Blog, Stories
August 17, 2017

Welcome to CRUX

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As a new semester approaches, North Park looks forward to welcoming new students on campus and to the many ways they will contribute to the life and growth of the community. An exciting new aspect of campus community this year is CRUX, an international, residential discipleship program for first-year Christian students who desire to grow deeper and wider in their personal relationship with Christ.

The Director of CRUX, Marcus Hill, describes this discipleship model as “Doing Life” together. He also gives us a closer look at what that means big picture as well as in the daily life of CRUX students.

On CRUX Discipleship

“The CRUX program affirms the biblical scriptures and works to advance the Kingdom of God through a commitment to shared practices:

  • Intentional relational discipleship
  • Intentional personal discipleship
  • Practical Bible teaching
  • Creative opportunity for worship and service
  • Creating authentic community

The CRUX program affirms the biblical scriptures and works to advance the Kingdom of God. Jesus commands us to go and make disciples of all peoples. This starts for us at North Park University with making disciples of the next generation of college students. The way we make disciples is to instill in our students an unwavering belief in their identity in Christ. The world is bombarding students with empty promises with which to base their identity. The promise is that somehow the things of this world can fill the God-sized void in our heart. The gospel teaches something radically different–we aim to lead students into an understanding that hope and fulfillment are found in recognizing that sin separates us from God, and in accepting God’s grace through Christ we become rooted in our true identity that is found in Christ alone. The result of this will be a generation of college students who are marked by a faith that is filled with hope, power, and humility.

As a CRUX student, you will have the opportunity to connect with community leaders and other passionate students through organized events, attending church together, and giving back to the community. The unique aspect about CRUX is North Park believes that both discipleship and scholarship go together. So not only will you be discipled, you will receive academic credit towards your intended major. Over the one-year cohort, our goal is to equip students with the skills needed to strive as a Christian with integrity, the ability to articulate one’s faith, and confidence in sharing that faith with others.”

On the Day to Day Life of a CRUX Student

“On a weekly basis, students will:

  • Connect with and attend a local Evangelical Covenant Church
  • Share Sunday night dinner
  • Attend Bible study
  • Worship in Chapel service
  • Have daily devotions
  • Participate in service opportunities

In addition, CRUX students have the opportunity to:

  • Interact with community leaders through didactics
  • Attend retreats, local and international mission trips
  • Participate in the Experience of Sankofa

Each week, students will meet one-on-one with their Seminary Ministry Coach (SMC) to connect and check-in. The SMC is there to help you succeed. This one-on-one time can be used however the students wish–from praying, hanging out, or sharing an activity.

Once a month there will also be scheduled events that exist outside of campus and a less-work, more-play mentality. These events could be anything from a day at the beach, eating a Chicago-dog at Millennium Park, or taking in the fine arts of Chicago.”

Learn More About CRUX

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