Sharing My Story

During the school year of 1970-71 filled with small and
large meetings, action groups, Bible study, praying, witnessing,
randoms, and singing a larger question lay before me.
What was a going to do with my life in the near future?
Young students involved with the college ministry were a
very fertile field for recruiting future Campus Crusade staff.
As one of the committed students I was a prime candidate
for recruitment. I was encouraged to consider applying for
Campus staff by my friends and CCC staff Lloyd Hawkins
and Mike Knetkowski (both who wanted me for the college
campus ministry). I had mixed feeling about it. Some
reservations had to do with raising your own financial
support, but also it was one thing to be involved for a
year in an evangelistic campaign, but another to turn
away from doing art something that had become very
strong within my personality for many years. Having
said that I didn't have a lot of job options facing me as
a newly graduated college student. So I decided to take
the step of faith and begin the CCC application process.

The CCC staff application process at that time was a
multi-level procedure. After completing the application
process I received a letter from Bill Bright dated June 9, 1971,
"On the basis of the application material we have received
we are happy to inform you that you have been officially
accepted as a member of the staff of Campus Crusade for
Christ. You are about to embark on a great adventure."
Later in the letter Dr. Bright wrote, "All acceptance to staff
is contingent upon successful completion of New Staff Training."
On applying you were also invited to attend the Institute of
Biblical Studies (IBS) for several weeks at Arrowhead Springs.
For some going to IBS didn't automatically mean that you
were accepted for CCC staff. Actually the New staff training
took place after the conclusion of IBS. At the end of IBS
some attendees would then receive an invitation (perhaps
their applications weren't processed before IBS) to joint the
staff of Campus Crusade. Not everyone who took the
month-long IBS stale of courses were invited to join CCC
staff. There was counseling and testing (psychological and
otherwise) that were given to some potential staff candidates
(during the course of IBS and earlier) to determine if those
individuals would make a good staff member.

I accepted the challenge to go to IBS (and New Staff Training)
the summer of 1971. I raised some money to take the training
and once again found myself in Southern California. I enjoyed
the IBS courses, and instructors who often were seminary
trained teachers or professors. There was Dr. Manford Guetze
with "Salvation and the Christian Life", Dave Sunde on the
"Gospel of John", "Methodical Bible Study" by Jimmy Williams,
and "Christian Marriage" by Dick Day. During staff training
there were more seminars especially on support team
development. There were also presentations of various
ministry leaders (Campus, High School, Lay, Headquarters,
etc.) who were interested in recruiting new staff for their
areas of service. However the actual ministry assignments
were given out to the new staff at the end of the New Staff
Training period. I was assigned to the Headquarters to the
Audiovisual Department which was a part of the Mass
Media ministry.