Blog

Next steps: an update from the UCCF Trust Board

Following the conclusion of Hilary Winstone’s investigation into employment practices, UCCF are working to swiftly implement her recommendations in full and are committed to continuing to build a culture where staff are well cared for. We are pleased that Richard Cunningham, our Director, has now …

Welcoming students as Christ welcomes us

Welcoming students as Jesus welcomes Essex Christian Union at flying at their Welcome Week This autumn term, God has abundantly answered your prayers for Christian Union welcome weeks across the country. While many CUs started this academic year with small numbers of CU members due to graduating …

Starting Relay

Written by Charlotte, Relay Worker with Glasgow Caledonian University Christian Union, widely known as Caley CU. 'I have already been deeply encouraged to see how God has not only been transforming my heart and character, but also the students at Caley.' Relay started just last month, yet I have …

A year on Relay

Billy, Relay Worker with Swansea University CU I love all that CUs are about and think it’s the most wonderful thing that students can reach their peers while at university. Here are two highlights. Discipling students Meeting one to one with students has been one of the highlights of the year for …

Enriched by IFES World Assembly 2023

IFES World Assembly 2023 saw the convergence of over 160 nations represented by 845 attendees, each bearing the banner of their national student movement. I had the privilege of flying out to Jakarta, Indonesia, to represent UCCF in my position as chair of the UCCF Student Council, writes Jai …

Making Jesus known in Ammanford, Wales

Here in the UCCF Wales team, we love our country. From dramatic mountain ranges to unending beaches, we know we’re onto something special in our little corner of the UK. Yet most of our ministry tends to revolve around the cities and larger towns: Cardiff, Swansea, Aberystwyth and Bangor. There’s …

Rest in the Lord this summer

Relax You close your laptop, toss your textbooks to the side and breathe that sigh of relief that signifies the end of another academic year. You can feel the physical weight of all the material you had to process throughout exam season, gigabytes of storage crammed into your brain. Looking around, …

Pioneering CU mission in Manchester

For 32 years, The Arden School of Theatre (part of UCEN Manchester) did not have its own Christian Union. Now that’s all changed. In 2022, Izzy Martin was studying at The Arden, a drama school in Manchester, when the school announced it was to move across the city to new buildings, far from the …

Swansea CU events week

Two final-year students were walking past Swansea CU’s first evening event of their events week, Explore, when a CU member invited them in just as it was about to start. They had just visited another society’s event to try to make friends and find community but were disheartened by the welcome …

'Part of something greater'

Throughout March, UCCF have hosted Regional Forums to equip new CU leaders for mission. These have provided the opportunity for each CU to re-centre on gospel foundations, to ground students in the mission and to dream big about how they can best glorify God and proclaim Christ. Here's how they got …

Pray for summer teams

For over 30 years, UCCF summer teams made up of students, Staff Workers and Relay Workers head to Europe to partner with CU movements there. It's vital work – not only encouraging other movements as they share the gospel in their contexts, but also in building-up evangelists in the CUs and growing …

Pray for lasting fruit

As the story of the prodigal son was told at one York CU event, it drew varying reactions on one table. A couple of students were clearly unsure, laughing a little yet still listening; another guest muttered to her Christian friend, ‘I’m so angry right now’ ; one student turned to CU Staff Worker …

Making the most of events week

As someone once sang – albeit about Christmas not events weeks! – 'it's the most wonderful time of the year'. CU events weeks offer thousands of students across Great Britain the opportunity to respond to the life-changing news of Christ. We need to take this unique chance to invite friends to a …

Pray for events weeks 2023

Events weeks invite thousands of students across Great Britain to respond to the life-changing news of Christ. Spread over five days, these high-profile evangelistic events are designed to make Jesus known to the wider university. Events weeks are a pivotal point in the year – many give their lives …

The gift of lament

23 March 2020 is etched on all our memories – it was the date that the UK first went into lockdown. I will remember it for different reasons. It was the day that my emotional life unravelled. For a period of about two months, I had no control over my emotional state. I felt like I was covered by a …

Starting the year together

As a fifth-year Staff Worker, New Year's Training Conference (NYTC) – UCCF’s annual training conference for all Staff and Relay – is a fond staple of the beginning of another year. Living near the coast in the North East of England, I am an occasional partaker in a New Year’s Day dip, of which NYTC …

Statement from the Trustees of UCCF

4 October 2023 Updated 10 October - see addendum below . Background to the Independent Investigation On 20 December 2022 the UCCF Trust Board received a letter from a firm of solicitors representing individuals alleging multiple breaches of employment law by the charity, and misconduct on the part …

Where do we find new beginnings?

