July 2026 Ministry Update & Prayer Letter
- heegikim
- Jul 14
- 14 min read
[ Watch Our July 2026 Ministry Update & Prayer Letter (English Subtitles) ]
Dear Ministry Partners,
As we reflect on this past year, what has remained with us most deeply is not the size of our ministry or the numbers we could report. Rather, it is the privilege of witnessing God transform one life and then use that transformed life to influence another.
We have watched students who were once afraid to share the Gospel begin boldly telling their friends about Jesus. We have seen students who once struggled to find confidence in their own faith grow into leaders who now open God's Word with others and faithfully pray alongside them. Every time we witness these stories of transformation, we are reminded once again of the depth of Christ's love and His faithfulness.
God is alive and at work on college campuses today, and He continues to raise up the next generation for His Kingdom.
A few weeks ago, as we wrapped up the 2025–2026 ministry year, we took time to reflect on all that God had done throughout the year. While putting together a video highlighting His work across our campuses, we were reminded that His plans were far greater and more wonderful than anything we could have imagined. Above all, we were reminded that every step of this journey has been made possible through faithful ministry partners like you, who have stood with us in prayer and generous support.
Because of your prayers, we have been able to meet students where they are. Because of your financial partnership, we have been able to faithfully share the Gospel on campus. We are deeply grateful for your partnership in this ministry.
As we look ahead, we are now preparing in faith for the 2026–2027 ministry year.
During the summer, our campuses become quiet for a season. Yet even in the stillness, God is already preparing hearts for the new academic year. Rather than rushing ahead of Him, we desire to walk in step with His leading—praying faithfully for the students He will bring and preparing our hearts for all that He has planned in the year ahead.
Dreaming of Campuses Where Disciples Make Disciples
Since last year, Gyeongseon has joined me in serving with Rutgers University Epic (Cru). As we prepare for this new ministry year, our desire is not simply to lead meetings or organize programs, but to spend more intentional time with students—walking alongside them and helping them grow as devoted followers of Christ through personal discipleship. We are grateful that God is already bearing fruit on several campuses.
At FDU Metro, student leaders who have grown in their own faith are now investing in younger students through God's Word. It is a joy to watch those who were once being discipled now praying with others, sharing the Gospel, and helping fellow students grow in Christ. Each time we witness this, we are reminded that Jesus' command in Matthew 28:19—"Go and make disciples of all nations"—is still being fulfilled on college campuses today.
One student's story especially captures what God has been doing.
Allan is a junior at FDU Metro. Last year, he stepped into the role of student leader for the first time. Although he faithfully accepted the responsibility, he often questioned whether he was capable of leading others. Yet long before Allan felt ready, God had already begun preparing him for His purposes.
During our Fall Retreat and Winter Conference, Allan spent significant time reflecting on God's calling for his life. Those experiences became a turning point in his spiritual journey. Instead of focusing only on maintaining his own walk with Christ, God began expanding his vision to love, serve, and invest in the lives of others. That transformation became even more evident during our Spring Break mission trip.
Allan joined a team of students serving in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he had the opportunity to share the Gospel and personally witness God's deep love for those who do not yet know Him. When he returned to campus, he was no longer the same person. Rather than keeping what God had done in his own heart to himself, he began inviting friends to Cru, reading Scripture with them, praying alongside them, and intentionally encouraging them to grow in their faith.
Today, God is using Allan to do exactly what Jesus modeled—making disciples who will, in turn, make disciples. As he walks alongside other students, helping them mature in Christ and become the next generation of spiritual leaders, we are reminded once again that when God transforms one life, He often uses that one life to transform many others.
Please join us in praying that God would continue to raise up many more students like Allan on campuses across New Jersey—students who will faithfully follow Christ and invest their lives in making disciples for generations to come.
Seeds of Faith Growing Beneath the Surface
Not every campus is experiencing the same season of ministry.
At William Paterson University and Ramapo College, we have not yet seen enough student leaders emerge, and the campus fellowships are still in the early stages of becoming healthy, consistent communities. Because there are few visible results at this point, there are moments when we are tempted to become discouraged or impatient.
