Proclaimer Blog
Cornhill Mission 2020: Exeter University
In early February a team of thirteen intrepid Cornhillers, led by Andrew Sach, journeyed down to Exeter. There, we supported the Exeter University Evangelical Christian Union (ECU) in running a week of events, entitled Story 2020: Jesus is not just a story. The week sought to further the ECU’s vision, ‘to give every student in Exeter the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.’ This took place through a series of lunch-bars, evening talks, walk-up campus evangelism and personal conversations. Our role was predominantly one of encouragement. We were tasked with getting alongside members of the ECU to equip and spur them on in gospel proclamation.
Immediately on arrival, it was a great to see so many turning out to pray for the Lord’s work in opening spiritually blind eyes at Exeter University. This was especially true of students at an 8am Monday morning prayer meeting! The prayerful dependence on the Lord was a remarkable feature of the remainder of the week.
Throughout the week there were several other personal and general encouragements. These included: a couple of people becoming Christians; high levels of engagement from non-Christians in walk-up evangelism on campus; students zealous in their evangelism; large numbers of students considering the claims of Jesus from Mark’s gospel; and having the opportunity to hear and learn from the way Andrew used Mark’s gospel in evangelistic preaching.
Please be praying for all those non-Christians we met and who attended events throughout the week, asking that the Lord, in His mercy, might bring them into eternal life. For those who professed faith in February, pray that the seed of the gospel would find fertile soil and bear fruit in their hearts and lives. Finally, please be praying that all the members of the ECU might go on sharing the wonderful news of Jesus Christ boldly and winsomely, especially in the face of the opposition to the gospel which Events Weeks inevitably bring.
by Paul Greenhalgh