Campus ministers around BC are responding to the call to be there for students in a time of crisis. While we fully support instructions by health authorities to physically distance ourselves to protect vulnerable members of society, it is a significant shift from our usual way of being. Because our vision is that we never isolate ourselves and hope the world finds its way to us, we seek to go where the next generation is shaped and meet them right where they are. At the same time, we firmly believe that this crisis is not too big for God and that no struggles we face will prevent the church from carrying on its mission to be a light to the world and share the hope of Jesus Christ.
Campus ministers thrive when asked to contextualize and innovate. We do not stay in our own comfort zone and wave a flag from a distance, leaving it to the lost world to find us.
We seek to know how to best present the gospel in the context where we find ourselves, asking “what would be good news to these people?”, “What aspects of God’s heart would resonate on this campus?”
Today, UCM staff and students across the province are initiating Bible studies, personal discipleship, and even large group gatherings through video chats, phone calls, and streaming platforms. They have been able to pray for those who are struggling, help Christians grow in maturity, and be a light to the lost. One of our staff members initiated a phone tree with their campus group. She checks in with student leaders who are each challenged to initiate with three people in their sphere of influence as a witnessing opportunity. Learn more by watching the video below or by clicking here.
One of our alumni currently on the foreign mission field made a great reflection on our hope, and it echoes our heart as ministers of the gospel:
“We know that He works all things for the good of His people, so let us pray that these trials and tragedies would lead to the spread of the gospel, as many people are contemplating their own mortality and the fragility of our social structures. There is only one hope, and it is neither the CDC nor the WHO (that we thank God for them)…It is Jesus Christ and His coming kingdom where separation and sickness will be no more!”
We thank you all for your partnership and invite you to continue praying with us: that every student who attends post-secondary in our province (and beyond) has an opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ – whether that is face to face over coffee after a lecture or a FaceTime call from a Christian classmate who is there for them in a time of need.
Learn more about UCM here.
