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Mobilising your returning CU members

  • Pray for CU students as they return to Uni in a time of uncertainty
  • Reassure them of the God-given opportunities for witnessing to Jesus
  • Inform them of the CU’s plans to welcome new students
  • Recruit volunteers for the various CU initiatives

Have a think, or chat through with your committee:

  • How can you best connect with returning Christian students who have so far not engaged with the CU?
  • How will you seek to mobilise returning students in order to make the most of missional opportunities in the coming term? How can you envision them? What training might they need?

Get your CU leaders to Forum

  • Getting returning students, CU leaders and influential people in your CU to Forum will make a significant impact on starting strong in September – you can register now. This would be an ideal opportunity for loads of people in the CU to gather, be encouraged in faith and prepare for the challenges and opportunities of the new academic year. Why not invite people personally – let them know that you would love for them to be there!
  • Plan as a committee what CU gatherings you might want during the week of Forum to envision the rest of CU for the new term.
  • Forum would be the ideal time to share the plans you have made, pray together for CU mission and encourage CU members to volunteer to be involved in Freshers activities and beyond!

Get your returners together

Decide when is best

  • If you need help reaching out to new students from A-level results day onwards, think about keeping up contact with your CU members on social media or even hosting a gathering online early in August.
  • Otherwise find a time when the majority of returners are in your University town before new students arrive – this gives you time to catch up, envision, and pray so that when freshers arrive the rest of the CU is raring to go and ready to welcome!

Decide what to include

  • Use some time to build faith and cast a vision for mission – could you ask your Staff Worker or a church Student Worker to lead a devotion?
  • Communicate your plans and give time for questions – how could you make use of visuals, polls or videos to aid engagement?
  • Recruit new volunteers to help – make sure you’re clear in what you are asking for and spread the load across the CU
  • If you’re you have to host your gathering online bear in mind that “catching up” online is difficult, especially in larger groups – could you play a game or run a quiz instead? Remember to make the most of breakout rooms too.
  • Pray!

Decide what more is needed

You don’t want to bite off more than you can chew in one gathering (especially if it’s online). You might need to gather returners again for these reasons:

  • To train new volunteers for their specific roles
  • To update on developing plans as freshers’ season approaches