Encounter. Respond. 

Welcome to UNC. Come join Cru on a journey to encounter God in community and respond in love and action. Come help change the world.

Who We Are: Encounter and Respond

Cru is here to help you navigate college life and see what God has to say to you while you’re a student at UNC. There are a lot of different messages out there about who God is. It is a confusing time when it comes to Christianity. We don’t have all the answers; in fact we will probably get some of them wrong. But our community is on a journey to discover what God truly has to say to us. No matter where you are in your spiritual life – a passionate Christian or a skeptic with lots of doubts or questions – we invite you to investigate who God really is. We simply want to truly get to know this God, encounter Him, grow closer to Him, and respond by embracing His call to be used by Him in this world. If this is something you want too, I hope you’ll check us out. – Kelly Haywood, Cru at UNC Director

Fall 2023 Update

Welcome Class of 2027! We are so excited to see so many of y’all and the many new faces. 

If you would like to get connected with the staff or community groups, learn more about who we are, or get involved, and to stay up to date on our events, we encourage you to follow our Instagram (@cruatunc). 

New to Cru?

Welcome to UNC! For more about our organization, our staff, or our statement of faith, check out “Who Are We.” UNC can be a big place to find a place to belong and thrive, but we hope to make it easy for you to find your way with us. Here’s what we suggest if you’re trying to find a way to plug in to our ministry:

Find a community group: Our hope is to have groups for guys and girls led by students and staff all across campus no matter who you are. We have students leaders and staff that would love to get to know you and help you find your way. In addition to meeting weekly to study the bible, these groups are great sources of connection, community, and friendship.

Join the Cru at UNC GroupMe: Yeah we’re on GroupMe too. It is a great place to follow the constant stream of social events, casual hangouts, Cru and non-Cru related events going on. It’s a mess but it’s fun! 

Drop by our weekly meeting: Join us on Thursdays night at 7:30 pm!  Though the location sometimes changes (we’ll let people know on Instagram and GroupMe), you can usually find us in Howell Hall on Thursday nights at 7:30 pm starting the first week of class. Cru’s weekly meeting is our weekly time to gather together as a group. Together we engage in musical worship, find out what’s going on throughout the ministry, and hear a message from one of our local leaders. This is also a place where you can meet other students who are looking to invest in their spiritual growth, and connect with one of our staff members.

Meet the Staff: We would love for you to get in touch with one of us. We have ten full-time staff members, and our primary job is to meet with students just like you. Questions about faith, the Bible, or Christianity? Struggling with some of life’s big issues? Searching? While we don’t have it all together, we understand the pressures and realities of life and UNC and we’d be happy to grab coffee or lunch with you to listen and offer our help.


Greek Life, Life Lines, Impact, Destino, Athletes in Action, Valor

Cru exists on almost every major college campus in the United States and on many campuses throughout the rest of the world. Our organization on this campus is called Cru at UNC. Based on the diverse backgrounds of the students represented at UNC, Cru has several different ministries that fall under our umbrella. Greek Life is designed for students in the Greek system, who desire to see God moves in their fraternities and sororities. Impact seeks to serve those interested in encountering God specifically through the lense of the African-American experience. Destino likewise for the Latino context, Valor for ROTC/military, and Athletes in Action for our student athletes. We believe that each person’s experience in college is unique based on what they’re involved in, and where their community lies. Our hope and prayer is to be a ministry that serves each individual based on their context. We hope you’ll find a place here with us.