Happy New Year. We’re eager to see what 2025 will bring our way even as we look back at last year with gratitude.

We spent Christmas in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with our two adult children. Bethany lives there with her two companions — large dogs named Rhema and Glory. (In the photo a the bottom of the page, Anne Marie pets Rhema.) The dogs make it difficult for Bethany to travel, so she preferers to host for holidays, and does a great job. Michael lives about a two-hour drive south of her. They see each other about once a month.

Of course we did the normal Christmas activities, like exchanging gifts and eating meals together. We also did a puzzle tied to a family memory (above), played a new board game, watched Christmas movies and went bowling. We even ventured outdoors for the Fox Cities Festival of Lights (below).

While we were there, I was happy to know that people across the country were learning how to follow Jesus more closely as they took advantage of the Christmas devotionals our Cru team created. Before Christmas, more than 10,000 new subscribers signed up for the series. That’s in addition to people who have signed up for our previous similar devotional series.

Now, as I get back to work, I’m focused on two priorities. One is a Discipleship Pathways booklet that will be available to Cru staff members in all of our different ministries to use. It will be written by field staff members, then finished by our communications team at headquarters. We hope to have a test version printed and ready to show during our Cru staff conference this July.

I’m also coordinating our team’s work on four Cru Storylines Cru Storylines  articles. We’re finishing an article about Cru’s Athletes in Action’s ministry. Another story is about Cru’s humanitarian aid ministry, Unto, in Thailand where a team is helping farmers increase food production while also presenting the gospel. We’re reporting about a lawyer who is leading Bible studies for others in her profession. And last month, a writer and photographer joined members of a Cru campus ministry that spent part of their school break in North Carolina helping with ongoing hurricane recovery.

As you think of us this month, please pray for the staff members writing the Discipleship Pathways articles as they also begin their outreaches in the new year. And please pray that our Cru Storylines articles will help readers grow in their faith as they see and hear how God is at work around the work. Thanks so much for playing a role in our ministry.  

Sincerely in Christ, — Mark