For many of us, the New Year is a time to welcome in a better year with the people who matter. There’s no overnight magic from the 31st to the 1st, but we all hope for change. We don’t only hope for change for the world around us, but we long for change in us too. Perhaps some of these sound like …

Seeking Jesus at 'Twixmas'

Twixmas (noun) Meaning: The period in between Christmas and New Year, typically December 27th-30th. It's a weird time isn’t it – you barely know the date, or the time of day, let alone which part of the Christmas dinner leftovers to eat next. It's a time when many of us return to the reality of …

A thrill of hope

For many of us, carol services characterise our Decembers. We attend countless services with varying degrees of creativity: carols by candlelight, alternative carols, even services with live donkeys in tow. But for increasing numbers of students, they wouldn’t expect to step foot in a church, even …

Events week dates 2023

What's an events week? The CUs aim to make Jesus known on campus throughout the year. In the spring, many will also run a week of daily, high-profile evangelistic events as part of this. Events (or mission) weeks provide thousands of students with the opportunity to respond to the life-changing …

Autumn mission weeks

CUs up and down the country have been running ‘events weeks’ – week-long missions full of evangelistic talks – for decades. This year, breaking from this model, a handful of CUs ran ‘mini mission weeks’ this autumn. As Esyltt went on to say, these weeks are far more than a dress rehearsal for the …

Come, sing of His glory

Come, sing of His glory: four devotionals dwelling on the songs in the first two chapters of Luke. As we enter advent, we invite you to step into the shoes of those who welcomed Jesus at His first coming, as we anticipate His coming again. Our prayer is that as you read these, you will be more …

'Tis the season to be praying

The CUs have incredible opportunities to share the gospel this Christmas. Have you ever wanted to share your faith with a friend, but haven’t been sure when to take the plunge? Perhaps you were waiting for a window of opportunity, or an appropriate gap in the conversation. Just the right moment. …

Pray for CUs this autumn term

'Pray that, like Peter, we would want to expand the witness and welcome of God to those around us. Pray for conviction and encouragement from the Father' - student at Lampeter Campus, University of Wales Trinity St. David. If we go back at the very start of September, it was the last evening …

Forum 2022: as it happened

Students came to Forum from a whole host of different places. Some came off the back of a spiritually uplifting summer while others felt as though they were in a season of drought. As 1000 students entered the main meeting on the first night, they were met with this message: ‘Just as Jesus is …

In memory of Queen Elizabeth II

As we mourn the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, we also give thanks for her life of faithful service, knowing that she is now home with her Lord and Saviour Jesus. Like many, I had a mixture of feelings when I heard the news the Queen was ill and her family had gathered to see her. I felt quite …

God has marked out your place

I remember my results day. I remember feeling like a dam ready to burst. I knew that logging in and looking at those four letters could either bring waves of disappointment and worry, or floods of joy. Since then, I’ve realised that whatever feeling waterfalls over us in times like these, there is …

Coming to faith at Forum

'Jesus was walking alongside me into that tent that evening…' Gracie joined Lancaster CU in 2020 as a way to make friends but she wasn’t sure she was a Christian. She came along to Forum last year, and ended up giving her life to Christ. This is her story in her own words. Just going along with it… …

Fixing your eyes on Christ after graduation

Graduating from university is daunting and the prospect of transitioning from the familiar to the unknown brings countless questions: Where will I live? Will I find friendship and community? How can I keep God at the centre as I start my career? However you are feeling about the year ahead, it is …

Review: The Mark Drama

On Monday 7 February, Bristol University CU hosted The Mark Drama, a dramatised version of Mark’s Gospel. The performance was covered by Epigram , the University of Bristol’s Independent Newspaper. This piece first appeared there and has been republished in Impact and now on our blog with …

Looking after your mental health as you graduate

Struggles with mental health are increasingly common amongst students. As you look towards graduation, it’s worth thinking about the potential triggers and hardships and the effect that they could have on your mental health. From difficulties making friends to the frustration of living back with …

More than chatting over coffee

As we’ve been so encouraged to see this year , CUs are a wonderful way for students to find faith in Jesus. They’re also a wonderful place for Christian students to deepen in their love of Him. In CUs, students spend three years surrounded by like-minded friends, pursuing a vision to make disciples …

Three lessons learnt in Impact Groups

This year, CU Impact Groups have been continuing to meet. Small groups of students from across the country and from different stages of belief, have been regularly digging into God's Word together. 'Topics that aren't often on the table' The series for last term was based in Ecclesiastes. It …

