In July 2024, we introduced you to our new president, David Robbins. Today, we’re sharing a summary of a powerful message he sent to Cru staff for our 75th anniversary. We hope his message will encourage you. We also wanted you to get to know him and his heart for God. The rest of our letter reflects his message.

In his email, David said our milestone in October 2026 isn’t about Cru’s strategies or accomplishments, but about God’s faithfulness since 1951. The real story of our movement is what has been passed down.

It began with Bill and Vonette Bright, and it continues through generations of people keeping Jesus as their first love. Like Peter and John in Acts 4, our real strength doesn’t come from strategy or effort, but from being with Jesus.

David explained, “This is where missional joy is born: not from pressure or duty, but from a deep-rooted intimacy with Jesus that overflows into a life on mission.”

“The need before us is still great. There are still billions who have not heard the name of Jesus. There are still students searching for truth, families longing for hope, and communities waiting for the gospel to take root. The call of the Great Commission remains as urgent today as it was 75 years ago. And God, in His kindness, continues to invite us to be part of it.”

David challenged us to take two simple steps:

• Come to Jesus daily and personally.
• Step forward in faith wherever, and to whomever, He is calling you.

75 years from now, people won’t need an assurance that we preserved an organization. They will need to see that we lived out our faith and made Jesus known.

NOTES:

• David Robbins’ bio, President of Campus Crusade for Christ, International, on Cru.org. Cru is the U.S. branch of the larger organization, Campus Crusade for Christ, International.
• Cru’s 75th anniversary website with a message from David Robbins.
• A summary of Campus Crusade for Christ’s history.
• The Great Commission, Jesus’ command to go into all the world with His good news, is found in Matthew 28:18-20.