Want to go to Big Break but don’t have the money to pay?  We have a great deal for you.  We will pay for both your Big Break registration cost as well as your $130 travel cost if you send out 15 approved support letters asking people to invest in your trip.  Here is how it works.

Step 1: Register for Big Break.  You may skip the payment page, however each week of Big Break has limited space and you can’t lock in your spot until you are paid in full, so you may want to pay in full and be refunded of your payment when you arrive in Florida.  If you don’t pay in full up front, you won’t want to delay in completing the steps below.

Step 2: Pay your $50 travel deposit.  This money will be refunded if you complete the steps below, but will be kept if you decide not to go on the trip.

Step 3: Give 15 support letters addressed but not stamped to one of the staff on your campus no later than two weeks before the start of your spring break.   Staff may ask you to make changes to your letter upon reading it, so you may want to send them the letter before you print it out.  We will put a return envelope and card in the letter before stamping and mailing them so don’t seal the envelopes.  Here is a template for your support letter.

Step 4:  Email Andy and let him know that you have registered, paid the $50 travel deposit at www.chicagocru.com and turned in 15 support letters to be mailed.   At that point we will pay your big break fee via scholarship and your travel charge.  If enough money comes in from your support letters to pay for your entire conference and travel cost and there is still money left over you will have the option to get some money for food on the trip.

Spend your spring break learning to share the Gospel in Panama City Beach Florida.  Big Break will give you the training and experience to share the gospel back on your college campus.

The conference begins with onsite registration on Saturday afternoon. The beginning session is Sunday night. The Monday through Thursday morning sessions provide practical training on sharing the gospel. The afternoons offer the opportunity to practice sharing the gospel in Panama City Beach. The Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evening sessions provide worship, opportunities to share your afternoon experiences, and biblical teaching. Optional seminars will be offered throughout the week on such topics as apologetics, Web evangelism, and worldviews.

This is what a typical weekday at Big Break will look like:

10:00am – Morning Session

12:00 – Lunch and Personal Quiet Time

1:30pm – Evangelism on Beach

7:30pm – Evening Session

There will be groups of students and staff going to Big Break for both the week of March 17 – 24 and March 24 – 31.  The cost of the conference is $299 and that includes your stay in a beautiful condo just steps from the beach, and conference costs.  The Condo’s have full kitchens so you can cook your meals.  We’ll be arranging transportation from Chicago via Buses of Vans as well.  We’ll be renting vehicles to get to and from the conference.  The cost of travel is $130 per person.

For more information and to register go to the Big Break Website

To pay the full $130 travel cost use the button below.

To pay the $50 travel deposit required to receive a scholarship from Chicagocru you can use the button below.

Work. Many of you are working currently and most of you are probably thinking about what you’re going to do after graduation. No matter what our 9-5 jobs are, as Christ-followers we are called to worship the Lord 24/7.  We don’t split between things that are sacred and things that are secular.  Everything we do can be an act of worship. Yes, we should even see our work as worship

Come learn from professional men and women who are living their faith through their careers.  Maybe you are studying to be a teacher or a lawyer or a doctor – wouldn’t it be great to hear from someone who has walked the same path?  Someone who can share what it looks like to live out a Kingdom vision in the classroom, the courtroom or the exam room everyday?  Click here to see bios of our speakers. 

This is just the event for you!  We’ll have donuts and coffee and learn more about God’s hear for work (did you know that working is not a result of sin entering the world?! That wee were always meant to do meaningful work in God’s Kingdom?!)

We’ll also have several breakout sessions representing different careers.  Come meet and learn from those in fields that you are pursuing – from education to engineering, from accounting to arts and more.

Date:  Sat, Feb 25 9am-noon
Location:  Park Community Church – 1001 N Crosby St, Chicago IL.
Cost:  FREE if you register by February 22nd; $5 at the door.

Click Here to Register

Do you want to invest your Spring Break reaching students in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Chicago Metro’s new overseas partnership?  On this trip you’ll have the opportunity to share your faith with students at the Universidad de Guayaquil, a campus with over 80,000 students. Ecuadorian students are extremely open to the Gospel.  You’ll also have the chance to experience Ecuadorian culture and all that Guayaquil has to offer.

The trip will leave from Chicago on Saturday, March 17th and return on Friday, March 23rd.  The cost for the trip is $1600 (This is a current estimate, the price may go down).   It includes flight, hotel, food, in country transportation, and SOS/Medical Insurance.  You can register for the trip using the link below.  The registration also serves as your application for the trip.  A $200 deposit is required for your application to be reviewed.  In the event that you are not accepted on the trip, your $200 will be refunded within 3 business days.  Your deposit is not refundable for any reason other than that  you are not accepted on the trip.

The deadline to fill out the application is February 14th and the deadline to pay the deposit is February 17th.   The deposit counts toward the total payment for the trip.  If your deposit is paid with personal funds it can be refunded later if enough support is raised.

We hope to let you know of your acceptance status within three days of your registration/application.  If you are interested in going please apply as soon as you can so that we can have accurate information in terms of numbers (which helps us plan well and keep costs low), so that you have time to discuss the trip with your parents, and so that you have as much time as possible to raise support for the trip.  Resources to help you with your support raising will be made available upon your acceptance.

Click Here to Apply and Register

Do you want to go to the boat cruise for free?  Purchase admission to the boat cruise and register for fall retreat (paying the $25 deposit) by Friday night at midnight, and you will automatically be entered into a drawing to go to the boat cruise for free (meaning we will refund your admission payment).   Two people will be randomly selected for this special prize.  So don’t wait, sign up for both events today!