Evangelism in exam season

Exam season is not many people’s favourite time of year. The busyness of this time can cause us to press pause on lots of areas of life, including speaking about Jesus to our friends. While our heads are rightly down in our books and cue cards, how can we also have our eyes open to those around us …

Returning to in-person mission weeks

‘Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.’ – Acts 4:12. After over a year of online events, the return to pre-pandemic rhythms of putting marquees up, donning garishly coloured sweatshirts and enthusiastically handing out …

Word Alive 101

Whether this will be your first Word Alive or you're starting to feel like Prestatyn is your second home, you're in for a treat! It's a fantastic week, where we come together as a part of God's wider family, bond with with the rest of our CUs and receive teaching that will grow us in Christ's …

Answering difficult questions

‘If God is loving, why is there so much suffering?’ ‘Hasn’t science disproved Christianity?’ ‘Isn’t the Bible sexist?’ Picture the scene: it’s a rainy Tuesday evening and you’re sat in a steamed-up kitchen, filled with the smell of molten cheese sweetened by hints of burnt chocolate spread. It’s …

'We've never done this before'

It’s always scary doing something for the first time. Only two members of Edge Hill CU had run a mission week in-person before. How were they to organise events? What events should they choose? Would students come? But, with the support of their local Staff Worker Abi Andrews and Relay Worker Beth, …

Finding God in Hertfordshire

My name is Jess Pratt. I’m 22 and I’ve I just graduated with a degree in Journalism and Creative Writing. I was a member of University of Hertfordshire Christian Union for two years and it’s there that I came to faith. In September 2019, I was drawn to a leaflet from Hertfordshire University …

Opportunities at Christmas

The easiest invite of the year This December, Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (OICCU) returned to the Sheldonian Theatre to host their two annual carol services. They welcomed over 1,000 guests, greeting them with a warm smile, a mince pie, and the news of Jesus, the Light of the World. …

Talking to friends about Jesus

What’s your initial response to the phrase ‘personal evangelism’ ? Perhaps it sounds daunting, overly strategic, or paradoxically impersonal. But what’s your response to ‘sharing life with your friends’ ? Suddenly, that sounds a lot simpler. So often we are tempted to cut Jesus short on the great …

Christmas is for you

Christmas for the doubter In the first chapter of Luke, we meet a temple priest named Zechariah. He’s not the kind of person you would expect to doubt. He is righteous and clearly committed to serving the work of the Lord and his people (v6). During an already momentous occasion of offering …

Carrying on the work

Rachel and Graham attended Southampton CU in the late 1980s. Since graduating they have supported UCCF in several ways, including praying, giving financially and connecting with students through their local church. They have also indicated their intention to leave a donation to UCCF in their wills. …

A surprising start to term

What is the student mission field like post-pandemic? No one knew quite what to expect this September. What would it be like as thousands of students came back to campus after the pandemic? For the Christian Unions, there were two main aims during their freshers’ weeks: to speak much-needed gospel …

Engaging well with your studies

‘And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.’ - Colossians 3:17 You may be wondering if your course really matters. Is the work that you do as a student something that can bring glory to God? Colossians gives an …

The start of a year on Relay

Hey, I'm Kitty. Having just graduated from Durham, I'm moving down to Oxford to do Relay this year. That's exactly what you would have heard 101 times if you were a fly on the wall during Orientation — my awkward introduction as I fumbled my words, remembering how to socialise again after 18 months …

Gospel conversations - a risk worth taking

What would you say if someone asked you, ‘do you like to take risks?’ A wholehearted ‘yes, that’s me!’, or a definite ‘no, I like to play it safe’? I would answer with a firm no if someone asked me that question. Not a single one of my friends would describe me as adventurous or risky. Yet when it …

5 things to pray for freshers' weeks

Freshers’ weeks are kicking off all over Britain, with a record 400,000 students heading off to uni for the first time. CUs are uniquely placed to share the gospel with those students, and to support those who are already Christians when they arrive at uni. Having just been to UCCF’s annual …

Advice for starting uni: reflections from two sisters

Starting uni is always a challenge, as students leave home and strike out on their own. But this year, as it was for freshers last year, an already nerve-wracking experience will be made even trickier as the effects of Covid-19 are still being felt. Although we're emerging slowly from the pandemic, …

How can a CU welcome diversity?

‘After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…’ — Revelation 7:9 Can you picture yourself in that heavenly choir? University is a great place to get ready for …

What is good rest?

