Mark & Kristin Randall

2012 AIA Winter Retreat

2012-02-17T09:01:00.002-05:00

Just returned from our winter retreat in Mt. Bethel, PA. Great time with the student athletes from Harvard, Yale, Brown, UMass, Rutgers, Rochester, UPenn, West Chester, Albany, and more.

Ultimate Training Camp

2012-01-24T14:20:00.003-05:00

Who wants to come with me the last week of May 2012?

I'll be heading to Fort Collins, CO for week 1 of the UTC. Hope you can come with me. There are a ton of details and you can sign up online at http://www.ultimatetrainingcamp.com/

Check out this video that shows a little bit about it:

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

2011-12-15T15:28:00.000-05:00

It's been a great year! Please watch this short video as a thank you for your partnership -

Awesome night at 1st Bible Baptist Churh

2011-11-10T09:51:00.001-05:00

Last night at First Bible Baptist Church, Pastor Gary Sauer (also part-time AIA staff) presented the ministry of Athletes In Action to the church. Special guest speakers included SUNY Brockport head football coach, linebacker coach, sophomore football player, and myself. Amazing that even after a long day of football practice in preparation for their last game of the year, the coaches and players made the trip out at night to speak about how much they appreciate Athletes In Action on their campus.

Courage Bowl Sunset

2011-10-14T18:30:00.002-04:00

St. John Fisher College vs. University of Rochester football teams squared off in the 2011 Courage Bowl to benefit Camp Good Days. I was on the field on the Fisher side and took this photo of the sunset over Shalen Stadium. Our God is truly amazing!

Brockport Football chapel

2011-10-14T18:26:00.002-04:00

Here's another photo of the guys after a Brockport Football Chapel.

1st Chapel of the year at SUNY Brockport

2011-09-05T07:55:00.002-04:00

On Friday at 5pm, we had our first chapel of the year at SUNY Brockport with some of the football team. These guys that showed up to the first meeting were challenged to take up the leadership that Hanan and Darren (two seniors that graduated last year) provided last year. Three of the guys were regulars from last year (Matt, Jordan, and Joe) and two new guys (Dutch, and Richie). Please pray for these guys and that they will invite their friends from the team to come to the next chapel.

Richie, Me, Coach Ellis, Matt, Dutch, Joe, and Jordan

New school year begins!

2011-08-17T08:42:00.000-04:00

After two days of meetings with our Rochester campus staff team and another meeting this Friday with our Athletes In Action staff team, it certainly must be the start of another school year on our local colleges!

Please pray with me that many will come to know the Lord this year, that all will grow in their faith, and that leaders will be raised up to go to all corners of our world with the great news of Jesus Christ! Kristin and I continue to do everything we can think of and try to see this vision happen here in Rochester. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support! More details to come for the 2011-2012 year on campus! God Bless!

Give Online Now

2011-07-01T11:04:00.000-04:00

We couldn't do this without the partnership of others giving and praying for our ministry.

During the past 20 years of ministry, we've had some ups and downs as it relates to our financial partnerships. Currently, we are down $1835 per month (Budget to Donations). We are grateful for the support that we have, but do need to raise additional support to meet our needs. Would you be in a position to help us by supporting our ministry $100, $200, $300 per month or some other amount?

The sooner we can raise the needed funds, the sooner we get back to focusing 100% on our outreach to the young people of today.

Giving online is really easy. Once you click "Give Now," you can choose how much you'd like to give and how frequently. You'll enter your contact info and choose how you'd like to pay (either electronically through your bank or with a credit card).

Your gift is 100% tax deductible.

As a team, we can change the world!

Would you like to know more about Athletes In Action/Campus Crusade for Christ?

Campus Crusade For Christ Statement of Faith
Chronicle of Philanthropy (ranks non-profits) - Campus Crusade ranking
Athletes In Action (sports ministry of CCC) - AIA

Giving online is really easy. Click here.

Red Wings & SUNY Brockport AIA

2011-06-22T08:34:00.005-04:00

For just starting the Athletes In Action ministry at SUNY Brockport this year, things sure have developed quickly. Of course, God has been at work at Bport all along, so it is just exciting to get to participate in what He is doing.

Monday was an example of only something God could put together. Gary, our Bport AIA staff, made arrangements with his friends at the Rochester Red Wings (the Minnesota Twins minor league baseball team) for Justin Beach, the SUNY Brockport head baseball coach, to throw out the first pitch. Justin won the coach of the year award and has an impressive win ratio in his tenure at Bport, so the Red Wings announced these awards at the start of the game and then let Justin throw the first pitch to start the game.

Gary also arranged through his friend at the Red Wings to get a bunch of donated tickets so a bunch of us and Justin's friends and school administrators from Brockport could come join the celebration. The President, the VP of student affairs, and the Athletic Director of SUNY Brockport all came. Gary, Willy (our AIA staff at UR and Fisher), and I got to spend the evening getting to hang out and get to know all these folks at Bport better. Unbelievable the all that God did at this simple, fun event!

Here's a public link to my facebook page with a bunch of photos.

Gary Sauer, Justin Beach, Mark Randall

AIA Baseball at Open Door Mission

2011-06-16T20:35:00.000-04:00

Just got back from the Open Door Mission. Our AIA Baseball team helped fill a dumpster full of stuff from a storage facility. Then we helped prep, serve, and clean up the dinner served to the clients. Two of the players gave their testimonies during the chapel section of the night. Great time to help serve during their day off from playing baseball. Check out their game schedule at AIA Baseball. Here are some cool photos from tonight.

