Something More?
In this blog City Students Tom and Sara explain their experience of Missions Week and how God was moving.
Tom Consterdine
In Acts 4:31 “After they had prayed, the place was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. There is such extraordinary power when Gods children come together in one united venture, which is what ‘Something More?’ is all about. Something More? is a missions week that ran from the 18th to the 22nd by the Christian Unions of both Canterbury Christ Church and University of Kent campuses, reaching out to the student body of Canterbury to win hearts and minds for Christ.
Each day had its own theme, concentrating on the issues of suffering, success, life and identity being covered in lunch bars and evening services. These days would also begin with prayer early in the morning to empower us for the day ahead and enjoy fellowship with one another. In the afternoons we all ran an International meal before the evening service that provided a very digestible talk on theme of the day to those who may struggle with language barriers.
It was incredible to see so many Christians of different backgrounds unite and come together to serve one cause, something that really blew the minds of those who came along. They didn’t expect us to care so deeply for them, showing them that Christianity is more than just religion, but relationship. We saw God touch people’s hearts and make himself known to them, one of them by the grace of God, happening on the first day. But for those we didn’t see change, we can have peace knowing God has planted the seed within them and use this event for his glory in the future.
We want to see more lives saved around our campuses and continue the calling God has placed on us building up from Something More? in the next academic year.
Sara Blackburn
Over the course of the week I was able to get stuck in and help in various ways. Up at Kent Campus we had a marquee where we held our lunch bars where I helped make teas and coffee’s and drum up interest for the event. On the Tuesday I had the pleasure of hosting the lunch bar on the topic of ‘Why Christianity isn’t about being good’, which sparked a good Q&A. Afterwards I had a conversation with a father and daughter who had come to visit the university to show his daughter where he had become a Christian and where he had met her mother. The amazing story of how someone sharing the gospel on campus had a ripple effect on his life and future generations made my day!
Another highlight of the week for me was going to Morning Prayer on Wednesday. We prayed that people would feel welcomed and want to come to our lunch bar and they did! The event was so packed that at least 10 non-CU members had to stand outside because the marquee was full. Later that day the CU had organized tea and biscuits, an event where we offer free tea and biscuits to students out at night from 10:30-3am. While the majority of people we encountered were intoxicated we still had some great conversations and planted seeds in them.
I shared a lot of the events on my various social media’s which lead to multiple questions (even from people I don’t know that well) about Christianity and the CU.
Overall the week was full of sharing the gospel across both campuses and we saw, and are still seeing, God’s work on campus and in people’s lives.
About the Authors
Sara Blackburn is a 1st year student at Kent University studying Politics and International Relations who spent five years living in Singapore.
Tom Consterdine is a 3rd year student at Christ Church University, where he studies Information Technology. Tom did ID before going to University.