When you have time off, do you ever try to rest really productively? Get through that next Netflix series as fast as you can so you can move on to the next? Get as far down your to read list as possible? Make it your ambition to start a new hobby? Write a list of compulsory fun to get through to …

Making the most of Forum

‘If I go again, I’ll definitely make sure I…’ Often when you go on holiday, you have a great time but come away with a mental checklist of things you’d do differently next time. Something to bring, or not bring. What to try and what to avoid. So, to help you prepare ahead of Forum, we asked some …

Pray for graduating students

Why pray for graduating students? Graduation is an exciting, but also scary, time for a lot of students. Many will have a job to go to, others will have little idea what comes next for them. There are so many things facing graduating students right now so please join us in praying for them in this …

Dealing with change

It’s been said that the only constant is change. Wherever you're at, whether you're graduating and going into the big, wide world of work, or if you're just about to start your first year of uni, things are always changing. Hopefully the easing of restrictions will continue and things will look …

A summer of 'phygital' mission

Here come the side-hugs As social-distancing restrictions have eased this summer term, CUs have been delighted to start meeting in-person again. They have gathered for book clubs, Impact Group s, beach trips, first-contact evangelism and many other events in Covid-secure venues. 1st physical, …

Welcoming in new students

If only we could imagine the scene – God a few months before sending His Son. 'Its only a few months away'. And the plan was glorious. God Himself would step into the world to welcome the lost home. It’s clear how much Jesus valued extending welcome to those who needed it; in His parables, the …

How to talk to strangers about Jesus

'Hi, do you have a moment to chat…?' How would you feel about walking up to a stranger and asking them about Jesus? As a fresher, I remember learning how to do this. My Relay Worker took me around the university and we started conversations with random students lingering in the lobby, with the aim …

What difference does a Staff Worker make?

Next year, we want to put 16 Staff Workers in the universities to support and equip the Christian Unions. They will spend their time reading the Bible one-to-one with students, delivering evangelistic talks, providing training seminars, pastoral support and much more. But what difference does this …

Seven tips on reading the Bible with friends

You invited your friend to a CU event. They came along. They heard the talk. Now they’re interested in finding out more… what do you do next? Simple, invite them to read the Bible! Uncover is a fantastic resource with a series of studies designed to put the Bible easily into the hands of your …

Pioneering mission weeks

'But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.' – 2 Corinthians 12:9 This spring, the Christian Unions learnt what it truly means to be weak. Each …

Keeping the conversation going

'Mission weeks open up opportunities to talk about the gospel that are often hard to come by. For that reason, we need to be active in keeping these conversations going. Mission weeks bear the most fruit when we don't allow them to be a one time thing, but when we keep investing in our friends, …

How to bring friends to online events

One of the things that’s encouraged me over the past few months is how innovative CUs have been in sharing the gospel, even in a university setting that’s new to us all. We’ve had to adapt some of our practices – including the way we invite friends to events. Given that handing out flyers and …

Making the most of online mission weeks

It might be hard to picture how your mission week is going to go this year. Maybe others in your CU are excited about it, and you’ve even mentioned it to a couple of your flat mates – but really, you aren’t too sure what to expect from a series of virtual events… Here, CU students who have been in …

Is anyone listening?

What God says about my depression and anxiety. In January 2014, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. It was a pretty bleak time, especially while I was waiting for the meds to kick in and the worst of the heaviness, sadness and fear to subside. I struggled to pray, I wept my way through …

Making the most of every opportunity

What did the CUs get up to this Christmas? Normally, the Christian Unions witness something unusual and exciting in December – they see hundreds of unbelieving students eagerly walk into churches, read passages from the Bible, and persistently ask about the next CU event. Why? Because it's …

Where do we find new beginnings?

For many people, the New Year holds significance as a way to welcome in a better year with the people who matter. There’s no overnight magic from the 31st to the 1st (and this year may already feel the same as last year!), but we all hope for change. Perhaps now more than ever. And we don’t only …

What the nativity tells us about...

