Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ is a interdenominational Christian mission organization, focusing on evangelism and discipleship in over 190 countries around the world. Started in 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles by Bill Bright, Campus Crusade has now branched out to many different universities and many other fields of ministry. Its mission is "to seek to show people how to know and experience God's love and plan for their lives." The parent organisation is known as Campus Crusade for Christ International, and the fields of ministry include the military, high schools, families, and athletes. In many parts of Europe it is known as Agape Europe. [1] (http://agapeeurope.org).In other countries the university ministry is known under different names. For example in Poland, New Zealand and Australia, the ministry is known as Student Life.

Campus Crusade is responsible for the distribution of the 1979 movie Jesus, which has been translated into over 800 languages and viewed more than five billion times. This makes it the most translated and most viewed film of all time. They are also the publishers of Four Spiritual Laws, also known as the "Knowing God Personally Booklet" [2] (http://www.studentlife.org/New/kgp.php).

Statistics

• Campus Crusade for Christ is the largest evangelical organization in the United States, according to USA Today (1996)
• Top religious charity in the United States according to U.S. News and World Report (1995)
• Most "efficient" religious ministry according to Money Magazine (1996)
• Originator, distributor, and translator of JESUS, the most widely translated film in history (more than 800 languages)
• Has over 26,000 full-time staff and 225,000 trained volunteers in 191 countries around the world.
• Comprised of over 60 different ministries, including Athletes in Action, Campus Ministry, Josh McDowell Ministry, Student Venture, and The JESUS Film Project.

Timeline

1951 - Bill Bright and his wife, Vonette, start Campus Crusade at UCLA.

1952 - Campus Crusade spreads to other schools, and the Brights accept their first six staff members.

1956 - Bright writes "God's Plan for Your Life", a 20 minute evangelistic presentation. This sets the tone for the evangelism and discipleship training for which Crusade will become known.

1958 - The ministry becomes international as Dr Joon Gon Kim launches the work in South Korea.

1962 - Campus Crusade establishes its new headquarts at the Arrowhead Springs resort complex in San Bernardino, CA.

1965 - Bill Bright writes Have You Heard of the Four Spiritual Laws?, likely the most widely distributed religious booklet in history (over 2.5 billion printed to date).

1967 - 600 students and Crusade staff members converge at the University of California, Berkeley for one week of radical evangelism. More than 700 students and faculty members accept Christ. The week is capped off by a message from Billy Graham.

1972 - More the 80,000 students, Crusade staff, and others, meet at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX for EXPLO 72, an intense week of evangelism, discipleship training, and concerts (including an appearance by Johnny Cash).

1974 - 300,000 delegates attend EXPLO 74 in Seoul, South Korea. An estimated crowd of 1.5 million attended one of the evening meetings.

1976 - The beginning of the "I Found It!" campaign, which mobilizes more than 300,000 Christians from 15,000 churches in 246 cities for organized evangelism.

1979 - JESUS, a filmed account of the life of Christ, premieres in 250 theatres. The film becomes the most-translated film in history, still being widely used today as a key evangelism tool.

1985 - EXPLO 85, a worldwide video conference, links 300,000 delegates at 98 conference sites on five continents.

1991 - The ministry headquarters relocates from Arrowhead Springs to its temporary location, the Sunport Technological Center in Orlando, FL.

1994 - Bill Bright issues a call for prayer and fasting for revival in America. Over 600 Christian leaders meet in Orlando, FL for the first Prayer and Fasting Conference.

1996 - Bill Bright wins the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, the world's largest annual financial award - more than $1 million. Dr. Bright gives the money away to promotions of the spiritual benefit of prayer and fasting.

1999 - Campus Crusade for Christ at Lake Hart opens its doors as the new ministry headquartes.

2000 - Steve Douglass, executive vice president and director of US Ministries, is personally chosen by Bill Bright to be his successor.

2003 - Bill Bright, founder, dies from complications due to pulmonary fibrosis.

2005 - Led by Steve Douglass, Campus Crusade for Christ International is comprised of some 60 different ministries and projects in 190 countries around the world.

External Links

Ministries under Campus Crusade for Christ:

• Campus Crusade for Christ, International (http://www.ccci.org)
• The Campus Ministry (http://www.campuscrusadeforchrist.com)
• Korea Campus Crusade for Christ (http://www.kwak.org/kccc/)
• FamilyLife (http://www.familylife.com)
• Jesus Film Project (http://www.jesusfilm.org)
• Josh McDowell Ministry (http://www.josh.org)
• Student Venture (http://www.studentventure.com)
• Athletes in Action (http://www.aia.com)

Local chapter websites:

• UCI Campus Crusade for Christ (http://spirit.dos.uci.edu/crusade)
• UCLA Campus Crusade for Christ (http://www.lacampuscrusade.com)
• Cal Poly SLO Campus Crusade for Christ (http://www.slocrusade.com/)
• UC Davis Campus Crusade for Christ (http://www.daviscru.com/)
• USC (Southern California) Campus Crusade for Christ (http://www-scf.usc.edu/~crusade/)

Local staff websites:

• Finnan, Ian (Student Life - Sydney, Australia): http://www.ianfinnan.net
• Kelley, Andrea (NLN - Germany): http://kelleynews.com
• Sankaran, Nedunghat (Singapore): http://sank.sccc.org.sg
• Tom Terry (Mongolia): http://www.terrycom.net