festival, “Crescendo” put on performances of a Haydn opera, diverse chamber music and orchestral works. Another highlight was an interpretation by Li Qi, a 23-year-old Chinese student, of the Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn accompanied by the Hungarian Radio Orchestra. Li Qi was one of six young Chinese musicians who were guest students at the Institute and want to attend the Institute again in the future.

Beat Rink, director of Crescendo, shares his love of music and love for the Creator of Music.

“The Personality of an Artist,” from the Christian perspective, was the theme in daily chapel services and small groups. In addition, spiritual guidance and counselling and personal intercession were available. A public “creative church” service gave another opportunity to get to know the Christian message. Around 50% of the students were not yet familiar with Christian faith, while most of the other students, as well as the 40 teachers, were associated with “Crescendo.” During the two-week Institute, 18 children and 10 students stated their wish to follow Jesus Christ from now on.

Participants symbolically cast their burdens on Jesus.

In the meantime, The Crescendo Summer Institute of the Arts been recognised by the Hungarian Ministry of Culture as one the most important cultural events in the country.

The “7th Crescendo Summer Institute of the Arts” is planned for the first two weeks of August, 2010.

Romanian pianist Oana Zamfir shared at the Summer Institute what she had experienced with God in 2008:

“This is my second time at the Crescendo Summer Institute. I attended the Institute in 2008 for the first time. I was in a very difficult period in my life. I wanted to stop playing piano. My relationship with my parents was a disaster. I was making many mistakes and I couldn’t admit that I was doing wrong in many ways. – I didn’t know what a Christian camp meant. I was amazed by the gentleness of the people, by their kindness and especially by their freedom in expressing their love for God. I was shocked to see that for the people in my small group God was the most important thing in their lives. – God was speaking to me through them. – One night I started to cry and to pray. I felt that I had found something that I had been looking for all of my life. That night I decided that I want to love God more than anything else in my life. Since then he has been healing and changing my heart…“

Oana Zamfir, one of the winners of the Festival Prize 2009, will perform a piano concert in 2010 with the Hungarian Radio Orchestra.

Agapè StudentLife in the Netherlands is expanding! Four volunteers are starting a ministry in Leiden, while in Rotterdam, God has blessed so much that this fall the team sent five staff members to begin work at Utrecht University. With almost 30,0000 students, Utrecht is the largest university in the country.

The Utrecht team is expecting God to do great things.

Five committed people – Egbert & Sieneke Ribberink , Leendert & Marianne de Jong and Arjen den Admirant – are trusting God to provide lodging near the university-no easy task! Due to the large amount of students and the central location Utrecht is a popular city, and people can wait years before finding a suitable flat to rent. But for God this is no obstacle. Leendert and Marianne recently found a home after placing an ad in the newspaper, Arjen’s parents bought a house in Utrecht where he now lives with other students, while Egbert and Sieneke are still looking.

All five have hearts longing to fulfill the Great Commission in this strategic city, which has been a religious centre of the Netherlands since the 8^th Century

The Utrecht University is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe.

I went out with Leendert, and we had a couple of good conversations. First we met two guys who play in a band together. God wasn’t a subject they thought about. They weren’t believers, because ‘you probably only believe when you have been raised up with the gospel.’ I asked them: ‘How could it be that you believe because you have grown up that way? Don’t you decide about everything in life on your own?’

Next we went outside, since many students were out enjoying the lovely weather. We had a nice conversation with a female student. She turned out to be a Christian. One thing she wanted to achieve in life was to share the gospel with many people. ‘Well,’ I thought, ‘It seems we have the same passion!’ My prayer is that she will be open for us to accompany her. She told us she found it very difficult to witness, because she believes she needs to know the answer to every question that might come up. We’ll keep in contact with her, so soon we’ll know how things turn out. ”

For Agape Netherlands, this is a great step forward in reaching our goal for 2020: Multiplying Movement Teams in the top 25 Dutch cities.

The buses attracted attention at every stop.

The messages written on the busses could not have been more different during the three-week tour. And yet, they had something in common: Both travelled through Germany to publicize their convictions. One bus was a red double-decker touting the message, “There is no God.”  The other a white tour bus carrying the inscription, “And when there is a God… ‘Gottkennen.de’ (Meet God)

During the “Get to know God” tour, we reached our three biggest goals, explained project leader Dr. Andreas Bartels. “First, we very effectively advertised our Internet website, www.Gottkennen.de (Meet God) – more than 1,000 hits a day was not unusual. Second, in the cities we visited, we experienced open conversations with passers-bys about the Christian faith. And thirdly, we were able to support local believers to take action beyond their church boundaries and bring conversations around to God.

Church groups rallied around the 'Gottkennen' bus.

Bartels was excited at how much creativity local volunteers demonstrated; “In Chemnitz, for example, an impressive program with games, dancing and a huge open air church service was organized.”

Right from the beginning, we worked at establishing best-possible relationships with the atheist bus campaign people. “Before we went public, we contacted the organizers and clarified our intentions,” explains Ingmar Bartsch, spokesman for the ‘Gottkennen’ tour. Fair, however critical, dialogue was a main objective.

Convictions were completely opposite: “We believe in God and that you can know Him personally. The people with the atheist bus campaign believe there is no God. It is important to ‘agree to disagree’ on this point,” Bartels is convinced. This was very successful over the three weeks.

Stimulating conversations occurred throughout the three week tour.

The reactions of the visitors were very positive; “I am so thankful, that here in Germany, there is freedom to have differences of opinion! It’s OK that a bus of atheists travels through Germany,” declares a Christian from Karlsruhe. And in the same way, they’re also happy that the ‘Gottkennen’ tour bus stopped in Karlsruhe. “From our many conversations, we realized questions about the meaning of life and about God are more prevalent than ever for many people,” says Bartels. One can be thankful the bus campaign brought questions about God into open dialog. “We can answer from our perspective as Christians,” says Bartels.

The ‘Gottkennen’ tour bus was with the atheist bus campaign from the start on the 30^th of May, although they were not always at the same location. Additional cities such as Osnabrück and Gießen were also visited. Campus für Christus, Campus Crusade for Christ, Germany based in Gießen, sponsored the ‘Gottkennen’ tour. Director Clemens Schweiger is confident it was worth it to start the ‘Gottkennen’ tour; “Through this, we as Christians could show our true experience with God.” Campus für Christus is financed through donations and likewise the ‘Gottkennen’ bus tour.

Conversations we not limited to stops in the cities.

Regarding the tour, the Chairman of the District Council of the Evangelical Church of Germany, Bishop Dr. Huber, at the Coalition for Evangelisation on July 8^th said, “It was good that Campus für Christus stood in contrast to the atheist bus campaign.”

In Düsseldorf, the atheist bus campaign also found themselves in the middle of an outreach initiative of the State Catholic Church.  Father Manuel Merten of the Dominican Monastery in Düsseldorf was so excited about the ‘Gottkennen’ tour bus that he spontaneously invited them to park directly in front of the monastery near the double-decker atheist bus campaign.

To view pictures by city, go to:

http://www.tour.gottkennen.de/gallery/main.php