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The Third Degree

Evangelism with an 'l'

How's your personal evangelism going? - I'm not just asking if you've been leading on Christianity Explored course or even speaking at guest events. I'm wondering how we're all doing in making opportunities to explain the gospel to people, talking about Jesus with our work colleagues, or unbelieving family members, and finding ways of being a witness in the community in which we live?

I'm asking, not because I'm in a position to make such a challenge, but because I have been deeply challenged. And by a surprising group of people: students in Christian Unions.

In this last term there have been at least eight mission weeks organised by CUs. Missions may not be the preferred means of outreach in churches these days, but if universities and colleges are anything to go by, perhaps we should be doing more?

At Guys, Kings and St. Thomas's (GKT) in London, the CU faced the difficulties of working on a split campus with students who have heavy workloads, on clinics or placements. Yet they poured their energies into organising a well-publicised and directly evangelistic programme. Preceded by a week of 'dialogue suppers' in student flats, the mission included flyering/tracting on campus, doing religious belief surveys, a series of lunchtime and evening events and 'appointments' with individuals who were interested to know more.

Throughout the week, great gospel conversations were had with a Ba'hai follower, a Jehovah's Witness, a number of atheists, plenty of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, and many more who had shut the door on religion during school. Through flyers and lecture announcements, many non-Christians (some of whom were truly searching and open) came into contact with the CU, and more than that, the good news of Jesus Christ. Hundreds of copies of John's Gospel were given out throughout the week.

Prepared to work hard

GKT, who are a relatively small CU were a real challenge to me. They sacrificially gave huge amounts of time to this mission - simply because they valued the opportunity to spread the gospel in their community. They were prepared to work hard at evangelism in an environment that makes mission hard work.

They risked their own popularity and credibility as they invited someone into their flats to talk about the Christian message with a group of friends. They stood up in lectures - in some cases in front of hundreds of fellow students - to invite them along to a mission event.

Please pray...

In this coming term around 30 Christian Unions will have mission weeks. Some, like Southampton, Manchester and Durham, will involve large events, attracting big crowds, others will be very small by comparison. Whatever the size of the CU or the missions, please pray with us that there will be courageous and committed Christian students who will have the joy and privilege of seeing fellow students put their trust in Christ. I hope you too will feel challenged - and encouraged - during this time of concentrated evangelism in universities and colleges, to think about your own evangelism and to learn from the (perhaps) unlikely examples of Christian students!

Emma Balch