The Why and the What

 When I talk to teams about change management, I say it starts with knowing answers to the "why and what" questions.  Why are we doing this?  What are we doing?

I thought you might enjoy watching this 4 minute video that answers these questions about Cru's mission.

The Whole Campus to the Whole World from Creative One Media on Vimeo.

Day to day I can lose track of the impact of our work on students and people around the world.  It's great to be reminded of the why and what of what we are doing, and I hope you are encouraged about how you are investing in Cru and our ministry with Cru.  Even without emotional background music, the impact of all we do is life changing!

I (Barrett) am working on several projects, including how how Cru pays our hourly/salaried staff*, our job architecture, and our online learning delivery.  For those familiar with HR you might be saying, "Wow, cool!"  Most of you are probably yawning!

I am in the position of getting to select the projects I work on, and these are what I call "high leverage" projects.  These all can help ensure we have a more consistent and supportive way to pay our hourly/salaried staff and equip all of our staff across the entire ministry.  This work will allow our ministries to focus on their work and be better supported to do their work.

Dayna recently conducted a CPR training for some of our new Cru childcare workers at Lake Hart.  The most challenging part may have been getting the room tech to work, but they figured it out.  She continues to give two mornings a week to Shepherd's Hope, where she loves using her nursing skills to serve others. 

Our Lake Hart renovation project keeps moving along.  The Bill Bright Strategy Center will open in late May, our East Building Rotunda/entrance by July 1, and our north building renovation will begin this summer.  Did I ever tell you, 4 years ago, that this was a 2 year project?  Haha!

The East Rotunda to come!

The East Rotunda right now.

We are grateful for your investment in us and our ministry with Cru.

With His love,

At a recent parent weekend at UF,
Alberta posed with Macy!

*While most of Cru staff are missionary staff like us who raise our support, we also need to hire and pay some staff to do some specialized roles (IT, finance, etc) and roles that may not need a degree (landscaping, data entry, housekeeping). These roles are an important part of supporting our field ministries.

A Jesus Film Project Milestone--2100 languages!

When we were in high school in 1979 we drove 45 minutes to a theater in northern Kentucky to watch a film called Jesus. Little did we know how God would use that film in the next 44 years.

By God’s grace, Jesus Film ProjectⓇ has translated the JESUS film into its 2,100th language. The latest translation is Waorani, a language spoken by approximately 3,000 Indigenous people in Amazonian Ecuador. The completion of this project in particular warrants celebration, as five Christian Missionaries were martyred by warriors from this tribe in 1956. We completed the translation with the help of native Waorani speakers, and in collaboration with Indigenous groups and Waorani elders. We are excited to announce that the translated version of JESUS is set to premiere among the Waorani people in early 2024.

Here is one of many articles you can read about this milestone. You can also read more at jesusfilm.org.

Dayna and I worked with the Jesus Film Project in 1998-1999 when they reached 1,000 languages, and this year I've been helping the Latin American and Caribbean Core Team with their strategy to reach everyone in that area of the world. I'm also working with the team that dubs and mixes sound on these films to improve their studios and increase our capacity for media creation.

I November they had an official launch of the new Animated Story of Jesus, including a short clip of the animation in progress. We think you'll love watching about 7 minutes of the launch.

We are so thankful to have the privilege to serve with this ministry!

With much love and thanks,

Merry Christmas 2023--Family Update

Brown Family Update 2023

This has been a different kind of year for me. I just recently passed the first year of having no kids living in my home year round! I have continued as a nurse and CPR instructor for Cru. As part of that I work 2 days a week at a clinic for the uninsured. We have primary care, some limited specialties and a liver clinic that provides screening and treatment for those with Hepatitis C. It really feels like we are making a difference in the community.

Barrett and I took a trip to Vancouver with Cru, we all went to Charlottesville for Luke’s graduation ceremony, and I traveled to Maine with Catelin and my sister Mari.

Barrett also spent a week in Bogota to help the Jesus Film Project and has has worked on a wide variety of engagements for Cru. The “2-year” headquarters renovation is now into its 4th year! His daily routines include walking Brexit twice a day and riding his bike to the gym.

Catelin continues her work at Orlando Health supporting the Career and Talent Development teams. She traveled to California to see Cara and her nephews twice this year, and always looks forward to any time she can spend with her family. She enjoyed our trip to Maine, which has been 5 years in the making—it was exciting to finally make it there and enjoy some autumn colors in a small town by the ocean!

As I write this, the Johnsons have COVID for the first time! I think their biggest news is that Zeke started kindergarten this year and loves it. Zeke also played soccer for the first time. Titus is three and has taken swim lessons. He really seems happy too. Bowen is 2 and very busy. He loves his cars (they all do!). Cara is super busy with the boys. She has painted a lot in the house. She has made super fun rooms for the boys. Perry has traveled quite a bit to different conferences for his work at UCI in turbulent flow.

Aubrey started a new job last week. She began working for Orange County in compensation. She also has an Etsy shop! She traveled for work to Minnesota and to Connecticut, Michigan and California to visit friends and family.

Luke is living in Melbourne and just passed his first year anniversary working for an aerospace company. He continues to enjoy his two favorite hobbies of playing sports and gecng injured playing sports.

Macy is in her second year at the University of Florida. She is majoring in Criminology and Psychology and minoring in English. She volunteers as a tutor for kids with decreased literacy, and joined an adult co-ed softball team and is playing with some “old men.” Last summer she worked for Cru doing childcare. She really loves the kids. She also traveled to New York City and loved it!

This year has had its ups and downs like every year. It seems like we’re ending it preMy well, which is something I am very grateful for. We wish you all a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I hope you can find time to reflect on the difference Jesus’ birth has made in your life.

For all of us,