Lisa Houghton’s family has a rich history of being connected to CRU. Her grandparents were the caretakers of the Lake Mac campsite for 27 years, her mother helps in the kitchen at Lake Mac, and her sisters, Bonnie and Amber, led on CRU Camps. Also (and not surprisingly), both Lisa and Bonnie met their spouses through CRU!
Lisa can’t remember a time where she wouldn’t have called herself a Christian. She went to the usual Christian things like youth group and youth events, but she recalls that her growth and understanding of her faith only “skyrocketed” once she joined Summit in 2004. She has served in a number of roles over the past 15 years: as a trainee, Outdoor Leader, Outdoor Minister, Staffing Coordinator, and currently as Summit’s Staffing Manager.
During her time at Summit, her identity in Jesus became more evident in how she lived out her life as a Christian. Reflecting on her life before Summit, Lisa recalls the struggles she faced towards the end of high school, “I didn’t have a good network of Christian friends back home. When I took my faith more seriously, it was hard to change, or reveal, my true identity to people I had done life with up until that point. The person they knew me to be wasn’t necessarily consistent with this new identity, this true identity.”
“It’s a comfort to know that who I truly am isn’t found in my surname, my job, or my ministry, but it’s actually who I’m connected to the most - which is Christ.”
Lisa recognises that working in CRU’s Summit division has helped her to grow in three key areas.
Firstly, she understands the value of Christian community. Lisa explains, “A lot of my faith journey has come through being hooked into CRU. Growing up, I didn’t have a solid Christian community. At Summit, I was learning from people who were solid in their faith and hooked into really good churches - their theology was solid and they were actively living as image-bearers.” She continues, “That rubs off on you. Being part of the Summit Team, you’re together a lot – you’re immersed in Christian community.”
Secondly, Lisa is thankful for the theological training which equips her in sharing the gospel with others. She shares, “All of the training we do is to gain better clarity of the timeline of the Bible, how the Bible fits together, different places to look for things, and how to answer certain questions.”
Lastly, she recognises that she has grown in confidence through the practical experience she receives while on camp. Every gospel conversation she has on camp also gives her confidence to share her faith in her day-to-day life. Lisa explains, “It’s given me the confidence to share my faith outside of CRU life and to engage in more natural conversations with friends or neighbours. Telling people that I work for CRU is an easy way to start a conversation, but the experiences on camp give me confidence in going further than that.”
When asked what an identity in Christ means for her, Lisa shares, “It’s a comfort. It’s a comfort to know that who I truly am isn’t found in my surname, my job, or my ministry, but it’s actually who I’m connected to the most - which is Christ. That’s sometimes hard to remember, but when things of this world are difficult, or when I’m feeling unconfident or insecure in myself, my skills and my personality, knowing that my identity is in Christ is a big comfort. Knowing other people’s reactions and other people’s responses don’t actually change who we are in Christ.”
“The buildings might change and CRU’s branding might change, but God doesn’t change. No matter what banner we’re under, or what campsite we’re at, or where we are, the call to mission hasn’t changed. It’s His work that we are doing.”
