Tim Casteel

Thoughts on Leadership and College Ministry

Top Sending Campuses – Oklahoma

By

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This is part of a series on Learning from the Top Sending Campuses in Cru.

See the intro for a full list of all the campuses profiled (and links to each). 

Quick facts on University of Oklahoma Cru:

  • # on staff team —  5 staff, 7 interns
  • Avg Cru meeting size — 100-150
  • How many students in Bible Studies – 30
  • Students at school — 30,000; freshmen — 5,000
  • Partnership — Moscow

Sending Stats last year:

  • STINT — 9
  • Intern — 6
  • Staff — 2
  • Avg on SP
    • 10 overseas
    • 10 stateside

 

I talked to Noralea O’Meilia who has led the team at OU for several years.

How did you become a sending campus?

  • When I first interned I was the only girl intern and we just had 2 staff girls
  • The next year — 2 interns, and 3 staff girls
  • Then 3 interns, 3 staff girls
  • Then 8 intern girls, and 3 staff girls
  • Next year we could have 17 intern girls and sending a few overseas
  • I don’t know how it happened — Jesus provides!
  • I couldn’t tell you what we do other than I am really passionate about it. I came on staff and became the MTL and wanted OU to be a sending hub
  • My husband and I were never involved in Cru in college but interned and our lives were radically changed. We both learned to share our faith. And learned to love Jesus
  • I saw internship totally change my husband’s life. And he left Cru sent.
    • My husband is now in medical school.
    • He’s seen 5 guys in his medical school come to Christ
  • I saw what the Lord did in my husbands’ life and I became convinced
  • It doesn’t matter if they join with us longterm. I want students to intern with us and experience being used by God — I want them to really fall in love with Jesus and get to do a lot of ministry
  • So anyone that wants to intern, we’ll take ’em
  • I’m willing to gamble on some girls because their lives can be changed!
  • I think college is incredibly important. But those first two years after college are so important
  • About half [who intern] join with us and half go somewhere else
  • I don’t spend a ton of my time recruiting
  • I just try to take care of my girls
  • We try to make our staff team a fun, healthy team.
  • I focus most of my time on my staff girls and having a healthy staff team and doing ministry together
  • Students want to intern because they’ve seen it be positive for people on our team
  • I talk to every person who is interested in interning
    • I spend September-November using all my breakfasts taking girls out and talking to them about interning
    • Tell me where you’re at right now, where you’re going
    • If they’re not thinking Cru then how can l help them live as Sent ones post college
    • These are 2-3 hour appointments
    • I don’t ask them all to intern, I’m not just looking to build a really big team
  • What % of your team is Greek (in a Fraternity/Sorority in college)?
    • 11 are greek
    • 6 aren’t
  • Where do these interns/STINT come from?
    • Intern:
      • This year, 1 of the girl I shared the gospel with and I kept discipling after college for 2 years and she taught elementary school and then interned with us
      • 2 were involved throughout college
      • 2 were fringers in Cru and got super involved senior year
    • Stint:
      • Most of our stinters were with us from freshman to senior year
  • All of our seniors who are “with us”/really involved are joining us as interns
    • 4 senior girls and 1 random girl who randomly came to my Bible study and got involved her senior year
    • We had 10 student staff last year, 7 joined with us
      • They were at our staff meetings and came to our staff girls lunches, they saw the community, they were a part of our celebrations at staff meeting and got to see God using us and that was attractive
    • Last year — they were a really tight knit group and a lot of them joined us. And the younger classes saw that and want to do that too. They’ve seen it.
  • We can talk strategies but a lot of it has been the Lord continually providing
  • It snowballs when your team is an attractive team to be on and students get to be around that enough and think “I want to be a part of that”
  • We pray multiple times a week as a team
    • We pray by name for potential interns
    • It reflects our heart to depend on God
    • At the beginning of the year, as a team we wrote 60ish things we are trusting God for on popsicle sticks
      • We take those popsicle sticks out and pass them around and pray for them every time our staff is together
      • We have the names of every person written on those sticks that we’re asking God to raise up as interns/STINTers
      • I want to pray specifically about things (not just “God, please provide more interns”)

What motivates students to intern?

  • If you join as an intern on this campus, my number one priority is that you walk with God and fall in love with Him
  • My number two priority is your marriage (if you’re married)
  • Your job performance is the priority after those
  • I meet with my interns every week and talk about their walk with God and what they’re learning