Revitalised CU sees multiple students come to faith

Students and local church workers are praising God after several students at St Mary’s University, Twickenham unexpectedly came to faith last year - with one student calling it a 'revival'.

In September 2023, there was no Christian witness on the St Mary’s University campus. However, beginning with just two students, a new Christian Union (CU) grew to more than 25 members. They saw eight students profess faith in Christ and now have 93 on their wider WhatsApp group.

The Christian Union was started by Rob MacQueen and Tommy Jack, who met at the end of their first year at an Alpha course running in the university Chaplaincy. Numbers at the Alpha course dwindled, leaving Rob and Tommy chatting with two local church workers each week – which was where the idea for a CU was first suggested.

‘I remember feeling so discouraged in my first year. There wasn’t a Christian Union at uni, I didn’t have any Christian friends, and to make it all worse, when we did try something [this Alpha course] it didn’t work,’ Rob commented to en.

‘What I’ve learnt though is that even when things like that seem tricky at the time, looking back God was working. Without those Alpha sessions as a four, we wouldn’t have talked about forming a Christian Union.’

Encouraged by the local church workers, Tommy and Rob ran a stand at the University freshers’ fair, and the following week saw 18 students packed into the Chaplaincy for their first meeting. Numbers began to drop off – until Christmas, when they were surprised to be joined by a steady influx of unbelieving students.

‘Most weeks around January and December, the majority of the group were either people who’d grown up in a Christian household and had fallen away or those who were not Christian,’ Rob commented. ‘Our group dynamic was a real mix. We had lots of Catholics which was amazing and a bit surprising as the Catholic society had basically told me not to set it up as we have a Catholic Society, why would we need a Christian Union? But lots of the members of their members came.'

In light of this, Rob and Tommy decided to study the ‘I Am’ sayings of Jesus, using the University and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF) Impact Group material because ‘it’s perfect to see who He is.’ As the months passed, they saw several students make professions of faith – some straight after their weekly meetings.

The CU finished the year by having to put chairs outside the Chaplaincy for the people who couldn’t fit inside, and this September, they’re beginning the new academic year with a committee of four. They plan to move their meetings to a lecture room and want to run outreach around campus in pairs once a month.

Reflecting on what happened, Rob commented: ‘We were really bold, we had nothing to lose. We said, “God do what you want, we’re going to set up this Christian Union”. We didn’t have high expectations.

'I'd call it a revival because of how spiritually dead it was. It felt hopeless. Then all of a sudden we're now packing the Chaplaincy and having to go to a lecture room - even talking about it now makes me feel so excited and ready to go.'

Looking ahead, Rob acknowledges the struggle of discipling new believers: ‘Only around five of those who became a Christian are actually going to church now. So, the vision is to bridge the gap between university and church.’ They have invited local church leader, Ed Kendall from St Michael's Fulwell, to speak to the group in October about the importance of attending church.

Local church worker Toby Ling has been supporting and encouraging the CU throughout the year. He commented, ‘It's been amazing to see the way God has used these students over the past year! I've been humbled by their passion, courage, faith, and above all their love for Jesus. The CU meetings are filled with a real hunger for the truth, from Christians and people just exploring. I'm really excited to see what God does next!'