Chris Rainwater, Club Manager

Filling the dumpster

Players serving dinner.

Preparing dinner.

Call To Courage

2011-04-28T19:45:00.000-04:00

Ten of us from Rochester ventured over to Buffalo to the AIA Call to Courage Awards Breakfast with the Buffalo Bills. It was the 10th Annual breakfast and London Fletcher received the award this year. Pretty amazing story about how Christ changed his life while with the Bills. Coach Chan Gailey, Steve Tasker, and Frank Reich were all there talking about how their faith in Christ changed their life. Feel honored we were able to be there! More details at http://www.aiabuffalo.com/.

Brockport Baseball Dinner

2011-03-27T12:59:00.004-04:00

Dinner with the entire SUNY Brockport Baseball team during spring break at Sonny's BBQ. I see a theme with BBQ dinners. First all the Football coaches. Then the Hockey team. Now the baseball team. God is opening so many doors at Brockport via Athletes In Action and Gary Sauer (in the photo with black striped AIA shirt and tan shorts) is such a blessing!

Call to Courage Award

2011-03-03T18:48:00.000-05:00

Rochester AIA has bought a table for 10 to the Buffalo AIA 10th Anniversary 'Call to Courage' awards breakfast on April 9th. We are trying to get 7 local coaches to join Gary, Willy, and myself at the 9am event. Buffalo Bills hall of famer, Steve Tasker, is the emcee. Frank Reich hosts the event. Coach Chan Gailey is the honorary chair along with his wife Laurie.

Each year, Reich presents the Call to Courage Award to a current NFL player who has exemplified outstanding character, commitment and leadership on and off the field and in the community. London Fletcher will receive the award this year.

The Call to Courage Awards Breakfast is open to the public. Tickets are $40 each and a table of ten is $350. For ticket information call 716-559-1800 or find us on Facebook at aiabuffalo.

If you want to join us, let me know!

SUNY Brockport Hockey Lunch

2011-02-20T09:33:00.000-05:00

What a cool opportunity! The entire SUNY Brockport Hockey Team came over for a lunch AIA hosted with take out from 'Taste of Texas' at a local church. Gary was able to explain AIA and share a little about becoming a 'Complete Athlete' (Body, Mind, and Spirit) through Jesus Christ. Then the team headed off for their last game of the season. Here is a photo of Gary talking to the guys!

Collateral Damage

2011-02-12T19:44:00.000-05:00

This morning while sitting in my chair and my two boys running around the house having a Nerf gun battle, my little boy runs by me, ducks quickly as he goes by, and my oldest son shoots from all the way across the room and this is the result.

AIA Winter Retreat

2011-02-11T18:59:00.000-05:00

Please pray for the AIA Winter Retreat this weekend in Mt. Bethel, PA. Five University of Rochester student athletes and AIA staff Willy Hillberg are driving down for the retreat. Pray the Lord will open their eyes to what He has to teach them this weekend and that they will come back ready to make a difference on campus. Pray next year we will have students from Fisher, RIT and Brockport also go.

Boston Winter Conference

2010-12-29T08:37:00.000-05:00

Please pray for safe travel and a life changing conference January 1st through the 5th in Boston. I'll post some photos once I get there but for now you can see all the details at http://www.bostonwinterconference.com/.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mark

Hall of Fame Bills QB Jim Kelly

2010-12-11T23:41:00.000-05:00

Just returned from a night at SUNY Brockport with Athletes In Action and Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame QB Jim and Jill Kelly. What a great testimony of a life changed by Jesus Christ. I'll hopefully be able to edit some of the video I took as they spoke to roughly 1800 people that came. Here is a fun photo after it was all over and we were cleaning up!

Buffalo's Jim Kelly at Brockport

2010-11-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

Athletes In Action is supporting this event and will have a display table at the event!

By Alan Morrell - D&C

It's not often that a Hall of Fame quarterback makes it to these parts, so Mark DuPré was thrilled when he landed Jim Kelly and his wife, Jill, for a speaking engagement in Brockport.

The Kellys will appear at "Christmas Extravaganza 2010," an annual holiday song-and-dance event sponsored by Christ Community Church in Brockport. The event will be held at the State University College at Brockport's Tuttle North Gymnasium.

DuPré, assistant pastor of the church at 36 Coleman Creek Road, said the Kellys' message fits in perfectly with the theme of the event, "A Baby Changes Everything." DuPré was thinking of when Jesus was born, and the Kellys will discuss their son Hunter, who died from Krabbe's disease in 2005 at age 8.

DuPré sees similarities in the two stories. "I thought, what if we integrate Hunter's story, the effect that Hunter has had on them, with the story of Christmas," he said. "The whole idea of a baby changes everything is the basis of their story."

The Kellys will talk about the joy and pain involved with raising Hunter and how he helped them become Christians.

Jill Kelly published her memoirs, Without a Word: How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changes Everything, in September, including passages about the couple's struggles to save their marriage during the difficult times.

