CU mission encouragements

Christian Unions (CUs) have seen an increase in the number of students professing faith during their mission weeks.

In February, as they do each Spring, nearly 100 CUs across the UK held mission weeks on university campuses – a series of themed evangelistic events spread out over five days. While CUs have often seen students profess faith in the days and months following mission weeks, this year they saw many make a commitment during the weeks themselves.

By mid-March, the University and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF) had heard stories of over 20 students coming to faith during a CU mission week across Surrey, Bath, Aberdeen, Manchester, Exeter, Durham, Birmingham, and Treforest.

UCCF Creative Director Pete Dray shared: ‘Ideally, mission weeks are a focus and catalyst for year-round gospel sharing. Notably, we’ve seen that more students are professing faith during the weeks themselves. Many have been exploring Christianity for some time but, for whatever reason, a public call to follow Jesus is proving important in moving students from serious intrigue to repentance and faith’.

'For whatever reason, a public call to follow Jesus is proving important...'

Surrey CU, for example, hosted a mission week called ‘Purpose’ where they ran ten events across a week, and manned a pop-up café each day on campus. Nearly 1,000 people came along. One student had been exploring Christianity for a while and regularly attending church with her flatmate – after a talk on the Wednesday evening on the topic of ‘Belonging’, she decided to give her life to Christ.

Meanwhile in Bath, a Muslim student from Central Asia was handed a flyer on the Monday of the CU’s mission week. He explained that he had been visited in a dream by Jesus at the end of last year, which had led him to start attending church. He went to nearly every talk during the week, and by the end was joining CU members for their prayer meetings – sharing how excited he was for his new life with Jesus.

Across the UK, thousands of students were given a chance to hear and respond to the gospel as a result of CU mission weeks this year – with 3,600 coming to events in the Midlands alone.

Reaching South Asia

For CUs, an increasingly important part of their mission weeks is reaching students from overseas with the gospel – since 2010, the number of international students studying in the UK has increased by up to 70%.

Encouragingly, another notable trend during mission weeks this year was a rising interest in the gospel from South Asian students.

‘We saw large numbers of South Asian students attend events after being given a flyer or seeing a social media post. Many are from Hindu backgrounds,’ shared Pete Dray, ‘Join us in praying that they make long lasting relationships with Christian students and that attendance at the events is not the climax of their contact with Jesus.’