Click the image above for the PDF version of this letter.

Winter and Spring Things

Our annual winter conference was a big hit to cap off 2008. Encounter is by far my biggest project of the year as I am in charge of creating the promotions and on-site materials for the students and staff. I’m so glad I get to participate in this event that draws hundreds of college students from schools across the MidSouth to grow and be challenged in their faith. This year we had roughly 1,100 attend. It’s also fun to see the payoff of the months of prayer and planning that happen throughout the year. We have already begun planning for next year!

About a week after my team reconvened after winter conference, my laptop died. Fortunately, I was able to recover all my data (and that it didn’t die during winter conference). I rely on my laptop to do all my graphic art work so I had to replace it pretty quickly. The regional office replaced my computer so I could get back to work but now I have an added drain on my staff account as I pay off the balance (about $1200). I did get the replacement in time to do design work for our Women’s Conference as well as design promotions and run AV for Preview Weekend, our ministry recruiting conference for students.

After a pretty hectic winter, I’m cautiously optimistic about what life holds for the upcoming months. I’m now seeing a girl named Sarah Fowler. She is also on staff with Campus Crusade and we met last summer in NYC. I’ve been spending many of my weekends this semester in Lexington, SC visiting Sarah who is staying at her parents’ while attending a rehab program at HealthSouth. On December 1st, Sarah was hit by a car while walking in a neighborhood in Orlando, FL. She sustained a fractured skull and brain trauma but has made a lot of progress in recovery over the last three months. Next week she will transition back to working with the staffweb team in Orlando, FL. Please pray for her as she gets used to working, regulating pain medicine and the emotional transition to living “on her own” again. Also pray for me as I try to balance working this spring with traveling to maintain a good relationship with Sarah as well as raising much needed support including finding new partners to help fund my ministry.

Thanks for all you do for me and for Campus Crusade for Christ.

Hello from New York City!

I’ve been here for 3 weeks and have finally stopped getting lost in Manhattan. I’m on the Arts track of our Tribeca NYC summer project. Campus Crusade staff and students from across the country are engaging people in the city through spiritual conversations and through art culminating in our gallery showing July 9-12. As I have met and talked at length with college students here in the city (NYU, Hunter College, Columbia, etc…), I have been growing in my understanding of what it means to join into someone’s spiritual journey–listening to their stories and meeting them where they are so that I may be a guide to the good news of Jesus Christ. I’ve found my motivation for sharing my faith renewed because of those personal connections that I have made on campus this summer.

I write so that you may be encouraged by some of the things that are happening through this project. We still have two more weeks of going onto campus and working in the studio. Please pray that lives will be changed and that more people will come to know Jesus.

I must raise additional $1900 for my summer expenses (above regular monthly support). Your support is a crucial part of this project and helps keep me in full time ministry in the months following the summer. If you are able, please consider making a special gift of $200 or any other amount. Because I am still in New York, My mom, Judy, will receive any checks (made out to Campus Crusade for Christ) and make a record of your special gift for me before sending them in to Campus Crusade headquarters. You may also make a credit card gift securely online from my listing at http://give.ccci.org

Thanks for considering giving to this worth-while project.

Warmest regards,

John Cliver

Staff Acct. #0549480

send special gift checks to:

Judy Cliver

153 Brook Ave.

Mount Airy, NC 27030

Packing for NYC

It is now clear that I’m actually getting on a plane and flying to the city that never sleeps, New York. So many things have distracted me from this reality, end of semester stuff at NC State, winter conference planning, but now my to do list says, “pack for NYC.” My flight leaves Raleigh next Wednesday! I guess I’m excited but honestly I’m just unsure of where I’m going when I get off the plane.

March/April Update (right-click image above to download PDF version)

The “end of the year”

For college students that’s in May. I’ve been so fortunate to see God do some great things in the lives of students this year at NC State and from across the region.

Matt, a freshman from Matthews, NC was accepted into leadership with Campus Crusade at NC State and will be leading a freshman guys’ bible study next year. This semester, Matt and I have met on Thursday mornings over bagels and coffee for discipleship (basically training in personal and spiritual growth). We have focussed on clearly communicating how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Recently we were able to share the gospel message with another student, Blanton, in the student union and see him pray to receive Christ. Please pray for Matt and Blanton as they grow in their relationships with the Lord.

This summer I will be in New York City staffing our NYC Tribeca Arts summer project from June 4 through July 15. I’m still working in the office but looking forward to the fall semester events with the NC State campus crusade staff team and leading bible study again “next year.”

Thanks for your Prayers and Partnership.

Soularium: A conversational tool developed by artists within Campus Crusade. Repackaged and Revamped through the Tribeca Arts Project for wider use on campuses in the US and around the world.

Chicken Wings

Five minutes before everything started, there were only a small handful of guys (4 at the most) waiting around in the TV lounge. A little disappointed, but convinced of the value of what we were doing, I got together with Matt, a freshman in my bible study, to run through what he was going to say. Matt’s job was to Emcee the event and give a short presentation of the gospel. At about 30 seconds before start time, roughly 20 more guys streamed into the room.

This collection of residents from Carroll Hall dorm (mostly men) were treated to free chicken wings by the two Campus 
Crusade bible studies connected with the dorm. The event gives our bible study and also Campus Crusade for Christ exposure but our two major purposes were to serve the dorm and clearly communicate the good news of Jesus Christ.

After explaining the order of events, Matt, who had never spoken in front of a group like this, told the small crowd about the purpose of Campus Crusade at NC State:

“We exist on this campus for two reasons. First, to clear up misconceptions about what it means to be a Christian, We believe God loves us and want what’s best for us. Because of sin, none of us can live up to His standards and so cannot be with Him. God sent his son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sin and offers the gift of his son freely to all people. We can receive Jesus by faith and fully experience a personal relationship with God.Secondly, Campus Crusade provides a spiritual resource for students to grow in their relationship with God.“