In college ministry, May is a bittersweet month. It’s sweet because we get to celebrate a full semester of God’s work with parties, food and even outreaches. But it is sad we must see so many seniors graduate. In fact at our last “Jersey Cru,” (our monthly, statewide gathering), we asked seniors (pictured above) to give short nuggets of wisdom to all our underclassmen. It was so encouraging to hear them one after another give such Christ-exalting, Biblical advice.

Jonathan from Rutgers (featured in the “Every Student” video I shared last month) shared such a sweet but simple truth: “If you want to serve God, make friends with people who are serving God.” For so many of our students, life after college is a real challenge, so this nugget is crucial to apply. Pray for all our students to get connected to a great Christian community quickly, so they can keep growing!

Liz from New Jersey City University (left) shared to not get so lost and burnt out doing things for God that you lose your fire and passion and love for Christ. Since our student leaders are go-getters, this is certainly fitting counsel! They will go on to be on mission in their jobs and at their churches, but love for Christ could get lost in the busyness of mission if one is not careful. Pray this would be true of our students after graduation.

Jeffrey from Montclair State (right) reminded the students to not forget about the importance and value of the work of Christ. “Guys, remember the Gospel! The Gospel changes lives!” Working closely with Jeffrey the last few years has been a true joy. He is sincere in his love for evangelism! Pray that he and all our students would continue to have a “missionary mentality” no matter what profession they move into.

Our New Season

Whether you are leaving college or well into your adult life, seasons tend to change. New responsibilities and blessings will alter your course. In fact, Jenn and I have a new season coming our way! Due late July, we are expecting our third child! We are super excited and thankful God chose to bless our family once more. While we would have been happy to have either a boy or a girl, God chose to diversify our portfolio WITH A GIRL! Her name will be Lana Isabel Sforza.

The reason we call this letter special is to share transparently about our needs. As you know, Cru has no central funds to pay for staff salaries, health costs and ministry expenses. Your partnership is crucial for us to continue this Kingdom work as a family.

In addition to Lana’s practical baby needs (about $100/month) and upfront pregnancy, labor and delivery costs (about $2000 out-of-pocket), a third child on Campus Crusade’s healthcare plan will increase our monthly premium by $500/month. Also, over the past 6 months, we lost $755/month in support due to partners having financial or health hardships. Combined, this reflects a support gap of $1405/month.

Thankfully, after pursuing new friends and seeing current partners increase, the Lord has already brought in $650/month toward this goal! We will continue to work hard on gaining more partners this summer (along with other staff assignments like Summer Connect – more on that in June!).

As of now though, this still amounts to a total need of $705/month. By year’s end this would leave us with a shortfall of over $5000 for 2017. We are trusting God to provide!

Would you prayerfully consider helping us reach these funds by either

• giving a special one-time gift?
• increasing your giving if you’re already a partner?
• or by joining our team of partners at any monthly amount?

Please make checks payable to “Cru” and mail them back with provided envelope by June 15th. You can also give online: www.GIVE.SFORZAGRAMS.com. All gifts are tax-deductible! Feel free to contact us with any questions: Joey.Sforza@cru.org.

You have been so gracious to us over the years, and for that we are grateful. Whatever you decide, our full appreciation for you is unchanging. Thank you!

Thankfully,

Joey, Jenn, Gianluca, Gabriel and Lana Sforza 🙂