I walked into the auditorium of Showalter Hall on Wednesday night and was immediately met with relaxing music, good company and the feeling of being home.

Going to Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), for me, is like a small vacation I go on every week for two hours. I show up and all the stress of school, work and family just melts away. I find a seat with friends and, for two hours, there is no world outside of Showalter Hall.

On average, about 150 students pile into Showalter Hall once a week to join in the Cru movement. We come with a thirst for knowledge and we leave with a refreshing look on life.

Everything about Cru is real, unscripted and pure. The songs we sing each week are performed by current students and they are typically current hits played on Positive Life Radio or Spirit FM.

After we do our jam session, a staff member or student will welcome everyone to Cru, give us any announcements and introduce a student who has asked to speak. That particular student will then take the stage and share with everyone what has been happening in their life lately.

This is probably my favorite part of Cru because it is so real. My fellow Eagles, in front of everyone, express the things they have been struggling with, the ways they have been overcoming them and what they have learned from their situations.

It is both encouraging and humbling to hear some of the things people share. The stories range from sexual impurity to problems in classes, but they all carry the same theme of God’s unfailing mercy.

Once the student is done baring their heart to everyone present, a Cru leader takes the stage and gives us a sermon through humor, humility and honesty. All of the Cru staff members relate the topic back to their own shortcomings and failures with an assurance that everyone is on equal grounds.

During the sermon, the speaker encourages everyone attending to read along in his or her Bible and will even post the verses on the screen behind them. They want to make sure that everyone knows where they are getting their information from and where they can find it again.

Every sermon is built around the underlying theme of the scripture, that Jesus makes a difference in people’s lives and if we allow Him to touch our lives, He will help us to touch the lives of others. The topics of each sermon vary from the characteristics of God to how He feels about us.

I have tried many different youth groups, churches and other Christian groups throughout my time here at EWU, but none of them have come close to being as inviting as Cru.

Cru really hits the heart of what it means to be a Christian.

They are all about showing the love of God no matter your religious views, hobbies, political standing or sexuality. The bottom line message of Cru, in my opinion, is, “Jesus loves you, and so do we.”