As thousands of students head to university campuses over the coming weeks, we hear from Beth, who is both a graduate and a University starter as she begins her masters this September. She shares her experience of finding a church at university as well as some wisdom for Freshers of 2020. 

How did it feel to find a church at uni? 

“Finding a church at uni was really enjoyable. If you’ve grown up in the same church for years, it’s quite nice to just experience different ways of doing church and meeting different people from such diverse walks of life.”

How did you choose a church? What kind of things were you looking for in a church?  

“I prayed about finding a church, but there wasn’t a big realisation of ‘this is the church for you!’. I would have been able to serve anywhere and worship anywhere.

I only wanted one thing from a church which was family. Growing up, my parents would have students over for dinner, so I’d seen that and knew that I wanted to experience that, and my student worker helped introduce me to the family of the church. I wanted to be treated as a person trying a church, rather than being typecast as a student because I wanted to see what church life would look like during and after uni. 

Some people walk into a church and immediately know that this is home, whereas I didn’t experience that. It was more that I knew I’d be happy and settled wherever I went, but for me, family was the most important thing.” 

Do you have any advice for students starting university this year? 

“Don’t worry if you feel lonely when you move. It’s not a rush to find friends. Give yourself time knowing that you will find your people. I’ve found my best friends at uni, but at the start it was a bit lonely and that’s okay because everyone is in the same boat.” 

Are you heading to university this year? Head to Student Linkup to linkup with churches near you!