About GradCru

Hello! GradCru is a graduate student chapter at U-M of the international mission organization “Cru”, which has a ministry presence on 2,696 campuses in the U.S. and 191 nations worldwide.

GradCru is for American and International Master, Ph.D., and Professional School graduate students. While most graduate students who are involved are single, there also are married grads and their spouses. GradCru is very diverse racially/ethnically, but also men/women, from around the U.S. and world, social/economic backgrounds, academic programs from across campus, and in more ways.

We think you’ll feel welcome and fit well. We believe every human being is made in the image of God and we affirm the God-given worth, dignity, and equality of men and women from every tribe, language, people group, and nation. Because ethnicity is part of the good of creation, we seek to honor and celebrate the ethnic identity of those involved with GradCru as well as those we seek to reach. We desire, as much as possible, that our GradCru student leadership reflect the ethnic diversity of the University of Michigan graduate student community.

We are very active on campus in many different ways — and have a lot of fun together! You are welcome to participate to whatever extent you desire and what fits with your often rigorous schedule, with no pressure (you get enough pressure just being in grad school).

At our core (our mission statement), GradCru is a graduate community that seeks to stimulate and support each other to (1) live out authentically and (2) communicate meaningfully our faith in Jesus Christ in the midst of the University. And we want to think deeply about the integral relationship of our faith and our academics. We value and promote “4 E’s”:

• E1: ENCOUNTER Jesus fully. (Romans 1:16)
• E2: ESTABLISH Christian grad students in their faith. (Colossians 2:6-7)
• E3: EQUIP grad believers with effective ministry philosophy and skills. (Ephesians 4:11)
• E4: ENTRUST Christian grads to reproduce these distinctives around the world (2 Timothy 2:2)

Here is a listing of much of what GradCru provides (and is described throughout the website):

• Men’s and Women’s Bible Study Groups • Community and Social Events (e.g., board game nights, parties, sports, dinners) • Saturday Getaways • Friday Night Gatherings  • “Groups of 3” (G3) for Authentic Christian Living • Prayer/Prayer-Walks • Campus-wide and Individual Outreach • Discipleship/Spiritual Mentoring • Investigative Bible Discussion Groups • Ministry Philosophy and Skills Training • Service Projects • International Humanitarian/Mission Trips (e.g., Cuba Filter of Hope) • and More!

GradCru Group Email List: All the above opportunities don’t happen simultaneously, so the best way to know about upcoming events and opportunities is to self-subscribe to the GradCru Group Email List, called the “Update”. CLICK HERE to open the short, automated subscription form. (All GradCru emails allow you to unsubscribe easily from the group list.)

You also can follow our Facebook page at “GradCru at the University of Michigan”.

If you have specific questions, contact us at gradcru-info@umich.edu.

We hope you will join with us and contribute to the GradCru community!