Rhys has been a Christian for a whole year; he became a Christian in his first term at uni and I have picked his brains for all the best top tips on how to invite all students to #Trychurch.
Check out his story…
Going through school, R.E. always made sense, but I didn't grow up around church. I didn’t know how to go about finding one, or if that would even be useful.
When I was in sixth form I started to have questions, but had no idea what to do with them. Then it just completely fell off my radar again.
At uni, a friend in the same halls suggested I tried church. I had always thought church was an outdated concept where a load of people who all followed the same thing gathered to be subdued and quiet, but it seemed like an opportunity to explore the questions I had had through school and sixth from.
Church was the complete opposite of what I thought it would be. Everyone was so lively and happy. Now I know God and have experienced joy, and I know that they were expressing their joy and thanks to God. At the time I could just tell there was something different about them, and I wanted it for myself.
The first few trips to church left me feeling something, I didn't quite know what it was but I always felt loads calmer and prepared for life. Every Sunday was like a reset and I was ready for the next week. That feeling was very different to uni life, and better than uni life. That’s when I started to realise the Holy Spirit was real and tangible and that’s what made me want to keep coming back.
I knew I had arrived at a crossroads; one road would be to run away from everything, the other would be to keep exploring. Although it all felt pretty overwhelming, I was aware it could literally change everything - and it did!
I have now been baptised and have been on a journey of discovering more of God ever since.
Rhys’ top tips on how to invite the student generation to #Trychurch…
- Not yet christians won't know what they are missing out on until they try it. If you don’t know Jesus and are reading this, give it a try. If you do know Jesus, make sure you are blowing the invite wide open.
- I was hungry for what everyone else seemed to have when I was at church- as a Christian don’t lose your hunger for God and the story you have to tell. People can see you have something different.
- Don’t be ashamed of what you believe or say people’s’ “no’s” for them, as a fresher I was so ready to hear about God, I just needed to know how to do that.
