Ministry Decisions

Since my last update, a lot has been going on, particularly with Uni Fellowship and many people have been asking me recently about it, so I want to spend some time on that in this update. I'll share a bit about me but most of it will be focused on Uni ministry as a whole.

Between the semesters we got 10 students together for 4 epic days at the Worldview Centre focusing on the theme of God's Sovereignty. The students got to explore this idea through Bible studies, seminars, and talks. It was a rich time of connection and learning about God's will for the world and our lives.

Talks from Samuel

Bible Studies from Romans

Prayer Walk

Just after the start of the semester, I had the privilege to spend a week with the AFES ministries in Hobart and learn from them. As most of what I know about University ministry is just in Launceston, I have been wanting to get more of an insight into what it is like in a different context with other AFES staff.

It was good to spend time with Uni Fellowship there and identify some similar struggles with the current University environment. This unique time of continued semi-online study and a gradual move to the city makes it challenging to create a community in that students want to be invested and discipled.

The most valuable part of my week in Hobart was helping with the international student ministries with FOCUS and Subbies. Now that the internationals are starting to come to Tassie again both of these groups are thriving! One particular thing that I enjoyed was being able to instantly start a gospel conversation with them. When evangelising to Australians we usually have to find another thing to speak about before sharing the gospel. In contrast, mainland Chinese students are happy to get straight to it, which is awesome!

Uni Fellowship breakfast session

Life skills at Subbies

Fun at Friday FOCUS

Over the past two months, I have had the privilege to start meeting with an international student who moved to Launceston after doing his first semester in Hobart. He connected with FOCUS at the start of the year and was reading the Bible with one of the staff there who put me in contact with him when he moved. Before we met, I knew he wanted to become a Christian, but it was hard to tell initially if he properly understood the good news. After our second week as we did the first study of Just for Starters on what it means to be saved by God, it quickly became evident that he was a Christian! Since then, it has been a joy seeing him grow in his faith as he increasingly comes to understand what it means for him to live a new life for Jesus.

Back in Launceston, it has continued to be challenging like the past three years. I have been working with the student leaders to come up with creative ideas to help build a bigger community. It has been hard to implement some of these however with many of the leaders feeling very busy with their studies and other work. This has reduced their focus on making connections with other students and encouraging them.

Our last Bible in the Bar outreach event was quite revealing. While it was well attended the people who came were nearly all Christians despite the many invites during the society's day expo and people on campus. It showed that they all valued being together and hearing the Bible explained but felt unequipped to invite their own friends and classmates.

Whole Fellowship Gathering

Last week we had a special meeting with the aim to connect with students but also spend time listening to everyone about their experience of Uni Fellowship and get a deeper insight into what University is now like. This was a valuable time together hearing from the students, which we then debriefed with the leaders later that week.

From the feedback we got and thinking about who might make up the next year of leaders we have come to a difficult situation. There is a group of students who want a Christian group on campus but there isn't enough commitment or leadership to sustainably continue it as it has been.

This question is very hard to discern and to know what is best. At the moment, I can currently see three options:

1. The first is to pause. Due to the current state of the ministry, it could be wise to let Uni Fellowship naturally die in Launceston for the next few years until the campus moves to the city. The new campus has intentionally been designed to be a smaller place in the hope to create a greater social space for students to meet each other, unlike the current campus which spreads everyone out over nearly a kilometre.
2. We could also try to continue and rebuild the ministry from the ground up again. This would require much support from a staff worker which is a big investment of resources into something that isn't guaranteed to succeed in the current environment.
3. A final option is to use the remaining students to start a new ministry targeted toward international students. As noted with my time with FOCUS and Subbies this ministry continues to be successful. Internationals are also the people whom we have seen to be the most responsive to the gospel in Launceston. These are also the students who make up most of the on-campus accommodation and are seeking community. Again, this would require much support to start up.

Please continue to pray for us as we seek God's will for the future. Samuel Green and I are still very unsure of what is best to do. For the rest of the year, we will continue to make the most of the time we meet together growing and training disciples of Christ to proclaim his name to the ends of the earth.

I am also hoping that many of the students will be excited to go to the AFES National Training Event (NTE) which is back in Canberra this year!

Please pray with me, as there is much to thank and ask God for.

• Praise God for bringing my new international friend to Christ! Pray for him as he continues to settle into church at The Branch and learns more about what it means to trust and follow Jesus.
• Thank God for all that he has done through Uni Fellowship in Launceston since it began 6 years ago. Pray for all the graduates who have been equipped to serve God in the workplaces where they currently work.
• Ask the Lord to give clarity on what to do with Uni Fellowship next year. May whatever decision is made be for his eternal purposes and glory.
• Pray for many students to go to NTE and that through this their eyes will be lifted to God's greater plan for making himself known in the world.
• Also, continue praying for me as I also discern what God wants me to do as I finish my apprenticeship this year.