DuPré said he was happy to get the Kellys, calling Jim, who led the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s, "the biggest sports star in this region, past and present." Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

DuPré also was delighted to get the SUNY Brockport site, which seats 2,000. David Mihalyov, SUNY Brockport's director of public relations, said the college was happy to help. "Hosting this event is an opportunity for the College at Brockport to help a worthy local organization," he said.

NY Giants and God

2010-11-28T08:42:00.000-05:00

From my friend and co-worker George McGovern -

Chapel Leader - NY Giants at Athletes in Action

Evan Sullivano was the best football player on his Pop Warner team. He played with passion. He studied the moves of the Giants players on TV as they competed each Sunday and then tried to emulate their skills during his Pop Warner practices. That all came to a screeching halt during his 15th year. Diagnosed with Leukemia, Evan resigned himself to watching his teammates practice or his Giants on TV.

One day, Evan’s plight appeared on Monica Vermeulen’s radar screen. Monica is the executive director of the Ashley Lauren Foundation (ALF), which assists New Jersey families whose children are battling cancer. When she met the Sullivanos, Monica learned of Evan’s interest in the Giants and that Justin Tuck was his favorite player. She contacted Peter Grandich, an ALF board member and a friend of mine. Two days later, Justin and I were driving down to Evan’s home to pay a visit.

Evan’s family filled the small living room. We stayed for 90 minutes. Justin and Evan swapped bios and athletic accomplishments. Pictures were taken, footballs were autographed, and appreciation and hope were expressed.

Justin Tuck, despite his public persona of being a ferocious all-pro pass-rusher and quarterback-sacker, is a man filled with love and compassion. Evan needed hope and some distraction from the gravity of his condition, and Justin realized he was in a unique position to help meet those needs. Since that initial visit, whenever Justin heard that Evan was hospitalized, he would call him. He even signed one of his football jerseys and sent it to him in the hospital.

Fast-forward 7 months. Evan was losing his battle. The doctors had tried everything. They gave him only weeks to live. Evan wondered aloud if he could get to a Giants game. I heard about Evan’s desire and told Justin. Justin “one upped” the request. He instructed me to get Evan up to the Giants training facility on Wednesday so that he could host him during the team’s lunch hour. We agreed to invite Evan to stay for the players’ Bible study later that afternoon.

The plan worked. Evan arrived in a wheel chair with assistants. Two ALF board members, Pete Grandich and Joe Spano, rolled him through the lobby. He was greeted by an assistant coach and then by Jerry Reese, GM of the team. Justin met Evan in the lunchroom and began to invite different players over to their table to say hello. They included Mario Manningham, Chase Blackburn, Matthias Kiwanuka, Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs, and Antrel Rolle. Pictures were taken and well wishes expressed.

At 4pm Evan was escorted into the players’ lounge to take part in the weekly Bible study. 13 Giants players joined him. Introductions were made. The Scripture passage was appropriate, John 14. Here, Jesus tells His disciples He will soon be going to prepare a place in heaven for them. We reviewed the gospel, the good news of sin forgiven based on Christ’s death and resurrection. Evan quietly listened as the Giants players made comments about their faith in Christ and the gospel. More pictures were taken as the guys rallied around Evan at the end of the meeting.

I walked alongside Evan as he was wheeled to the car in the Giants parking lot. I asked him how he was feeling. He replied, “I’m overwhelmed. I’ve never felt so loved. All those guys were so nice to me.” On the way home he told his mother that he now really believes what she had been sharing with him for years, that there’s a God and that he’s going to be with Him when he dies.

The following Sunday, as Justin Tuck promised, there were eight game tickets waiting for Evan and his family and also passes for access onto the field during the pre-game warm-ups. Justin and Brandon Jacobs (a running back and participant in the team Bible study) made a point to visit Evan who was on the sidelines watching the warm-ups. Justin and Evan exchanged bracelets and agreed to wear each other’s during the game. More pictures were taken. The Giants won.

The next day, Monday, Evan’s battle with cancer reached its final stage. I drove to his home the following Saturday and met with Evan and his family. We reviewed the gospel through the lens of John 3:16. Evan died three days later on Tuesday, Oct. 26. One of the last requests he made of his sister was for her to make sure she would get the message to Justin that he better play well in the next Giants game or “he’ll kick his butt from heaven”. One of the last things he said before he passed is, “God, I accept you.”
Cyndy and I visited Evan’s mom and siblings at the funeral home. Evan’s body was dressed in Tuck’s football jersey. On his wrist was Justin’s bracelet. There were tears and expressions of loss, but also words of hope and a quiet assurance that Evan had found faith and peace during his final weeks. Some of the pictures depicting Evan’s connection with Justin and the Giants were displayed around his casket.

Speaking of pictures.... this story is a snapshot of the impact that human love and God’s grace make on a soul. It’s also a picture of how God works to bring a person to Himself, a process that includes relationships, truth, time, and sacrifice. Regarding relationships, I count at least 8 Christians who “loved-on” Evan during the last months of his life. Within those relationships, different aspects of the truth of God’s love and forgiveness were relayed to this young man. Regarding time, we are looking at over a two year period. And regarding sacrifice, several gave of themselves in order to engage Evan in this process. The one who sacrificed the most was Evan’s mother, Debi. Her witness of faith to her son was the most potent.

This story is also a snapshot of the efforts of the Ashley Lauren Foundation team, a picture of compassion for and dedication to those less fortunate. In addition, it brings to light the caring heart of a pro athlete and a professional sports team franchise that often goes unnoticed.

