With Freshers Fayres cancelled and more students thinking about faith, there are more stories of students trying church. Below are some of the highlights. 

• “I met a third year student studying Fine Arts, who just lived around the corner to the church. She said “I've been to catholic church a couple of times but it wasn't for me, and I really wanted to try this church but not sure why I never found the courage to walk in to church up until today. and I'm so glad I did because everyone is so inviting and welcoming. I don't know why I haven't come to church sooner." She then signed up for Alpha and got connected to the people in church.”

• “One student had stopped going to church when her mum was diagnosed with cancer. She came up to the trychurch stand and said she was angry with God and that they had fallen out when her mum was diagnosed, but she was keen to try church again at uni.” 

• “At the beginning of 2020, God gave us a word for the ‘focus’ of the year ahead. It was about walking on a rickety bridge, taking a cautious and slow step at a time, and this will be a time that we need to sit with the churches and student workers, listen to their prayers and join in with what they are praying. In Liverpool, we had the most encouraging time on campus ever. Listening to the prayers of these fiery student workers praying for revival on campuses, praying for outpouring of the spirit in every student accommodations, praying for alpha houses, praying for freedom, healing and signs and wonders, prophesying over the campus and declaring what they want to see happen this year, praying for their students to be missionaries in their contexts, and so many more prayers one after another.”

• “One student told us he'd started reading his Bible over lockdown because he realised that 'the world doesn't have any answers to what is going on at the moment but maybe the Bible does.' Then, on the first day at university he meets a Christian girl and they decide that they are going to meet up and do Bible studies together. He was also really keen to find a church which did good small group bible studies so he could get stuck into the word more.”

• “One student travelled from Liverpool to check out Preston where he's studying although he's living at home. A church leader invited him off the streets into the church for some pizza and chat about faith. He stayed for 2 hours talking about the gospel. He'd read the Old Testament when he was younger and was trying to find Jesus. He signed up for Alpha and to explore faith, also to read the Bible and be connected to the church.”

• “At one Freshers Fayre, only a trychurch stand and a stand selling houseplants were there. One student worker had long chat with a student open to faith. They signed up to Student Linkup and immediately started messaging student workers about reading the Bible together, as well as sending her links about which Bible to get.”

• “One student saw the Try Church banner, walked over and asked us to pray for their friend that was about to have brain surgery. I prayed with the student there and then, talked her through prayer and asked if she wanted to have a go at praying too. This student had never been to church and never prayed but saw the banner and I guess knew there was hope and power in prayer.”