Learning from the Son
The past couple of weeks has got me out of routine with some well-needed time off and attending a few conferences including our Mid-Year Conference this past week. It was great to catch up with some of you who were able to come to one of the night sessions.
Mid-Year Conference
The hope of MYC is to give the students the opportunity during their semester break to spend extended time together to delve deep into one part of theology. This year we explored the Son of God. Altogether there were 17 attending the conference with a good mix of newer and older students.
During the conference, we ran a workshop on how to respond to woke ideology. I was aware that this was coming up in some of the units that the students were doing this past semester but it was quite eye-opening hearing some of their experiences of what they are being taught. Even a music student talked about an assignment they had to do where this was relevant. Definitely, a conversation to continue having with them in helping them speak the truth in this changing world of academia.
Overall the students were extremely grateful, particularly for the time they were able to spend growing and building relationships together. Here are some of Matt's thoughts.
Hi, I'm Matthew
I'm in my third year at UTAS. I have a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Marketing) and currently doing my Honours year, focusing on loyalty programs. Over my time at Uni, I have become progressively more involved with the Uni Fellowship, joining the exec in early 2023. I have grown to understand the amazing opportunities that are present at Uni for sharing the gospel, which has motivated me to become more involved. I also value the friendships that I have been able to make. MYC this year was a time of great spiritual growth. In particular, I was reminded of who Jesus is, the Son of God, and what he did for us, which motivates me even more to share that good news. Uni Fellowship has had a great impact on my life, just like I am sure it has on so many others.
Heading into Semester 2
Next week the semester starts up again. As I've mentioned before, many of the students will be moving into the new building at Inveresk, so we will continue to adapt our weekly meetings to help cater for this.
The soup lunch that we put on last semester was a bit of a trial to see what kind of response we might get this coming semester. While the traffic was slow, it was great to make some initial connections with a few gospel conversations. Many of them appreciated the chance to get to know some new people on a campus that doesn't have many activities.
This semester we are hoping to run a few more of these types of events ideally leading up to a larger evangelistic talk where many of them can hear the gospel of Jesus more explicitly.
Financial Update
With the CPI index increasing each year, my financial support-raising target also increases to reflect this. This year it has increased by 9% but thankfully because of the generosity of many of you, I don't need to be too worried about this. Thank you again to those who do support me in this way.
Let's commit this new semester to the Lord in prayer.
Prayer Points
- Praise God for those who attended MYC and the time they spent studying the Bible, grasping a new perspective of the Son of God.
- Pray for the students as they continue to study and may face challenging topics that go against their convictions and understanding. May they have the boldness to speak the truth at the right time.
- Pray for continued creative evangelistic efforts this semester for both the students individually as well as the fellowship as a whole during these changing times at UTAS.
- Thank the Lord for continuing to provide what I need to work with this great bunch of students.
A few sneaky extra photos from MYC for those who are interested.