Let me encourage you to be a picture of love and a conduit of God's grace to those on your radar screen this week.

Boston's Byrd

2010-11-25T08:14:00.000-05:00

From Kat Sheppard: Yesterday, the Northeast Regional Office had the pleasure of hosting some special guests over lunch. Former professional baseball pitcher, Paul Byrd, and his wife, Kim, were up from Atlanta to give talks at Brown, Harvard and Northeastern through Campus Crusade. Paul, who was known as "the nicest guy in baseball," and Kim are passionate Christians who are currently processing what the Lord will have them do now that they are retired at the age of 40.

The two hours we spoke together were inspirational and encouraging as Paul and Kim reflected on their new experiences in ministering to college students and as we informed them about the importance of reaching college students, especially in the Northeast, for Christ. It was so apparent that this new found ministry gave so much life to the former pro athlete. Paul's eyes were lit with compassion and excitement as he recalled the previous evening him and his wife spent with students at Brown. He was enthralled by the fact that he could connect with the majority of students, no matter their level of intelligence, through his baseball career. He said that in being an athlete, your whole understanding of life revolves around competition and earning your place. They explained how every day is performance-driven and recognized that this is the norm in academic circles as well. From this common understanding, Paul would explain how a relationship with Jesus Christ is against the cultural grain of competition, where we don't and can never earn God's love and forgiveness because it is by faith that we are saved.

Kim, who was more soft-spoken, shared her endeavors in ministering to the wives of professional baseball athletes, citing that 85% of these marriages end in divorce. Kim is motivated to talk about relationships and to help people understand why some marriages fail and others thrive. She was pleased to hear about our Men's and Women's Panel we had at BWC2010, where the students were free to ask any relationship question on their heart. We invited both Paul and Kim to participate in the panel for BWC2011 and it is our prayer that they accept! They would bring a new and incredible dimension to the environment because, unlike CCC staff, they wouldn't be viewed as "professional Christians."

Throughout the talk I was just amazed at this couple's pursuit to glorify God in whatever means possible. Not everyone, let alone a high-profile pair, would open up their lives to thousands of strangers. But Paul and Kim know that their interactions with these college students can mean the difference between eternal life or eternal death. They simply want others to know Jesus and show how He has a presence in their lives every single day. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet such a godly couple and I cannot wait to see what God will have them do here in New England and New York

Amazing Updates

2010-11-14T12:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We are so thankful for the Lord, for you, for our family, our friends, and the students we work with. This has been a great year on campus already and there’s been a real freshness of the Spirit in so many ways. Thank you so much for your partnership! We are blessed to be able to reach young people for Christ in Rochester and raise up laborers for the world-wide harvest!

Outreach Update - AIA

Athletes In Action at SUNY Brockport continues to amaze all of us. Last night we (Gary and I) invited the football coaching staff to a ‘Taste of Texas’ BBQ dinner in their coaches’ lounge after practice. They all came! The head coach is so on board with us and several coaches had been to AIA practice camps in Ohio. Saturday is our last chapel before the season finale game, but we hope to inspire the guys to now open AIA up to all of their friends in the other sports and begin a weekly outreach meeting with them. Pray for several of the key players – Hanan, Joe, Darren, and Matt as well as Coach Bob –
See photo from last night’s practice:

Outreach Update – SJFC

St. John Fisher College’s ‘Fisher CRU’ has gone from 2 students 2 years ago to 50 students last year to over 80 students this year. They are now meeting in the second largest room on campus. The campus has only 2000 students total, so everyone knows ‘Fisher CRU’ now. The school also just gave them $3000 for the Boston Winter Conference January 1st – 5th (http://www.bostonwinterconference.com/). ReCALCULATE LIFE is their current theme:

A flash

2010-10-25T16:30:00.000-04:00

SO the semester is flying by in a flash. Where did it go? Basically, so many incredible things are going on all at once that it is hard to keep up with it all. In fact, I'm not keeping up with it all as it's been a month since I updated this blog. We are doing well. Loving life to the fullest. Thanks for stopping by. I'll post some photos soon. For now, signing off and getting back to work. We have the Development Council meeting tonight. Wisdom needed as we seek to improve what we do, how we do it, and figure out what resources are needed. We send love, Mark and Kristin
PS: Here's a cool photo from the fall getaway last month:

Fall Retreat

2010-09-24T08:01:00.000-04:00

Students from all of Upstate NY, including Albany, Cornell, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo, will come together for a weekend of fun, worship, and teaching this weekend! We expect around 250 total including staff their kids. More details can be found at http://www.upstatefallgetaway.com/. We take walk-ins. Praying for a great weekend! Mark

Enjoyed Golf Marathon

2010-09-14T13:23:00.000-04:00

Well, Kristin and I played our first ever 100 Holes of Golf Marathon yesterday to help raise money for the launch of Athletes In Action at SUNY Brockport. It rained in the morning, got sunny around lunch, rained more after lunch and finished up sunny. Four rounds of golf plus hitting extra shots on every Par 3 hole throughout the day added up to 100 holes. We are a little sore today, but not too bad.

Happy to know we are helping a great cause and looking forward to a great year at Brockport with AIA.