So far this year, life at university has been tough. It's been tough being apart from families, tough to make those 'lifelong friendships' and tough to plan for life after graduation. Our hope for the future, sense of security, happiness and even self-confidence have all been called into question. …

How to answer questions about Christmas

Christmas has sprung up quickly this year. TV adverts are already full of happy families eating turkey. Shop windows are covered in tinsel. Mariah Carey's 'All I want for Christmas' has even re-entered the charts. Maybe you've begun thinking about when you'll head home for the holidays. Most …

Alternative Christmas mission ideas

With no Christmas parties, no dinners with friends and maybe even no carol service, it may be tempting to just skip Christmas this year. But now more than ever, our friends need hope. Rather than a vaccine, rules or government, they need hope in something certain – and that’s what we have to offer. …

The impact of Impact Groups

Determined to make Jesus known but unable to run campus events, hold physical gatherings or even hand out flyers, the Christian Unions have been getting creative this year. Quirky and unusual outreach – such as dropping cake off outside halls of residence! – has emerged, but the main change for …

Make your online carol service one to remember

The carol service has always been a part of the CU calendar. I know when I was a student it was by far the easiest thing to invite my unbelieving friends to, and they absolutely loved it. But, why bother this year? We can’t pack our friends into churches or even football stadiums and can’t belt our …

Hope in the new normal

A series of four blogs on Romans 8 A new academic year, a very odd context. The effects of the pandemic continue to be seen around us as we continually adapt to new restrictions. It's now normal to say ‘social distancing’, ‘isolating’ and ‘the rule of six’. Yet, for all of the talk about this ‘new …

An unusual start to the term

Last week, I walked through the precinct of one of the universities near to me. It happened to be Tuesday of freshers’ week. Normally the campus would have been bustling with people; a whirlwind of activity. This year, stewards wearing visors and hi-vis jackets outnumbered new students. Signs …

Five reasons to pray for the CUs

With lockdowns on university campuses across the country, many students, including freshers, are currently experiencing an isolating start to the term. As missional communities on campus living and speaking for Jesus, Christian Unions are doing all they can to adapt to this new unusual context – …

Safe in His hands

No one started off the last academic year expecting to receive grades that were estimated not earned, adjusted and not achieved. But here we are. Results day 2020 saw social media blow up with frustration, anger and worry. News headlines were taken over by people analysing algorithms, league tables …

What's a CU to do?

Are you planning for a socially-distanced events and looking for inspiration? Or perhaps you’re wondering how best to reach your university online? If that sounds like you, read on! We’ve had a look back at all the ‘virtual’ CU activities since March and we’ve chosen some of their best light-bulb …

Colour-blindness is a deficiency to be acknowledged not a virtue to be celebrated

The human eye that does not recognise the individual colours of the rainbow is failing to perceive the varying wavelengths of light. Physical colour blindness is, of course, a defect of vision – an inability to differentiate and enjoy colours. The Apostle John’s great vision of the universal church …

It begins with conversation: Striving for inter-ethnic unity in the CU context

The events surrounding George Floyd’s violent death have placed ethnicity and race relations back in the public eye, not only in the United States but around the world. People of a whole range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds have been prompted to re-examine their own views and practice when it …

Life together: pursuing community in ethnic diversity

Meditating on the hope of the gospel recently left me longing for the new creation, when our sin-sick world, the petri dish for racism and every shade of ethnic conflict, will finally be wiped clean. Be assured: perfect justice will be served by the perfect judge when the perfect comes. I believe …

Carrying the gospel baton

At one of my last Christian Union meetings as a student, I heard a talk on 2 Timothy, where Paul passes on his final messages to the younger Timothy. The pastor paused in the middle of the meeting to ask us, ‘What will you pass on to the younger years when you graduate and leave them?’ That is …

A long way from home

The Covid-19 outbreak has had an impact on lots of us. For international students, it’s been tricky in entirely different ways. Here, Chichester CU student Sian explores how the book of Esther can be an encouragement to those far from home during this time. The last few weeks have been challenging …

Virtually an events week?

At the end of May, supported by UCCF Relay Workers and Associate Staff Workers, the CUs in Scotland joined together to run an online events week called Hope . Bekah, vice president of Dundee CU, reflects here on what happened. We first saw lockdown as a disaster. It was ruining plans and bringing …

Relay blog: adapting to change

This years' cohort of Relay Workers have had a surprising end to their year. Both the way they support the CUs, and the way they themselves are supported, has changed significantly. Here, Georgia from Leeds reflects on what lockdown life is like on the Relay programme. Hello and a very good …

The latest on CU mission and Covid-19

Thank you for your prayers for us over these past couple of months. We were successful in our application to the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and have received the rebate for April salaries, as per the terms of the scheme. We are grateful to the Lord for this provision and …

Reading the Bible online when you're 'Zoomed-out'

It can be tricky to work out how to read the Bible with a friend when you're not with them in person. Here, Bath CU student Evie shares her personal story of how she helped a friend discover Jesus in the Bible. I began reading the Bible with Sarah (name changed) back in December. At the time she …