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 me. One particular student was very keen to meet and read the Bible with me at the start of the year. He thought that, if he had more spiritual investment, he would in turn be able to invest in others. It’s been a joy to see this play out – he has read the Bible with friends, invited them to CU events and walked alongside some as they have come to know the Lord.
Leading students to Christ
The Relay programme description talks about understanding grace in all areas of life. I’ve known this to be true in my own life and have watched His wonderful grace be made known to a student this year; he walked away from God last summer but wonderfully a few weeks ago he professed faith in Jesus. The way this student’s salvation came about was nothing but the careful handiwork of God, through many coffees, coincidental meet-ups on campus, his Christian friends and the faithful prayers of many.
As we studied Colossians together, I was able to come alongside him and encourage him to ‘continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel’ (Colossians 1:23). It’s a privilege to hear him confess Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.
Emma, Relay Worker with the University of East Anglia CU in Norwich
I found my Relay year crazy, with many highs and lows, but by God’s grace it was the most encouraging year of my life. Seeing God at work so powerfully within my own heart and the hearts of students was incredible, and I feel so privileged to have worked in student ministry for the year.
A stand-out moment was the CU events week in March. During this week, two students gave their lives to Jesus! One of them came to an event where the speaker was speaking about the cross and the grace we have in Jesus. She came to faith and left the event eager to study God’s Word. This was so encouraging to me; God’s hand was working the entire time, blessing us and bringing people to a saving faith in Christ.
Joanna, Relay Worker with Robert Gordon University CU in Aberdeen
During the CU’s events week, I met Elise. From the start, her manner expressed an eagerness to learn more, and she very excitedly accepted my invitation to read Uncover. We did the first four studies together, as Elise grew in confidence about answering the questions honestly and also asking her own questions. Elise had had some church affiliation growing up but said she wanted to understand it for herself.
Over Easter we ended up not being able to meet for a few weeks, and I was worried about picking up where we had left off after losing our momentum. But when we got together to continue in Mark’s Gospel, Elise said she had been thinking about our studies and felt she had seen God at work in her day-to-day life, and had decided to give her life to Christ. I feel so privileged to have seen God’s Word working so powerfully in someone’s life. She is already having great conversations with her friends and family and is settling into a local church.
This article was first published in Impact, our termly magazine. To receive this on your doormat once a term, sign up here.