Keene State’s chapter of Cru, an international Christian organization, has grown from an average of six members to 40 members within the last year, according to sophomore and Vice President of the club Michael Boschetto. As the new semester begins, the organization’s leaders said they hope to continue to grow and build a community for Christian students to come together.
Cru President and KSC junior Noah Lopshire shared the club’s mission statement, which says, “We are a student org. that wants to invite the whole campus and the whole world to know Jesus and the life and hope that are found in Him.”
In practice, Lopshire said the organization hosts weekly meetings on Tuesdays for members to participate in a group Bible study and have fellowship. In addition, the club hosts occasional additional events like men’s and women’s group meetings and attends worship nights at other churches in the area.
“It’s important to have this kind of community on campus for Christian students to gather and share their faith with each other,” said Boschetto.
“For people who share the Christian faith, it’s very hard to find a place like that in the world and on a college campus,” Boschetto said. “It’s important that we give people with those beliefs an opportunity to be in community with others who share similar beliefs with them.”
“It can be very difficult as a Christian to be in an environment where you are around people who act differently than we believe and who might believe differently,” Lopshire added. “It allows us a place to connect with each other and continue to grow in our faith in a place where it can be very lonely and stagnant without that group connection.”
Lopshire said his favorite part of being involved with the organization has been the support he has felt from the community and the relationships he has built with other members of the group.
“Before I was a part of Cru, I was going through a lot of loneliness and struggling with my faith because it just felt like I was separated from any people who were going to provide me with support,” said Lopshire. “Through Cru, I found so much of that support and so many people to connect with and have relationships with. I see so many people around campus now who I can call my friends and I know that I can talk to them whenever I need.”
On the topic of the immense growth that the organization has seen within the past year, Lopshire said it has been an unexpected blessing for Boschetto and himself to take on leadership roles within the club during this time period.
“It definitely didn’t come to our minds that we would have this big of a growth,” said Lopshire. “That can only be attributed to God. All thanks to Him, all glory to Him because without Him, there’s no way we would be able to come close to getting this group together, but it’s been such a blessing. We found leaders through so many people who have joined this year.”
Club member and first-year student Caiden Cox added that the large number of student athletes within the organization’s community has assisted in the growth of the group.
“All the athletes that we have in Cru have been able to expand the program immensely,” Cox said. “They’re able to talk to their friends and it just explodes from there.”
Looking ahead to the spring semester, Lopshire said Cru is hoping to host more fun events to get group members together, as well as take some inspiration from the University of New Hampshire chapter of Cru and host some smaller group meetings.
“Because of having a larger group, it’s hard to help people really connect with each other through the study we’re doing,” he said. “So, doing a monthly big group meeting and on the other weeks having small groups that can get to know each other better and connect with each other, that’s one of the ways that we could expand in the future.”
Cox suggested that any interested students should consider joining the group, saying, “If you want to grow your faith in Jesus, there’s no better way to do that than reading with other Christians in a room together.”
Lopshire added, “No matter what people’s backgrounds are, we want to be a community who accepts people and who welcomes them in with their interest and wants to get to know them and grow closer with them, no matter what your walk of life is.”
Cru holds weekly meetings every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Madison Street Lounge.
Justin Dearborn can be contacted at
jdearborn@kscequinox.com
