OC Director's Blog: March 2023

Thoughts from Craig on The Asbury Revival

When the Holy Spirit came upon the believers on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, people were bewildered, amazed, astonished, and perplexed. As men witnessed the miracle of tongues and the preaching of the gospel, they were in awe and did not know how to respond. Some people responded with faith while others mocked and said “they are filled with new wine.”

Over the past few weeks, we have seen the Holy Spirit show up in an unexpected way on the campuses of Asbury, Cedarville, Baylor, Texas A&M, Indiana Wesleyan, Louisiana State, and other Bible schools and universities across America. Many people don’t know what to make of these strange spontaneous worship events that continue for days.

My friends, we have been praying for revival and we have been praying for the Lord to connect with this next generation for a long time. Why are we surprised when God answers our prayer?

What’s happening on these campuses looks different from what many of us are used to, and like those who witnessed the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we are bewildered and perplexed. I don’t have a lot of experience with revivals, but what I do know is that God does not like to show up quietly in the back row where no one notices him. The Bible, and history tells us that when God shows up, extraordinary things happen.

I am excited about what is happening in these universities. Young people are repenting and confessing their sin. People are calling upon the name of the Lord and being saved. Young people are baptizing each other in school fountains, and seekers are travelling great distances to witness it for themselves. This has not been a planned or orchestrated series of events, but rather, we are witnessing the pouring out of God’s spirit on a new generation who are seeking him. 

Join me in praying that this revival will spread to every campus across North America and that a new generation will set their hearts and minds on things above and follow Jesus.

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  -2 Chronicles 7:14

OC News

People continue to ask about our leadership transition at OC. 

We can describe it like being in the car on a cold winter morning when the windshield is all fogged and frozen and you are waiting for warm air to start defrosting the window. It starts with a small spot at the bottom and slowly expands until the whole windshield is clear. Over the last few weeks that clear spot in the windshield was pretty small and hard to see through but last week things started to clear up and we are appreciating a clearer view of the road ahead.

Considering multiple options for leadership succession at Outreach Canada, our Board and Executive Team have decided to appoint a Leader-SHIFT team to guide our ministry through an extended time of transition. This will provide an opportunity to thoughtfully reflect on almost forty years of serving leaders and discipling our nation and to consider where God is leading us for the future. 

Our Leader-SHIFT team is made up of selected team leaders and our board chairman. This team will assume the responsibilities of the Executive Director Role until a new ED has been identified. We are grateful that Craig will continue to be available for consultation through this transition time and we are excited to support him as he adjusts to his new Role with our OC Global Alliance.

Leader-SHIFT Team:

• Ray Woodard – Chairman of our Board of Directors
• Lorne Hunter – Assistant Director of OC and Leader of our Finance Team
• Rick Burdett – Our Chief Operations Officer
• Lorna Johnston – A great OC Ambassador and Leader of our Diaspora Ministries Team

Where is Craig Kraft going?

Craig has been an instrumental leader in the development of our OC Global Alliance (OCGA), a partnership of fifteen international missionary sending centers with over 1,200 missionary personnel and ministry in over one hundred countries.

Craig has been invited to serve as the OCGA’s Director for Global Collaboration, responsible for developing an international collaboration strategy that cohesively brings together the core competencies of communications, strategic planning, leadership development, international relations, and public policy. This is a new role in our OC Global Alliance and Craig hopes to develop a team to help serve and meet the needs of our growing Alliance.

Dr. Craig Kraft is the Executive Director of Outreach Canada. After 15 years of pastoral ministry in western Canada, Craig, with his wife, Heather, served with OC in southern Africa before returning to lead the ministry in Canada. Craig is a graduate of Northwest Baptist Seminary at ACTS and a graduate of Asia Graduate School of Theology with a Doctor of Intercultural Studies. His study has focused on diaspora missiology in Canada.  His dissertation explores the potential for revitalizing Canadian churches through the practice of biblical hospitality with refugees and immigrants. Craig loves to watch sports, work in the yard & spend time in the woods.