Students are coming to life all over the place...
I dare to say that this is one of the most exciting times to be living in the student mission field ever!
Last weekend the Belfrey Church in York baptised some students and during the celebration there were more spontaneous baptisms including a student's visiting parent!
My church hit the back wall with chairs and nearly completely ran out space. We had curious friends come along with their housemates, and Alpha guests and intrigued family members!
Nearly ran out of chairs, hit the back, @G2York stacked! Been in this building less than a yr #students #trychurch #tryalpha #keepplanting pic.twitter.com/qAZ6i9OBJs
— Miriam Swaffield (@miriamswaff) March 12, 2017
At our Resonate day last week we asked people to raise their hands if they'd seen salvation this academic year amongst their students. Hands went flying up, over half the leaders could testify to new lives!
St Aldates in Oxford are describing "a mini revival amongst the freshers"... I'm pretty sure God's got his hand on an entire theatre group from Brookes who are coming to know Jesus one by one...
The harvest is plentiful
All this is to say, welcome to the plentiful harvest. Take a deep breath and imagine these growing, fruitful, spacious fields of golden crops ready to be brought in. This isn't to devalue individual humans by seeing them as crop, remember it was Jesus who used this picture! This is to raise your sights and hopes with a metaphor that reminds you that centuries of sowing seeds, and by the grace of the Spirit of God just choosing to move in this land, God is causing things to grow and our friends to be ready to know more of Jesus.
"I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying “One sows and another reaps” is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labour.’” Quote Jesus. John 4:34-38
Open your eyes and look at the fields!
Share your good news stories! What's happening in your city? We want to hear
Love and courage,
Miriam x
