Meet Matt!
Meet our Cru member of the week, Matthew Davis, also known by his barista nickname, Mattspresso! He’s a Junior Economics Major with future aspirations of getting a job, maybe moving to Philly...or somewhere South, and having a family! Something you may not know about Matt is that he really likes to cook and is currently on a kick of making home-made pizza!
How did you first find cru and what was your experience like?
"Some people I work with invited me out when it came up in conversation. It was really cool; definitely a little overwhelming, but in a good way. Everyone was super nice to me and super welcoming. I didn’t know what worship was, but I liked it."
What is your favorite way that you invest in Cru?
“I would say Community group. It’s cool getting into the Word [Bible] and learning about God and His character. I can also read a book on my own, but it’s better in fellowship because you get to build that community. Also, I know my schedule is really busy, so that Tuesday night Community Group is one of the only times I get to spend a couple hours with close friends.”
What attracted you to come back to Cru again, after coming for the first time?
“Straight up, this guy BB [Byron Burger]. I just met him and he gave me a hug and gave me a bag of stuff and was like “we’re so happy to have you”. But seriously, he was so nice and so kind, and he shared his story earlier that night and I related to some of the stuff he was saying about needing God in his deepest, darkest times. Between what he said in his story and how he treated me, it made me feel really welcomed. It gave me this sense that this is where I was supposed to be; like I belonged there.”
Is there a time/moment in your involvement with Cru that has been super significant or impacting for you?
“I think Winter Conference because I didn’t know much about what Cru was. I had no idea what I was getting into. I had just come to West Chester so I was like “why not”. It was nice really to have something to do over break and I don’t know, I just feel like that just jump started my involvement. I just got to know people. I got to hear the gospel preached in a way that I never had before. I got to experience a thousand students worshiping. I didn’t know the songs or what they were saying. I didn’t know all that was going on, but I could tell that something special was going on. I just got to be involved with Cru in a full-throttle way.”
How has Cru specifically helped grow your faith?
“Oh man, It’s been integral, definitely. I literally didn’t know what having faith and walking with Jesus meant before coming to Cru. I had explored Christianity. I believed that Jesus was God, but I didn’t know what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus and what that looked like. I didn’t know tangible things like reading the Bible or going to church really mattered that much. But even more, I didn’t know God’s love... and that has been shown to me in many ways in prayer with him and through people I have met. Everything that is central to my faith, has been rooted from experiences that I have had in Cru. They all come from Jesus obviously, but that has just been the seed of my faith, which has blossomed.”
From now, compared to high school, how do you think you are a different person?
“There’s so many different ways. I think I was super self-centered in high school and I only thought about myself. Matt wanted to do what Matt wanted to do, on that day. It didn’t really matter the consequences months or years from now, or how that affected other people. I also cared so much about what other people thought of me. You wouldn’t know that, because I don’t seem like a people-pleaser, but I wanted to have this reputation. I could never be the real me and genuinely get to know people or let them genuinely get to know me. I was afraid of what people would think of me if they saw the real me. But now, I’ve truly put my identity in Christ. To me that means, fully trusting God in every aspect of my life; finding such a strong eternal identity, opposed to not having an identity at all.”
What do you think your life would be like in college if you hadn’t gotten involved with Cru?
“I had the experience of going to College and not knowing Jesus and then going to another college and knowing Jesus. So I went to Temple [University] and I partied a lot and made a lot of poor choices. I got in trouble a lot and I didn’t care. I just wanted to have fun and that’s all I really cared about. On top of that, I would meet really good people, but I was afraid to ask them to get dinner or go hang out, so I couldn’t build those relationships. I was afraid of what they’d think of me. Then coming here [West Chester University] and starting to go to Cru and being able to build those deep meaningful relationships has been invaluable. It’s such a waste of time to spend your college years partying in some crappy Frat basement. My life is just not as shallow now, it’s way deeper and more meaningful than without Jesus."
What makes you most passionate about Cru?
"I know that God is sovereign and Jesus is the one that saved me, but He used Cru as a medium to do that and I see Him do that for other people too. Also, to see the resource that Cru has been to people that aren’t Christians and don’t come from the church, like myself."
What would you say to someone who is unsure about getting involved with Cru?
“Just do it. Just go. And you’ve got to come back. You’ve got to go, and then go, and then go and just put yourself out there. Talk to people. I can guarantee that people in Cru will invite you somewhere, it’s what we do. We’re going to tell you to come out to Community group or we are going to ask you to get coffee and you might have a busy schedule, but just say YES. You never know who you’re going to relate to. Just say YES and get plugged in."
Outside of our weekly meeting, Matt is involved in a Cru Community group, he occasionally emcee’s for our weekly meetings, and attends many of our various events, retreats and conferences as well!