God Bless,

Mark

Golf Marathon Update

2010-09-09T15:33:00.000-04:00

Kristin and I are playing in a 100 holes of Golf Marathon this coming Monday, Sept. 13th to raise money for the launch of Athletes In Action at SUNY Brockport. We've received a $7500 matching funds gift toward all money raised for AIA at Brockport this year, so please consider sponsoring us a few dollars per hole! All the details and online giving can be found at http://www.markerandall.com/.

The football team at Brockport has off this Saturday, so no chapel. But we will have our 2nd chapel of the year at 9am on Saturday, September 18th, in the classroom right next to the main gym in Tuttle South.

God Bless,
Mark

SUNY Brockport football chapel

2010-09-04T15:19:00.000-04:00

SUNY Brockport football team 1st chapel of the year is in the books! And they are on the bus for their home opener at St. John Fisher College. What a great time to get to know each other and Chris did a great job leading us through the story of David. God loves us so much! We pray for safety during the game tonight at 6pm. And to God be the Glory!

God Bless,

Mark

SUNY Brockport AIA 1st meeting

2010-09-03T14:39:00.000-04:00

SUNY Brockport Chapel/Bible Study for the football team - 1st meeting of the year - Saturday, Sept. 4th, 12:30pm, in a classroom next to the football office in Tuttle South. Hope you can come SUNY Brockport football players!

Tony Dungy :: Beyond the Ultimate

2010-09-02T14:52:00.000-04:00

Rochester AIA website

2010-08-30T15:12:00.000-04:00

With Willy Hillberg working on AIA at the University of Rochester and St. John Fisher College and Gary Sauer and I launching AIA at SUNY Brockport, we decided to launch a new website to try to connect these growing student groups. Check out http://www.rochesteraia.com/ and help us make it better.

God Bless,

Mark

Welcome Brockport AIA

2010-08-27T15:44:00.003-04:00

Had a great day on the SUNY Brockport campus today handing out FREE laundry bags, Bibles, books, water bottles, etc. We met a ton of the football team as well as students from several other sports and a few students that want to help us get going on campus. We even met a football coach that wants to work together! In the next few weeks, we will follow up the students that said they wanted more info and we will organize a welcome party. Thanks for your prayers!

***Student visiting this site wanting more info - please hit the contact link and email/call/text me and I'll be happy to let you know the latest on the launching of AIA at Brockport! Or come back to this blog often for the latest updates. God Bless!

Mark

Brockport AIA begins!

2010-08-26T09:18:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow we start Athletes In Action at SUNY Brockport. We'll be on campus during freshmen move in day with a table handing out FREE Bibles, laundry bags, water bottles, Case For Christ by Lee Strobel books, and all sorts of other things. As students come up to our table, we'll ask them to fill out a survey to tell us basically what they are interested in related to our group. Weather forecast says sunny and 73 degrees. Got to love Upstate NY this time of year!

Also joining me will be Willy Hillberg. He's been doing AIA at the University of Rochester and St. John Fisher College for the past two years. And the big, and I mean big (he's 6-4, 250 lbs), news is that Rev. Gary Sauer from First Bible Baptist Church will be making his first AIA appearance as he pursues a part time job with us. We are still getting all the paperwork figured out and getting the funding lined up so we can pay him (important things, eh), but we are excited to keep moving forward. Please pray for us and for the students at SUNY Brockport!

God Bless,

Mark

Need help launching Athletes In Action at Brockport

2010-08-11T13:06:00.004-04:00

Big News!

I’ll be launching our sports ministry of Campus Crusade For Christ, called Athletes In Action (www.athletesinaction.org), at SUNY Brockport on Friday, August 27th during freshmen move in day! We pray many young student athletes will come to faith in Christ through this effort! AIA helps develop the complete athlete. Body, Mind, and Spirit. Coaches work on the body. Professors work on the mind. We share with them things related to their faith. Folks in the sports world know that athletes perform better on the field when their private lives are in order. A strong faith is just as important as a strong body and mind.

1. One thing we need your help with is contacts and introductions to anyone on the coaching staff there, if you have any?

2. The other thing we need your help with is some seed money donations to help us this year at Brockport. We have set a budget of $15,000 which includes hiring a part time ministry superstar that just came on the free market! His name is Rev. Gary Sauer from 1st Bible Baptist Church. Due to temporary financial stresses at 1st Bible the church has asked pastors to reduce their hours. I just ran into Gary working as a security guard at SeaBreeze and asked him if he wanted to help me start AIA at Bport. He’s 6-4, 250 pounds, played college ball, lives 6 miles from Bport, and I’ve known him for 10 years. Superstar free agent now! So this is all happening very quickly as we believe the Lord is at work!

Anyhow, would you prayerfully consider making a donation to help us start AIA at Brockport?

3. Also, if you can think of anyone else with a heart for Brockport, can you let me know?

Trusting the Lord to build spiritual movements everywhere so everyone knows someone truly following Jesus Christ,

Mark

Charity Golf Tournaments this summer 2010

2010-06-09T15:14:00.001-04:00

Summer is here, students are home, and we have 2 golf tournaments planned for you!

August 9th - shotgun start at 12:30pm at Eagle Vale Golf Club - http://www.crusadegolf.com/

September 13th - Golf Marathon - all day - Webster Golf Club -

http://www.crusadegolf.com/GolfMarathon/tabid/4108/Default.aspx

Proceeds go to our Rochester CCC operating account (student scholarships to conferences, free stuff we give out to freshmen, snacks at weekly meetings, etc.).

