I hugged my mum goodbye, waved at her as she drove away, and made my way back to my bedroom in my new halls of residence.
As I sat down on my slightly uncomfortable single bed with springs that squeaked way too much, a resounding “what next?” filled my mind. Lectures didn’t start for another week. Not all of my flatmates had arrived yet. Fresher’s events weren’t until the following day.
I organised and reorganised my room to pass the time, making sure that all of my folders were ready to be filled with notes and that my cushion collection was arranged perfectly.
Just as boredom with a touch of homesickness was about to set in, a message from a student worker at a local church appeared on my phone.
“What are you doing tonight? A few of us are hanging out tonight for snacks and drinks. Wanna come?”
And just like that, the boredom, the slight homesickness, the ‘not really knowing what I’m doing this far away from home’ dispersed because just one person decided to reach out to the fresher sitting alone in her halls.
I responded with a “yes! Where do we meet?” and from my first night at university, I was connected in with a local church, because of the people who wanted to connect with me first.
I gave my life to Jesus 2 months before starting university and for that reason, it was so important that I got connected into a local church during my fresher’s week.
I needed that foundation, I needed a place to call home. But in the newness of faith and the newness of university life, I needed somebody to reach out to me.
Perhaps you can relate to this. Perhaps you experienced somebody reaching out to you during your Freshers week. Perhaps that person or that event is in your mind right now.
So many churches around the UK have welcomed Freshers with open arms, inviting them into their homes, putting on welcome parties and seeking Jesus’ will for the next 3 years of their lives at university.
So I ask you, what stories have you heard?
What has your church done to welcome students in Freshers week? Who do you know that has had a missional mindset right from the start of their time at university?
Let’s share stories. Let’s celebrate all of the incredible things that churches and individuals have done across the country during Freshers.
The Student Mission Awards exist to do just that. To celebrate churches, share ideas and highlight how God has been moving during Freshers week across the UK!
You can nominate your stories here.
