John Ingram
Serving with Cru at the University of Tennessee
Who I Am
I grew up as a believer, the child of church planters in Germany, but by my sophomore year at UAH, my faith had faded. It was then that I connected with a Cru Bible study where students genuinely cared about each other’s walks with God and actively shared their faith. God used that community to draw me back to Him, and by the end of that year, I knew I wanted to join Cru to be equipped to share Christ with others.
Below, you can learn more about my calling, Cru's strategy, and see a story of a life changed by the Gospel.
My Calling
Cru equipped me to share my faith and gave me a vision for living my life on mission for Christ. As I began serving as a Cru student leader, God shifted my desires from pursusing a career in tech to desiring to make disciples. Scripture reminds us that “the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few” (Matt. 9:37), and that people cannot believe unless someone preaches (Rom. 10:14).
As I neared graduation, God made it clear I was to serve Him vocationally. I left my software engineering internship at Dynetics and began to work with Cru in 2023. Since then, I’ve witnessed students hear the Gospel for the first time, put their faith in Christ, and begin sharing it with others. I am so blessed to be able to serve God in a way that lets me see His work up close.
Cru was founded as Campus Crusade for Christ in 1951 by Bill and Vonette Bright with the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19 at its core: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." We believe that every believer is called to live missionally in whatever environment God has called them to, sharing their faith with others and advancing the Great Commission.
Currently, Cru has a presence on over 8,000 campuses around the globe. Cru is not a church, but as a parachurch organization, we partner with individuals and churches to help spread the message of the Gospel.
While Cru is known for its college ministry, it has a wide range of ministries geared toward a variety of people groups and demographics. One you may have heard of is “The Jesus Film Project”. It is our largest global ministry and has translated the story of Jesus into over 2,200 languages. More than 490 million people have come to know Jesus after seeing this film!
Join the Mission
I am joining the Cru team at UT in Knoxville, where the ministry is growing rapidly. To report to campus by my goal of October 7th, I need to expand my team of prayer and financial partners. Below you can see some of the amounts people choose to give.
It would be a huge honor if you would prayerfully consider partnering with me at one of these levels, or at an amount significant to you.
Monthly Gift
$50
Annual Gift
$600
Monthly Gift
$75
Annual Gift
$900
Monthly Gift
$100
Annual Gift
$1,200
Monthly Gift
$200
Annual Gift
$2,400
Monthly Gift
$400
Annual Gift
$4,800
Monthly Gift
$800
Annual Gift
$9,600
How to Partner With Me
Thank you for prayerfully considering how you can be a part of what God is doing. Partnership can take many forms, and both financial gifts and prayer are vital to this ministry.
Partner Financially
You can partner with me by setting up a recurring gift via credit/debit card or electronic bank transfer (EFT).
Give Securely OnlinePartner in Prayer
I can’t do this ministry without a team of faithful believers praying for me. Would you join me in praying for my ministry?