Mission + Vision:

"Cru is a caring community passionate about connecting students to one another and to Jesus."

We exist so that every student and faculty knows someone who truly follows Jesus.  Our mission is win, build, send (win students to Christ, build them up in their faith and send them out to the world so that they can help fulfill the Great Commission. 

Website + Contacts:

Mark Hough: 814-933-7407

Kim Hough: 814-933-7493

Interested in West Chester Cru? DM us at @cruwcu

The main way the ministry is meeting needs:

We are 1 of the only Christian student organizations on campus at WCU, a campus of nearly 17,000 students. We are providing a gospel-centered community for students to discover and learn about Jesus and grow in their faith at college. 

How is the ministry sharing the gospel and making disciples:

We share the gospel dozens of times a week through 1-on-1 discipleship with students, initiative evangelism, small group Bible studies, large group weekly meeting, our student leader meeting (ALG - all leader gathering) and following up with new students. We encourage all students in Cru to go through Cru Core Values, 5 lessons on the foundations of Christianity and that in turn leads to discipleship.

Provide one story of life change directly from the ministry

Kim met with Allie last spring after she had started coming out to Cru a few times. She was a brand new believer (her friend, another WCU freshman in Cru, Amber, had shared the gospel with her over Christmas break).  Allie was raw and hungry to learn. She was also still living the party scene because that was all she knew in high school and her 1st semester in college. She knew it wasn’t what God desired and I encouraged her to prioritize growing in her faith through getting involved in a local church, Cru and going on a summer mission trip with Cru. She also wanted to lead in Cru but some of our staff were hesitant because of how young in her faith Allie was. I saw a hunger that is rare and encouraged her to continue to grow and we’d evaluate if she was ready to lead in the fall. Fast forward to this month, here is a snippet of something Allie shared with our 40 other Cru student leaders to encourage them: 

“Happy finals week! Pray for you all! Praise God for blessing us with such a strong community of believers that provide us opportunities to share the good news! Each one of you are making an impact on this fallen world, sharing the love of God!”

Allie is one of most encouraging, servant-hearted leaders that is committed to reaching freshmen with the gospel. Join me in praying with her to reach more students at WCU with the love of Jesus!

3-4 Prayer requests

• Prayer for our students to walk in faith and boldly share their faith with their friends and classmates 
• Praise that Mark completed his Masters of Divinity! Pray for clarity with next steps in Cru and how to best utilize his giftings and passions
• Pray for the multiple purity groups Mark is leading with students and staff, that men would walk in sexual wholeness
• Pray for our personal financial support. We are still trusting God to help us raise $700 in monthly support 

2-3 ways Providence can tangibly get involved

Collaborate on college-age events or connect with how to train Prov college group in evangelism skills if interested. Collaborative prayer time for this current college generation

Mark and Kim joined staff with Cru in 2006. They spent five years at Penn State before moving to West Chester in 2012. Mark graduated from Penn State and Kim from the University of Oregon. They have three kids: Cole, Peyton, and Luke. Mark enjoys college football, rock music, and watching movies. He's also an avid UFC fan. Kim loves to be outdoors, run, and hang out with friends.