Sign up today!

Mark

Fellowship Dinner 2010

2010-05-10T16:28:00.000-04:00

On May 7th at Oak Hill Country Club, we hosted our 11th Annual Fellowship Dinner to share how the Lord has used Campus Crusade For Christ in Rochester. Here is the video that Debbie (2nd year CCC Intern) put together for the dinner! Great overview! Enjoy -

Rick James event updates

2010-04-24T16:03:00.001-04:00

Here are some details from what happened at RIT when Rick James came to town to speak on his book - 'Jesus Without Religion'.

"The Christian groups on campus at RIT have been doing a lot to build bridges with non-Christian groups on campus. We used the Rick James event to send a formal invitation to the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender) and groups on our campus as part of an event swap. I would say we had at least a dozen members from that community come to our event and about half of them requested a book. One of their students came and took pictures to hang up on their group bulletin board. She also said she thought Rick had really good analogies. In return, a number of our students participated in the national Day of Silence to make a statement against people who bully members of the GLBT community.

Since we had already started building that bridge, some of our students proposed a similar event with their friends in the Skeptics Club. So a few of our student leaders went to an event on the "Irreconcilability of Science and Religion" and then invited their friends in the Skeptics Club to come and hear Rick James. One of our student leaders, Jamey, invited two of his friends from the Skeptics Club. They both said yes but one of them back out saying "Jesus Without Religion" looked like a dumb talk. But the other came, sat with Jamey, and said it was really interesting."

Way to go RIT CCC students!
Mark

May 7th at Oak Hill

2010-04-19T09:51:00.000-04:00

It's been a great semester so far. Hard to keep up with all the Lord has been doing on the Rochester campuses. Nice to know we are really just along for the ride. What a ride! As we've prayed and trusted Him for amazing things, He has blown us away.

One highlight was Rick James speaking at UR on April 1st and RIT on April 2nd. He did a talk related to his book, 'Jesus without Religion'. At least 250 students came the two nights and many indicated placing their faith in Christ for the first time. The UR students said it was the best event we've ever done on campus.

I also wanted to put out a prayer request for our 11th Annual Fellowship Dinner at Oak Hill Country Club on Friday, May 7th. This is our largest fundraiser for the Rochester operations budget of the year. We play golf at Monroe Golf Club during the morning/afternoon and then head over to Oak Hill for a prime rib dinner. Pray for nice weather for the golf and dinner. Pray some new folks would come to the dinner and partner with us after they hear about all the outreaches we do on the local campuses.

God's favor on us all,

Mark

Porn Nation results

2010-03-10T15:43:00.000-05:00

Feb. 18th and 19th at the UR and RIT, we had Michael Leahy (on 20/20, The View) come to town to do his Porn Nation outreach. He shared about the epic use of porn in our nation and the damaging results. He shared his personal story and how Christ helped him recover, although he lost his marriage and job during the dark years. Over 400 people came during the two nights and over 80 students indicated on their comment cards that they wanted to have a personal follow up appointment from one of our staff/students. Here are two short video clips from the night!

MCC Club Day

2010-02-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

Wanted to give you a glimpse into the life of Monroe Community College and club day. We set up a table along with dozens of other clubs and students walk by and sign up for more information. Enjoy this short video!

Events this Semester

2010-01-20T16:20:00.003-05:00

Our team is back in full gear and we have a ton of events planned to help lost students grow into life-long leaders for Christ. Take a look and pray when you have a chance:

Feb. 13th - City-Wide CRU - our monthly meeting where we invite students from all the Rochester campuses to come together for food, fun, fellowship, and something meaningful. This month we call it the Love CRU as we will focus on how to have healthy relationships and all things related.

Feb. 18th at UR and Feb. 19th at RIT - PORN NATION - Michael Leahy, nationally known speaker that has appeared on The View, 20/20, CNBC, and hundreds of local stations, will come to town to speak about the problems of porn addictions among our youth and how to break free. He will also touch on the social justice issues related to America's porn consumption and how children are being used as sex slaves for porn productions around the world. Check out his website - http://www.bravehearts.net/ - 'Fighting global sexual exploitation'.

Feb. 27th - Youth Transitions Network and Focus on the Family have partnered together for Succeed 2010.
http://www.youthtransitionnetwork.org/succeedbanner/. Most Christian youth leave their faith when they get to college. This event will help them be more prepared for the transition and hopefully be prepared to grow their faith in college. Parents need to bring their juniors and seniors to this internet event.

March - Spring Break Trips to South America with Athletes in Action, and to Panama City Beach, Florida for Big Break - http://www.big-break.com/.

May 7th - The 11th Annual Fellowship Dinner at Oak Hill Country Club.

And these are just a few of the major events this semester! Thank you for partnering with us!

God Bless,
Mark

BWC 2010

2010-01-08T15:03:00.003-05:00

The Boston Winter Conference 2010 is in the books! With RIT and UR students unable to come this year, the Roberts and Fisher students picked up the slack and came out in force. Thank you for your prayers and support. Here are some quick highlights focusing on our students and staff from Rochester! I end the video with a pretty cool clip of downtown Boston from the plane. Enjoy!

