{"id":4732,"date":"2023-03-02T15:27:49","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T23:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/high-school\/go-to-the-campus\/?p=4732"},"modified":"2026-01-11T08:05:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T16:05:26","slug":"why-should-i-volunteer-with-cru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/high-school\/go-to-the-campus\/why-should-i-volunteer-with-cru\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Should I Volunteer with Cru?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I was just out of college and looking for a place to serve. I found myself at a ministry fair where different ministries were sharing about their missions. I stumbled across a table that was for a Cru ministry reaching high school students and I asked, “Can high school students really become multiplying disciples?”<\/p>

Their answer was a resounding, \u201cYes!\u201d And in front of me stood living proof, a young lady named Beth. She had just graduated from high school in Phoenix, AZ, and was enrolled in some ministry training classes. As we talked, her spiritual maturity and love for Jesus were evident.<\/p>

I came away from that encounter wondering what would have happened if someone had discipled me<\/em> in high school? I surely would have avoided a lot of sin and heartache and maybe made an impact for Christ on my friends.<\/p>

So, I joined Cru in reaching teenagers. It has been an exciting and inspiring journey to work with high school students. It did not take me long to learn these three things about high school students: they are HUNGRY, NEEDY, and INFLUENTIAL.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Teenagers Are HUNGRY<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Whether working with students in the suburbs of Orange County or the inner city of Long Beach, I have observed teenagers really want to know God. They may not know<\/em> that they want to know God, as they search for meaning in relationships, achievement, sports, and other activities. But when they hear a clear gospel presentation, many are eager to say \u201cYes\u201d to Jesus.<\/p>

Sadly, this hunger does not last their whole life. The Barna Association continues to report that 75% of all people who choose to follow Jesus, do so before age 18. As youth leaders have been saying for years, \u201cTeenagers are like wet cement, waiting for someone to come and make an impression on them.\u201d For many, the cement hardens soon after their high school years, adding great urgency to our calling. Teenagers need trusted adults and caring peers to enter into their lives while they are still hungry for what the gospel offers. Who will tell them about Jesus?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Teenagers Are NEEDY<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Teenagers were searching for love and acceptance when Cru was founded in 1951, and they are still doing so today. They are entering an age when they are beginning to be influenced less by their parents and more by their peers and the world around them. They are looking for a place to belong and are trying to figure out who they are in a world that is more than happy to answer that question for them.<\/p>

Teens desperately seek acceptance through social media, and they despair when their peers do not affirm them — or worse, mock and bully them. Fewer and fewer young people grow up in stable homes or have healthy adults in their lives who will guide them and encourage them. This generation is experiencing a mental health crisis with no end in sight.<\/p>

On top of all that, teenagers know less and less about Jesus and the Bible than any generation in American history. The very person they most need (Jesus) is the One they know the least about. They are dying of thirst while the Source of living water is right next to them. They need someone to tell them the good news. Who will tell them?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\tTeenagers need trusted adults and caring peers to enter into their lives while they are still hungry for what the gospel offers. Who will tell them about Jesus?\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Teenagers Are INFLUENTIAL<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Although the world is still largely run by adults, we see teens and young adults in places of surprising influence:\u00a0<\/p>