Reece was a student in Preston and this is his story of trying church and coming to faith...
I grew up in an atheist household and faith was something that I had never explored. I looked at other Christians and settled on the idea that they had something that I didn’t, and that faith was something that just wasn’t for me. I always felt that something was missing but could never put my finger on what it was.
During my time at university, that void seemed to become more noticeable, and I would try to fill it with all sorts of pleasure-seeking activities, but these things only left me feeling more unfulfilled and with a deeper longing for something more in life.
One day I was chatting with a Uni friend, and she mentioned that she had been going to church. This instantly sparked my curiosity as I had never made the connection of Uni students going to church and having a faith; it was the last thing I expected students to be doing based on my own perceptions and experience. I felt that this was a unique opportunity for me that I might never get again so I started to ask questions. However, I was also very sceptical, and there was a strong resistance within me as I felt that if I did go to church I might be judged. The idea of church just also didn’t seem very appealing to me.
After a few weeks of wrestling with the idea, I decided to go with my friend to her church's Student Night, and instantly I felt welcomed and valued. I could see that there was something different about this church and all my previous ideas and expectations completely changed.
At the end of the night, the Student Worker felt that she should pray for me and after being prayed for, something changed in me. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt that I had finally found what I had been searching for and I was hungry for more of that feeling. This kickstarted my faith journey. I gave my life to Jesus, began attending Student Nights regularly, as well as Sunday services and getting involved with serving on team.
After a year, I had a strong sense that God was calling me out of university to serve as a leader in the student group that I had been attending, so I decided to apply for the role as a student intern, and I can confidently say that it was the best thing for me. I am so passionate about serving students in the church and can't wait to continue with what I am doing next year. I'm still relatively new to faith, but I am hungry and excited to continue growing my relationship with God and seeing all that He will lead me into.
