MARC AND PATTY RUTTER: CRU INTL

Have any of you ever taught or mentored someone and then had them contact you many years later in order to let you know that what you said and did for them truly made a life changing impact? For Marc and Patty Rutter of Campus Crusade for Christ International (Cru), this was a not just a dream but a reality that was shared in a recent letter to the WCC Missions Committee.

Sometime around 1984 or ’85 they had been leading a campus ministry at a major university in Pennsylvania. As part of their work they took some of these students to a weeklong conference during the spring break. Little did they know that during this time on the university campus and at this conference they would have a profound effect on one particular student. Fast forward to 2015 and a letter that they received gave proof of this. This former student shared a matchbook from the hotel that they all stayed at along with a message letting them know that their encouragement set the foundation for him as he is now a professor at a university in Ohio doing for his students what the Rutters did for him.

The Rutters have been with Cru for over 36 years serving Christ. Their key phrase that they use in their letterhead is “Connecting Lost People to Jesus – Reaching the Next Generation of Leaders”. They currently provide direct leadership and development to all Cru ministries in the U.S. Marc and Patty have four children ranging from ages 22 to 28 and Marc is a former graduate of UCI. This latest letter used the story of the former student to set the stage for their current prayer request. Cru has held onto the tradition of holding these spring break conferences, now called Big Break. This spring there will be two conferences in Panama City, FL and Los Angeles, CA respectively. The mornings will entail training and practical experience to share the Gospel. Each afternoon they’ll be encouraged to apply that training while they go to the nearby beaches, campuses, and communities. The evenings will provide them with Biblical teaching and worship.

The Rutters are asking us to pray for the thousands of students who will participate in these conferences. Please pray for all involved (students, teachers, and those who will receive the invitation to meet, know, and follow Jesus by way of dialogue with these students). Pray that this experience will impact the lives of the students, just as was the case of the former student from way back in ’84 or ’85.