Monthly column on student work

The work honeymoon is over for most of my friends. Four years out of university, nine-to-five is more monotony than novelty, the pay cheque is never quite enough, and 'travelling' is limited to two-week vacations. Reality has hit. And they live for the weekend.

So last month I was surprised to find myself surrounded by a large group of bright, (mostly) young things, all of whom seemed passionate about their work. I heard the phrases, 'I love my job' and 'this is the best job in the world' uttered on more than a few occasions. I knew the prospect of fast-track career progression or large bonuses was not their motivation (their employer provides neither), but rather a burden to see students become disciples of Jesus Christ. I was at the UCCF staff conference.

Regional teams

This academic year, UCCF has 61 staff working with Christian Unions in England, Scotland and Wales. All are graduates who are giving at least three years of their life to be missionaries in this country, serving the CUs and are delighted to do so. Esther Jervis, CU staff worker with Art students, reflected: 'It feels less like a job that I have to do, with tasks and aims, and more like a desire in me to see the students grow as Christians, because I know that's the best thing for them.'

Unlike the 'Travelling Secretaries', whom earlier generations of Christian students knew, CU staffworkers (CUSWs) work in regional teams, with a particular 'patch' of Christian Unions with whom they work. Their role involves a mixture of direct student work, contacts with church leaders and student workers, as well as involvement in projects related to the national CU movement. Although the bulk of the work is done in regions where CUs and CUSWs work together as much as possible, the sense of a wider 'family' is never far off. Some staffworkers remember being at Forum together as students; 18 of the current staff have been volunteer 'Relay' workers.

Out on their own

But it's not all plain sailing. Unlike many of their peers, staffworkers spend a lot of time working on their own, which can be very difficult. In some regions, they live over an hour from others in their team. The loneliness can be a great struggle. Student work often involves weekends and evenings, limiting opportunities for church involvement and maintaining friendships.

Another frustration is the scale of the work and the limited number of workers. Each staffworker supports an average of five CUs. It is a daily challenge for them to prioritise, spreading their time across the different CUs, and giving their best to them all. Steve Divall, leads a regional team: 'To cover all the CUs involves a lot of driving, and we'd much rather be doing ministry with students than driving. We'd love to have someone working with every CU, standing alongside the students in evangelism, encouraging and equipping them to get the gospel out.'

The regional teams meet together at least once a month for prayer, teaching and training, and to share stories and strategy. Anna MacKenzie, from the London team said: 'It is so good to meet up regularly with other staff who understand the situation we're in, who care and are interested'. For the last couple of years, the London team has had a Kenyan and a Nigerian on the team. 'Working alongside Peter [Oyugi] and Tinyan [Ogiemudia] has definitely helped me understand that we are not the only Christian Union movement in the world, but that we're part of a worldwide family.'

At the start of this academic year, one new staffworker gave his hopes for the year ahead: 'i) that I would preach the true gospel, not my own 'clever' ideas, ii) that the CUs would grow by conversion, and iii) that the students and I would persevere so that together we will be worshipping God for eternity'.
Please use these points to pray for the staff working with CUs near you, or with which you or your family have been involved.

UCCF are currently looking to fill and raise finances for CUSW posts starting September 2003. For an application pack, or to find out how you can support a staffworker, please contact UCCF on 0116 255 1700 or email info@uccf.org.uk

Emma Carswell

© Evangelicals Now - March 2003
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