Surge in student gospel interest

There has been increasing openness to the gospel among university students in the UK this Autumn, the UCCF has reported.

One unbelieving student attended an Abertay Christian Union (CU) lunchtime talk on ‘Lasting Joy’. Afterwards he said: ‘If this is true, you have a genuine hope for eternal happiness. If it’s not, you still have an anchor that allows you to find joy in this life – I find that exhilarating!’

UCCF said that during freshers’ weeks, several CUs have been struck by how open students are to the gospel. Manchester CU staff worker, Boaz Williams (see photo), said: ‘We’ve been amazed at how willing students are to chat and hear about the Christian Union – it’s a far cry from the cynicism of people pre-Covid.’

During this year’s street outreach in Durham, the inter-collegiate CU were ‘thrilled’ to be able to hand out every copy of the Gospel they had taken with them.

Some CUs have also seen many more people engage with them than they anticipated – a trend particularly encouraging for small CUs who have traditionally struggled to attract new students. At Hartpury University CU, its single member (‘JP’) ran a stall at the freshers’ fair with help from a CU member from another university. This resulted in ten freshers and two returning students interested in joining the CU.

In Reading, more than 70 students signed up to join the CU Impact Groups and 50 turned up to the first CU event for international students.

The UCCF also reported on students coming to faith during the pandemic. One student from Chichester CU, for example, found Christ in June after coming to the CU’s online mission week and reading Uncover Mark. Then, during the subsequent freshers’ weeks, this student was actively inviting several new students to explore Christianity for themselves.

A spokesperson for UCCF said: ‘There is much to give thanks for. God has sustained the ministry of the CUs through a tough 18 months, and is with them still as they boldly step out for His name on campus again now.’