STORY Canterbury 2.0
STORY Canterbury is back! What is STORY I hear you say? STORY is a week of events put on by the Christian Unions in Canterbury to encourage students to investigate the Christian faith for themselves. The week is happening from 19th-23rd February. There will be lunch events where we will be looking at the big objections to Christianity and evening events where we look more at the person of Jesus. Callom Harkrader from Above Bar Church in Southampton and Lara Buchanan from Zacharias Trust will be the main speakers throughout the week.
I was involved in STORY last year as a member of Kent Christian Union and it was such an amazing thing to be a part of. So, what happened?
Michael Ots and Michael Green came to Canterbury to speak at the mission. We started each day in prayer, meeting at Pret early in the morning praying for the day together. This was such a fantastic way to start the day with around 50 students from both Kent and Christ Church coming along, plus it was really encouraging to hear stories of conversations people had from the previous days. We then headed to our respective campuses to start flyering for the lunch events. At these lunch events, we would offered a free lunch alongside a talk, for example looking at ‘What would Jesus say to Donald Trump?’ (which as you might guess caused a lot of discussion!).
The universities came together for the evening events where there was food, drink, a talk and an opportunity to respond. Special international events also provided an amazing way for international students to engage with the events, especially if their English wasn’t amazing! Last year it was so encouraging to see tonnes of the people who went to the international dinners come straight to the main evening events and continue to engage.
Although the week can be quite tiring, it’s also so joyful. Around 15 people give their lives to Christ last year – how amazing! One woman witnessed one of the prayer meetings and later that day became a Christian, while others were so overwhelmed by what they heard at the event, they couldn’t help but give their lives to Christ. Furthermore we also saw solid number at the follow up events led by the student workers in Canterbury in the weeks after STORY for those who wanted to know more.
Why are the Christian Unions doing STORY again?
Everyone has a story to tell and as Christians we have a story to tell, the story of Jesus. This week is a great way to engage with people about their stories and how Jesus could fit into them.
I am so excited for STORY. I am excited for the discussions that will be had, for the events, for the fruit we are going to see. How exciting is it to think that in less than 2 weeks, the lives of some students will be changed forever! If that doesn’t get you excited for STORY, I don’t know what will.
This year STORY is going to look slightly different to previous years, there will still be lunch and evening events but instead of having these over 5 days, it will be over 4. These flash timetables can help you keep track of what’s going on:
The lunch events will be on the separate campuses and the evening events will be held in the Cathedral Lodge which overlooks the cathedral (super cool, I know).
The Friday of the week will be “follow up Friday”. The day will be dedicated with following up with the students who have responded in someway from the week. There will be opportunities throughout the day to ask questions about Christianity and in the evening, there will be a meal. A follow up course will then continue over a number of weeks.
I am so excited for what is going to happen in Canterbury and I hope that you will join me in prayer for the week. Most importantly, I am so expectant that seeds will be planted and lives with be changed; the name of Jesus is above all things and has the power to change lives.
About the Author
Kerry is a member of City Church and currently works alongside the CU's in Canterbury as a Relay Worker with UCCF. Previously Kerry studied Maths & Stats at the University of Kent and has a great interest in both knitting and birds.
