Every Easter, hundreds of CU students descend upon Prestatyn as an integral part of the Word Alive conference, run in partner-ship with UCCF. Word Alive has furthered the discipleship of thousands of CU leaders, who return to their campuses nurtured by the teaching and by growing in their faith together.
In recent years we have been encour-aged to hear of CU students bringing their unbelieving friends to Word Alive. There is a growing trend for students who have attended CU events, but not yet made a pro-fession of faith, attending as a next step to exploring Jesus. But why is this happening?
A chance to learn
With many students arriving at university significantly less familiar with Christianity than in previous generations, conferences like Word Alive offer the chance to dig deeper and learn more.
Eddy is a seeking student who professed faith at Word Alive after months of searching. Sharing his story with Leeds College of Music CU, he explained: ‘I loved the Just Looking group because every day I got to learn about Jesus. It is like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I’ve come alive.’
Rachel, a student at Edge Hill CU, invited her seeking friend to come with the CU. By the end of the week she decided to take her exploration of faith further, buying books from the bookstore, and even asking Rachel how to become a Christian – in case she was persuaded by her reading!
Asking the difficult questions
Away from the pressures and context of university life, it’s often easier for unbeliev-ing students to get to the heart of what’s stopping them from accepting Christianity.
One seeking student from Brunel University had the opportunity to attend with students from Oxford, after meeting CU Staff Worker Sarah Pickett during their missions week. Speaking to Sarah after-wards, he shared that he had really enjoyed the week, bonded well with the CU students and had the opportunity to investigate the questions he had about faith.
A chance for community
Unbelieving students are increasingly finding new life after being first drawn to the community that CUs offer them. Conferences like Word Alive represent a chance to go away with friends and explore faith in a safe and fun environment.
Andrea Dalton, CU Staff Worker in the North East, spoke to a student involved with Huddersfield CU who had been coming all year, but vocally insisted that they were not a Christian. After attending the Enjoying God track at Word Alive, she was moved to give her life to Christ, explaining: ‘There is something about the CU community I just cannot shake off.’
These encouraging stories are only a small sample of the students who have found new life in Christ through attending Word Alive with their CU. We are so thankful to the Lord for the boldness of CU students to take every opportunity to bear witness to Christ, and for those now celebrating new life in Him.
