Evangelicals Now
<< November 2005 >>

The Third Degree

A day in the life of a... Christian Union Staff Worker

In the beginning…

uccf:thechristianunions has always held the cross at the centre of its ministry. It was in 1910 that the first Christian Union (Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union) disaffiliated from the dominant Christian student movement of the time (the SCM) because of the SCM’s liberal interpretation of key gospel doctrines — notably they did not hold as central the atoning blood of Jesus.

The Inter-Varsity Fellowship (now known as uccf:thechristianunions) was formed shortly after. ‘It was only a few months later that the realisation dawned on us that if a CICCU was a necessity in Cambridge, a union of the same kind was also a necessity in every university of the world’ (F. Donald Coggan, Christ and the colleges, p.71).

There are now over 350 CUs in the UK and they are thriving! They are vibrant missionary communities on our university and college campuses! This vital and strategic work continues to grow and develop under the partnership, care and gentle encouragement of UCCF Christian Union Staff Workers (CUSWs).

One sugar or two?

Contrary to what many people may believe about staff workers, they do not spend all day long in Starbucks drinking coffee, eating muffins and talking about football. The real agenda for effective staff work is set by the historic vision and values of CUs by maintaining the cross as central, keeping gospel proclamation at the top of the agenda and being 100% committed to student leadership.

UCCF staff aim to:

Train and equip students to be biblical and culturally relevant in their evangelism;
Develop teaching programmes and promote prayer to help students grow in maturity through mission and apply faith to every area of student life;
Work with student leaders to help them develop their gifts for a lifetime of service and to effectively lead the CU now;
Communicate, build relationships and promote partnership with local churches and local church leaders.

In short, CUSWs are there to help the CU stay a CU and stop it from becoming a dating agency (but, hey, if you’re a student and reading this, don’t lose heart … you never know); a social club (but many have formed life-long friendships through CU); or a church (but it is the missionary arm of the local church on campus).

A day in the life…

I caught up with my good friend Andy Weatherley (CUSW in Birmingham) to get a taste of what it’s like being a staff worker in Brum. Here’s what he had to say.

PB: So, Andy, tell me how have long you’ve worked for UCCF and has that been a positive experience?

AW: I’ve been a staff worker for two years now and I have to say I’ve really enjoyed my time so far. It’s been a huge privilege to work with such a diverse range of Christian students. It really is a beautiful thing when you see a united Christian witness for the gospel. It’s great to be part of a movement that’s involved with that — I feel privileged and proud.

What’s the best part of your job?

It’s just so stimulating, challenging and diverse — so one day I could be writing a seminar on worldviews to help students do evangelism, or alternatively I could be studying the Bible one-to-one with a student or meeting with a university chaplain.

PB: What do you actually do? Why don’t you take me through a typical day?

AW: OK…this is what I’m doing on Tuesday:

9.00 am - Meet up with staff and relay from the Birmingham team. We’re currently writing Bible studies on Luke’s Gospel that we’ll deliver to students during the term. We’ll spend a good proportion of this time talking through various issues and praying together.

11.00 am - Drive to Walsall (this usually takes about an hour). I do a one-to-one Bible study with one of the CU leaders there. We’ll also spend some time chatting through how he is and how CU is going. This week we’re going to spend some time on campus with some other students conducting evangelistic questionnaires to raise the profile of the CU and hopefully get into some significant gospel conversations. I’ll leave at 3.00 pm and probably get home for 4.00 pm.

6.00 pm - I’ll jump into my car and drive to University College, Worcester. The CU meeting is due to start at 7.30 pm and I’m speaking from Colossians 4 on praying for the mission which is due to take place the following week. I’ll leave at 9.00 pm and be home for about 9.30 pm!

To find your nearest CUSW, and how to support them in prayer or financially, log on to http://www.uccf.org.uk/findmystaffworker. Alternatively, contact our support department on 0116 255 1700 and ask for Jema.

Pod Bhogal