In those moments, God continually brings us back to His promise in Hosea 10:12:
"Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers His righteousness on you."
This verse has become a guiding theme for our ministry this year.
Rather than measuring success by immediate results, we believe God is calling us to faithfully prepare the soil. Our prayer is that over the next two to three years, these campuses will become places where healthy spiritual communities take root and students are equipped to make disciples who make disciples. For now, our calling is to faithfully sow seeds, cultivate relationships, and trust God to establish deep roots.
A seed does not bear fruit the moment it is planted. It first grows quietly beneath the surface, developing roots that no one can see. Then, in God's perfect timing, it begins to flourish and produce fruit.
That is the hope that sustains us today.
Because we trust God's promises, we continue to sow with joy, even when the harvest is not yet visible. We eagerly look forward to the day when He will grow these small seeds into strong, flourishing trees—places where countless college students will find shelter, discover the hope of the Gospel, and experience new life in Christ.
Thank you for continuing to pray with us as God prepares the ground for a harvest that we believe is still to come.
God Is Leading Students Beyond the Campus and Into the World
As we reflect on this past year, one of our greatest reasons for gratitude is seeing God stir a fresh spiritual movement across college campuses throughout New Jersey. More students participated in our Fall Retreat, Winter Conference, freshman outreach, and summer mission opportunities than in previous years. One especially encouraging milestone was our monthly J-Cru New Jersey United Worship gathering, where, for the first time since the pandemic, average attendance grew to more than 100 students worshiping together.
Yet our joy is not simply because attendance has increased.
We rejoice because more students are developing a genuine hunger to worship God. More students are praying for their friends, stepping out in faith to share the Gospel, and choosing to follow Christ with greater courage and conviction. Most of all, we are witnessing God transform hearts across our campuses. Every time we see these stories unfold, we are reminded that God is raising up a new generation of Christ-centered leaders in New Jersey.
At the same time, we believe this is not the culmination of God's work—it is only the beginning.
Every May, we send off students who have faithfully grown into mature leaders as they graduate and step into the next season of life. Then, every August, a new class of freshmen arrives on campus, ready to begin a journey that many of them do not yet realize God has already prepared.
For this movement to continue from one generation of students to the next, we know it will require even more faithful prayer, intentional discipleship, and loving investment.
If we are honest, preparing for each new academic year also brings moments of uncertainty. We sometimes ask ourselves,
"Will we be able to faithfully steward all that God entrusts to us this year?"
"Will we love and disciple the new students He brings to our campuses well?"
Those questions are real. Yet they are never stronger than our hope.
The reason we can step onto campus with confidence is simple: we remember what God has already done.
We have seen Him pursue one student, transform that student's life, and then use that transformed life to reach others. Again and again, God has taken small acts of faithful obedience and used them to change lives across our campuses.
Because of His faithfulness, we move into this new ministry year with great expectation, believing that God is already writing new stories of faith that will bring glory to His name.
Learning to See the World Through God's Heart
During this year's Spring Break, we had the privilege of taking a team of students on a short-term mission trip to Puerto Rico.
Preparing for the trip was not without its challenges. There were financial obstacles, and we wondered how God would use this experience in the lives of our students. Yet as we look back, it is clear that God had gone before us, preparing the way long before we arrived. Throughout the trip, our students stepped into an unfamiliar culture and language, learning what it means to depend on God as they shared the Gospel and served with humble obedience.
One of the greatest joys for us was watching students who had once been hesitant to share their faith with classmates on campus now praying with complete strangers and boldly telling them about Jesus. It was a powerful reminder that God delights in using willing hearts, even when they feel inadequate.
Perhaps the greatest transformation, however, was not in what the students did, but in how they began to see.
Many of them had previously viewed their faith primarily through the lens of their own campus and personal walk with Christ. During the mission trip, God began opening their eyes to His deep love for every nation, every culture, and every people.
After we returned home, one student quietly shared these words with us:
"God not only brought healing to the pain and brokenness in my own life, but for the first time I truly understood that His love extends far beyond my campus—to every nation and every person."
