UCCF Blog 6

Dear Friends,   Happy New Year, and I hope you had a restful and joyful Christmas!   Firstly I must apologise for this not technically being sent out in December, but it has been the holidays, so I am only just back in to the swing of things! After an epic six hour battle through a snow blizzard, I eventually made it home for Christmas, and it has been such a blessing to be able to spend time relaxing with friends and family at home, and then go away with friends to Edinburgh for New Year. It has also been lovely to be able to see many of you over the holidays and chat about what I have been doing the past term!   Here’s a rundown of what I got up to in the first half of December, before term finished. Christ Church held two joint carol services with Kent CU and UCA CU. Both services were really well attended, and it was great to see people bringing their non-Christian friends along to hear the Christmas message. Jamie Haith from Holy Trinity Brompton in London (heads up Student Alpha UK) came and spoke, and many students who I spoke to afterwards said how much they had enjoyed it. It was really encouraging to host it joint with the other CU’s in Canterbury, showing that we all stand together wanting to share the message of Christ as our Saviour for all the students in Canterbury.   It was also a privilege to be involved in the university cathedral carol service, singing with the gospel choir I am in (see photo at the top!). Representatives from the CU are asked each year to do two of the readings, and this year was no different. It is fantastic that members of the Christian communities on campus can be seen to lead at a service which often becomes a bit of a tradition to attend each year for hundreds of non-believing students.   Tea and Toast is a project I have been involved with since it started in my first term of university. We open on a Wednesday night from midnight till 3am, and serve free drinks and toast to (mainly) students on their way home from a night out. This academic year we have seen great commitment from CU members, and have been really encouraged by some very committed first year students joining the team. Here is our annual staff Christmas party photo – with the very original theme being ‘Christmas’ (I’m hiding on the left behind the angel – dressed as a Christmas tree)!   The joint South East and South West team days held in Exeter were a fantastic time to catch up with other Relay’s and staff, as well as spend time together studying Ephesians. We were blessed so much during the three days, not only by John Hosier who was teaching, but also by the amazing hospitality shown to us by the family whose house we were using as a base, and all those who hosted us overnight. It is amazing how God works – Katy (Relay in Southampton) and I were staying with a couple who had been Coming up in January...   4th-7th – study week in Southampton with other South East Relay’s   13th – South East team day   17th-22nd – Relay 2 at Cloverly Hall, Shropshire   27th – Canterbury Summer International Outreach meeting missionaries in the same place in Singapore that Katy lived in! They took great interest in our Relay programme and were asking about what we did, as they were looking at developing something similar in another country!   December term finished with having lunch with other student workers in Canterbury, and chatting about what we had seen and been involved with over the past few months. Sharing stories, I realised how much God has been working in and through us to share the gospel with students we meet. Praise Him!   I am looking forward to the excitement, challenges and surprises of a new year, and another term serving in Canterbury. Some prayer points for January include: Working hard for the rest of this week on study week, and making the most of the time I have in Southampton Spending time next week preparing for Relay 2 - we shall be studying Malachi Being able to meet up with students again and encourage them in their faith The planning for Canterbury Summer International Outreach, taking place again this year after a very successful first mission last summer  And in the amazing words of Paul (Ephesians 3v16-21)...