Behind the Scenes with Teila Pitts

And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come. - Matthew 24:14 
 
When it comes to Global Outreach at CFC, some of our people are sent out to serve in “behind the scenes” positions that prepare the way for those serving on the front lines of God’s global mission. 
 
To make a comparison, we recognize that a number of our U.S. military personnel have roles at “permanent duty stations” in bases around the U.S. These service members live locally, report to duty at a workplace daily, and handle training or administrative work. Even though they are not deployed overseas, their work is strategic to our national defense efforts. In the same way, God calls all of us to different roles in His mission, but we all play a vital role! 
 
Teila Pitts is one of our long-time Global Staff members who, like some others from CFC, serves in both a strategic and stateside role for the global advancement of the gospel. Those being raised up through her work are going near and far, both to this nation and to the whole world. We asked Teila to share more about her background that led her to this role and her sense of calling. She shared about her passion to serve “behind the scenes” from here in Evansville: 
 
As a young student at Butler University, a senior in my sorority house challenged me not to just see our house as a social outlet but to consider it a mission field. That statement resonated with me, and from there God put a desire on my heart for those around me to know Jesus.
 
In August 2001, I headed to Atlanta to join the staff of Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) working in fraternities and sororities, planning conferences and events and hoping to see the mission of winning students to Christ, building them up in their faith, and sending them into the world. After 25 years, I am still passionate about people growing in a relationship with God. Bill Bright (founder of Cru) once said, “Reach the college campus today, reach the world tomorrow.” College students continue to be so strategic in reaching the world for Christ! 
 
All across campuses, students are coming to faith in Christ. Diego is a new intern. When he was working at a student fair, he noticed a young man standing off to the side. Diego approached him and found out the student was intimidated by all the options of ways to get involved. Through a conversation, Diego realized this student was in need of the Gospel. Diego shared his faith with him, and he made a decision to follow Christ right there! 
 
Stories like this remind me why I do what I do. This fall, Cru is celebrating 75 years since the ministry began on the campus of UCLA. After a 24-hour prayer chain, Bill and Vonette Bright took the Gospel to a sorority house where many accepted Christ. From there, the Gospel began to spread on campus. Over the decades, Cru has expanded to 191 countries and multiple ministries including the Jesus Film, Family Life, Inner City, Unto, Athletes in Action, and beyond. The vision is that everyone would know someone who truly follows Jesus. 
 
For the last 15 years, I have been on staff part-time. In 2014, my family moved back to Evansville, and I began working virtually for Cru. Now our kids are in a place where I have more margin, and my passion to do the behind-the-scenes work for the gospel to go forth remains. I will continue to serve in our sending space, onboarding our newest missionaries, training and equipping them for ministry, and coming alongside them as they raise support for the mission. 
 
Thank you to so many of you who have partnered with me over the past 25 years. Your prayers, generous giving, words of encouragement, and heart for the Kingdom have been so appreciated. As I come back on staff full time, I’d like to invite others to join me. I’m currently in the support-raising process and would love to talk to you more about partnering. You can find out more information about joining my team HERE or by emailing me directly at teila.pitts@cru.org.
 
We are enthusiastic about Teila’s passion for “behind-the-scenes” work so that the good news about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world. We recommend her highly to any CFC member or small group who may consider supporting a global staff member from CFC. If you have any questions, you can contact Missions Team Leader Sean Radke. 
 
Thanks for supporting our global staff, CFC Family. 
 
Also, we'd love for you to celebrate the baptisms from a few weeks ago. You can see the 9:15 service HERE and the 10:45 service HERE. If you've not been baptized since coming to faith in Christ, find out more HERE or stop by The Center on Sunday.
 
We’ll see you on Sunday!