Dinner with President of Campus Crusade For Christ Int'l

2009-12-30T18:12:00.003-05:00

Sunday night was a special night for Rochester CRU. Dr. Steve Douglass, president of Campus Crusade For Christ Int'l, was in town to speak at the opening night of the Global Korean Youth Mission Festival. When we found out he was going to be in town, I called headquarters and asked for his travel assistant. After a few calls back and forth on details and expectations, we had made arrangements to have a small gathering for dinner with Steve at the Hyatt. In 20 years working with Campus Crusade For Christ I've had a total of about 10 minutes with Steve.

So having dinner with him, John & Laura, Mike, and his assistant, Eric, was a very cool thing. He took a great interest in all the Lord has done here over the last 10 years. It was awesome to share our stories with him and to celebrate! It was also great to hear his stories about Campus Crusade For Christ from all over the world. I feel like he knows who we are now in Rochester! Campus Crusade For Christ Int'l has ministries in over 190 countries, so getting on his radar on the local level is amazing!

The best team in the world.

2009-12-23T10:05:00.000-05:00

As we wind down 2009, our Rochester CCC team went out for a Christmas Party. It was the first time we've been able to get us all together, including spouses, for a photo. Just ten years ago, Kristin and I celebrated the newly launched Rochester CCC by ourselves. Now look at us. This is the greatest team ever! Thank you team and partners! The best years are yet to come! Merry Christmas!

Answered Prayer!

2009-12-21T16:10:00.001-05:00

We've been praying (see Dec. 10th post) for Roberts to get two vans of students to the http://www.bostonwinterconference.com/ on January 2nd to the 6th. God is so cool. The students filled up two vans but God answered and trumped our two van idea with the official RWC Limo Bus (29 seats) and driver! Thanks to RWC for their generous support of this life changing opportunity for these Roberts students.

Praise God for the St. John Fisher College students as well. They got a full van as well. So cool. Please continue to pray everyone follows through and goes to the conference and that we would have safe travel to and from Boston. IT is winter afterall and a 6 hours or so drive.

Thanks for your prayers!
Mark

City-Wide CRU

2009-12-17T11:58:00.001-05:00

Gathering students (for fun, silly games, and singing Christmas carols) from St. John Fisher College, University of Rochester, Roberts Wesleyan College, and Rochester Institute of Technology (including 10 or so hearing impaired/deaf students) at City-Wide CRU seems normal to us, but when and where does this happen for other organizations? Kristin and I are excited to be a part of such events! This past weekend we had our last C.W. CRU of the semester! Here are a few photos from the night.

Univ. of Florida Tebow connection!

2009-12-11T09:00:00.012-05:00

Great story I just came across on the Campus Crusade For Christ website about the Tebow family and CCC. What a great connection! I just sent this link to my Mom and Dad as they are both University of Florida graduates and Dad is actually a native Floridian (not too many of those around!). Enjoy and be encouraged. I love being a part of a ministry team that God is using for so many cool things!
http://www.ccci.org/ministries/college/peter-tebow.aspx UPDATE (Dec 15th, 2011) - Article appears to have been removed from the CCCI.org website. In short, the article talked about Peter Tebow working with Athletes In Action, the sports ministry of Campus Crusade, at the Univ. of Florida at the same time Tim Tebow was there as a student and football player. Great family, great family photo:

Please pray.

2009-12-10T10:55:00.000-05:00

It's been an exciting week. Meetings at Roberts, Fisher, and MCC went very well. Pray for the Roberts students that are trusting the Lord to fill two school vans (20 students) to go to the http://www.bostonwinterconference.com/.

The student 'K' from Fisher ended up being a Christian and wanted to get connected with the other Christians on campus. Ended up one of his friends was already connected to the group so that made it easy to get him connected, hopefully. Please pray!

As for the MCC meeting on Monday, we had two new students come to the weekly meeting. A little less than what I was hoping for, but everyone that came heard a very clear presentation of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

And coming up on Saturday is our City-Wide CRU at Pittsford Community Church at 7:30pm. This is our once a month meeting that we invite all the groups from all the local campuses to come together for food, fun, and fellowship. It's great for all the students to meet each other and see the body of Christ is more than just the students on their own campus.

Thanks for your prayers! We send love,
Mark

Sharing the Gospel on Monday at Monroe Community College.

2009-12-04T10:49:00.001-05:00

Here is an email I sent out today to over 50 students involved in our Monroe Community College Campus Crusade for Christ group:

Hi guys,

Our weekly MCC Campus Crusade For Christ meeting is Monday, December 7th at noon.
This is a special end of the year meeting.
I will be sharing the Gospel with an easy to understand diagram on the chalkboard.

Please bring a friend.

You can tell them I’m relating it to the topic of ‘How to reduce stress in your life’. Understanding the big picture of life and death and salvation helps one to handle the day to day stresses. It puts it all into perspective. I think you and your friends will enjoy these few minutes together on Monday! It could be life changing!

We are in room 11-213.
We’ll finish around 12:50pm.
God Bless,
Pastor Mark

Lunch Meetings: Roberts Saturday, Fisher Sunday.

2009-12-04T09:18:00.002-05:00

Meeting with Mike on Saturday at Roberts Wesleyan College. He went on a summer mission trip with Campus Crusade this past summer and has come back to Roberts on fire for the Lord. He's organized a weekly Bible study with at least 20 other students. We plan to talk about the upcoming Boston Winter Conference (http://www.bostonwinterconference.com/) on January 2-6th. Hopefully he can help get 2 Roberts school vans full of students to go to the conference this year. We know the conference provides multiple faith steps for students so we want to get as many as possible to go. We also know summer missions are promoted at the conference, so that helps in getting folks to sign up for the upcoming summer trips.