Hearing that testimony reminded us once again why we take students on mission.
Our goal was never simply to give them the opportunity to travel overseas. Our prayer was that they would begin to see the world through God's eyes and share His heart for the nations.
We are deeply grateful because God answered that prayer in beautiful ways.
A New Vision God Has Planted in Our Hearts
Since returning from Puerto Rico, one prayer has continued to echo in our hearts:
"Lord, would You send us again next year.”
As we look ahead, we sense God inviting us to dream beyond a single Spring Break mission trip. Our hope is that, in the years to come, we can take students not only during Spring Break but also during the summer to serve on university campuses around the world. By spending more time alongside local students, building genuine relationships, and sharing the Gospel together, we believe students will experience God's heart for the nations in even deeper ways.
If we focus only on what we can accomplish, this vision feels overwhelming.
Even this year's mission to Puerto Rico was far beyond what we could have done on our own. Yet, time and again, God faithfully provided everything we needed through the prayers, generosity, and encouragement of faithful ministry partners like you. As we begin praying about next year, we choose to remember His faithfulness rather than be overcome by our fears.
To be honest, we hesitated before sharing this vision with you. We wondered if it might feel like an additional burden. But the more we prayed, the more we found ourselves remembering the faces of the people we met in Puerto Rico and the lives of the students God transformed through the trip. Those memories would not leave our hearts.
Instead of holding this vision to ourselves, we felt led to bring it before God together with you—our faithful ministry partners.
We do not yet know where God will send us next. It may be Puerto Rico once again, or it may be an entirely different country and campus. But one thing is certain:
When students encounter God's heart beyond the boundaries of their own campus, their lives are never the same. And as they return home, God uses them to influence their classmates, invest in younger believers, and raise up still more disciples. This is how the vision of "The Whole Campus to the Whole World!" becomes a reality.
As we entrust this vision to the Lord, we invite you to pray with us.
We believe that one faithful prayer can send one student beyond the campus. And through that student's life, God can draw many more people to Himself. What a privilege it is that we get to be part of the story God is writing together.
The Joy of Bearing Fruit Together
As we reflect on this past year, we are overwhelmed by the many ways God has worked beyond anything we could have imagined.
Watching students come to know Christ, grow in their faith, and begin investing in the lives of others has reminded us again and again that God is still powerfully at work on college campuses today.
Yet behind every story of transformed lives was another prayer that we brought before the Lord day after day—the financial provision needed to continue this ministry.
Last January, we faced one of the most difficult financial seasons since beginning our ministry. There were moments when we had to ask whether we would be able to continue serving on campus at all. Instead of focusing fully on meeting with students and sharing the Gospel, we found ourselves worrying about something much more basic—whether we would be able to maintain a place to live.
During that season, the Lord gently reminded us,
"Isn't this My ministry?"
Those words became a source of deep comfort and renewed faith. And true to His promise, God faithfully provided.
Through the prayers, generosity, and encouragement of faithful ministry partners like you, He met our needs one step at a time. Then, in April, He graciously opened the door for us to move into affordable housing, significantly easing our financial burden. Looking back, we realize that the entire journey was an opportunity to experience God's faithfulness in a deeper way. Once again, He reminded us that He chooses to accomplish His work through the prayers and partnership of His people.
Even so, we continue to depend on the Lord's provision.
As missionaries with Cru, we are able to serve on campus because of the faithful prayers and financial partnership of friends like you. When our ministry support falls short, the greatest cost is not our personal comfort—it is the time we are able to spend with students.
Every hour spent raising support is an hour we cannot spend sitting across the table from a student, opening God's Word together, praying with them, sharing the Gospel, or walking alongside them as they grow in Christ.
That is the greatest sacrifice for us.
Our deepest desire is simply to spend as much time as possible investing in students—to listen to those who are searching for hope, to disciple new believers as they take their first steps of faith, and to introduce the love of Jesus to college students who have never heard the Gospel.
We believe this is the calling God has entrusted to us.
And so, as we begin this new ministry year, we continue to pray in faith that the Lord will provide everything needed so that we can remain fully devoted to serving the students He has placed before us.