Then on Sunday I'm at St. John Fisher College to meet 'K'. He's a son of a friend of a friend that asked me to meet him. I never know what will happen during these types of meetings, but I'm glad he is willing to meet with me. Hopefully I can be of some help and he will accept my help.

Providing you a glimpse into our efforts to give every student on every campus every year the chance to know Jesus and take the next steps of faith toward becoming lifelong leaders for Christ.

Mark

Radical Transformation.

2009-12-01T13:10:00.000-05:00

Kristin and I desire to see radical transformation in the power of the Holy Spirit for the students we work with in Rochester. In their lives, we work to help them have:

•Faith over Fear
•Truth over Lies
•Justice over Evil
•Knowledge over Ignorance
•Love over Indifference
•Community over Isolation
•Acceptance over Shame

Daily we challenge students to take steps of faith. These are just some of the thoughts our regional Campus Crusade For Christ staff are thinking about today! May it be a blessing to you today!

God Bless,
Mark

Heading to Monroe Community College today.

2009-11-30T10:31:00.001-05:00

It's a normal Monday for Kristin and me. At noon we meet with Jeremy, Jess, Nic, Eric, Christian, Moriah, and several others depending on if they show up. Pray for us as we look at Matthew 19 verses 16 to 30. Please pray with us as we trust the Lord to grow these young people into lifelong leaders for Christ.

CROSS '09 in Rochester

2009-11-27T14:42:00.000-05:00

On over 1000 campuses in the United States, all the campus staff of Campus Crusade For Christ participated in CROSS '09 for three days, November 9-11. Our goal was to meet as many students from other cultures as possible, learn about their culture, and if given the chance, to share about Jesus Christ.

One story I'll share is when Kristin and I went to the RIT campus on Monday morning the 9th. We met one student from Japan, two from China, and two from India - all in the dining hall over a period of 2 hours. With the student from Japan, we were able to discover that he had become a believer in Christ when he was in high school but that he had not been pursuing any Christian growth since. He was very encouraged that we 'randomly' (nothing is random with God in my humble opinion) sat down with him to talk that morning. Before we parted ways, we looked at 1Corinthians 3 verse 1-3. Take a look at those verses if you get a chance!

The video shows clips from around the country of our fellow staff on campuses during CROSS '09. Hope you enjoy and are encouraged!

Mark

The love of most will grow cold.

2009-11-25T14:09:00.000-05:00

I was recently reading the words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. In chapter 24 verse 12, Jesus said "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold".

Everyday I'm bombarded in the news with all the horrible things happening around the world, our state, and in our city. It's wickedness. No getting around it. Even the wickedness in my own life confronts me when I do some soul searching. And my love for the Lord and for others grows cold, just as Jesus warned me some two thousands years ago.

Pray with me today that as believers in Christ, our love for Him and for others would be renewed and that we'd be able to stand against the onslaught of wickedness in this world and in our own lives.

God's favor on us all,
Mark

About Us

2009-11-24T12:54:00.006-05:00

Mark: I accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord on March 11th, 1987 at Daytona Beach, FL during spring break of my first year as a student at The University of Virginia when some Duke students with Campus Crusade For Christ "randomly" started talking with me and explained how I could become a Christian.

From that point on, my life has never been the same and now I serve the Lord with all my heart and soul and mind to help other students come to know the Lord and grow in their faith.

I'm married to the most awesome lady in the world, Kristin.

Kristin: I grew up in Penfield, NY but it wasn't until my freshmen year at the University of Delaware that I heard, understood and accepted Christ while talking with a Campus Crusade for Christ staff in September of 1990. My entire world view changed. Later in that freshmen year the Lord brought Mark into my life and the rest is history as they say.

We have two boys.

Our Vision for Athletes In Action, the sports ministry of Campus Crusade For Christ: To give every student on every campus every year three to five opportunities to respond to a culturally relevant presentation of the Gospel. To build spiritual movements of multiplying disciples. To send lifelong leaders for Christ out into all corners of the world.

Contact Us

2009-11-24T12:03:00.005-05:00

We would love to hear from you!

Mark & Kristin Randall
EMAIL

56 Hallmark Road
Rochester, NY 14625

585-415-9698 cell

View my Linkedin Professional Profile http://www.linkedin.com/in/markerandall.

Communicating the wonders of what the Lord is doing in Rochester, NY.

2009-11-24T10:48:00.000-05:00

Hi friends,

Kristin and I just returned from a regional staff conference with Campus Crusade For Christ at Camp of the Woods in Speculator, NY. Our regional directors encouraged the 175 or so staff from the Northeast 'Liberty' Region to communicate more about what the Lord is doing on a daily basis. As staff we forget that seeing the Lord change the lives of young people, taking them from darkness to light, from fear to faith, from ignorance to knowledge, from hate to love, and so on is not what you might normally see everyday. But we do! Praise God! And we want to share this with you using this new blog.

May it encourage you greatly and help you to walk ever closer with our Lord Jesus Christ.

God's favor on you,

Mark & Kristin Randall