Building God's Kingdom Together
Whenever we witness a student's life being transformed, we often find ourselves asking,
"How many prayers and acts of love made it possible for this student to encounter Jesus?"
Although we are the ones who have the privilege of meeting students on campus, we know we are never serving alone.
Because of your prayers, we are able to meet students where they are.
Because of your financial partnership, we are able to be present on campus day after day.
Because of your love and encouragement, students are hearing the Gospel, growing in Christ, and experiencing lives transformed by His grace.
That is why we rarely think of you simply as "supporters."
We think of you as ministry partners.
Every student who comes to know Christ, every life that is transformed, and every disciple who goes on to invest in others is fruit that God is producing through all of us together. What a joy it is to share in His work side by side.
As we begin this new ministry year, we are praying that God will raise up seven new monthly ministry partners who feel led to invest $100 or more each month in what He is doing on college campuses.
We are also trusting Him to provide for several important ministry opportunities this fall, including freshman outreach, our first ten-week discipleship program, the continued development of ministries at Ramapo College and William Paterson University, and scholarships that will enable students to attend our Fall and Winter Conferences.
If the Lord places our ministry on your heart, one of the greatest gifts you can give is to pray faithfully with us. And if you know someone who shares a heart for reaching college students with the Gospel, we would be deeply grateful if you would consider introducing them to our ministry.
Above all, we rest in the confidence that God knows exactly what is needed. In His perfect timing, He will continue to provide the people, the resources, and the opportunities necessary to accomplish His purposes.
Thank you for partnering with us in what God is doing on college campuses. We are deeply grateful to serve together with you as we seek to make disciples who will make disciples for generations to come.
Prayer Requests
As we prepare for the new academic year, we would be deeply grateful if you would join us in praying for the following:
Open Doors for the Gospel Please pray that God would open wide the doors for the Gospel on the six campuses where we serve—NJIT, Rutgers Epic, FDU Metro, William Paterson University, Ramapo College, and Bergen Community College—and that He would continue to build Christ-centered communities where disciples make disciples.
Student Leaders Please pray for the 24 student leaders serving on our campuses. Pray that during the summer they would grow in their relationship with the Lord, be spiritually refreshed, and return to campus prepared to lead with faith, humility, and courage.
Freshman Outreach Beginning in August, we will welcome a new class of freshmen. Please pray that God would lead us to students whose hearts are open to the Gospel and that healthy communities of prayer, worship, Bible study, and discipleship would be established on every campus.
Cru Staff in New Jersey Please pray for all of the Cru staff members and their families throughout New Jersey. Ask God to strengthen our unity, give us wisdom during this season of change, and enable us to serve the next generation with joy and perseverance.
Spiritual Awakening Please pray that every work of spiritual darkness that opposes the Gospel on our campuses would be broken in the name of Jesus Christ, and that God's Kingdom would continue to advance with power among college students.
Thank You for Walking This Journey with Us
Dear Ministry Partners,
Thank you for taking the time to read this prayer letter.
Whenever we pray with students, share the Gospel, or gather for worship on campus, we are reminded that we are never serving alone. Your prayers walk the campuses with us, and your partnership is woven into every story of a life being transformed by the grace of God.
One day, in God's eternal Kingdom, we believe we will stand together with students whose lives were forever changed because they encountered Jesus during their college years. On that day, we will all share the same joyful confession:
"God did it all."
With that hope before us, we continue to step onto our campuses each day with faith and expectation.
Thank you for walking this journey with us. Your prayers, encouragement, and partnership strengthen us more than words can express. We are truly grateful to serve alongside you as we seek to reach the next generation with the hope of the Gospel.
Please continue to pray with us—for the students we have yet to meet, for the campuses God has entrusted to us, and for the countless young men and women who have not yet heard the good news of Jesus Christ.
May the Lord richly bless you and your family with His abundant grace, peace, and joy. We pray that His presence will continue to strengthen and encourage you in every season.
With gratitude in Christ,
Heegi & Gyeongseon Kim Campus Missionaries | Cru New Jersey
July, 2026
