We are members of the Glasgow Church of Christ, in Scotland, who are studying or have recently studied in higher education in universities and colleges around Glasgow. We are passionate about spreading the good news gospel of Jesus, and the salvation we can all have through him.
We believe that students with a heart for Jesus can make a valuable contribution to society, and the lives of others in their communities. Our Campus Ministry, or Student Ministry, has been particularly effective in past years in helping students to come to faith.
Christian Students Ministry – Who Are We?
Our Student Ministry focuses on bringing students together to talk about God, and to help students through a stage of life where there may be a lot of transition. University gives many people the access to opportunities and experiences they have not previously had and as such it is an exciting and influential time in life.
It can also be quite intimidating and scary to navigate through this new territory, especially if you are away from home for the first time. Therefore our student ministry is open to all who want a welcome and friendly space to talk, socialise, or get encouragement or advice.
What Does The Bible Say About Studying?
As Christians, we aim to centre our lives around God, and we believe it is important to continue studying his word even if we are studying for other academic purposes as well. With any course we choose to take in life we need to make sure we are prepared for it. In the Christian walk, this means reading the Bible (which we believe to be the word of God), discussing our convictions with others, and being accountable to other Christians.
As students, this is important as it helps us to prioritise the things that will make us succeed and to resist the things that will slow us down. Through studying the Bible together we make a community of people who support each other toward our goals.
Jesus himself was an avid student of God’s word, or ‘the scriptures’ as he refers to numerous times. Although he was God, he came to earth fully human, and so had human experiences just like other males at his time – he was a child, he had to learn everything he knew, and to do this he had to be determined in his studies to do the best he could.
As a Jewish boy, he learned the scriptures and the ways of his people, and we are told that when he was ‘of age’ his parents found him in the temple discussing the scriptures with the teachers, asking them questions and even answering some of theirs. (Luke 2:46-47) From this example we can see that Jesus values dedicated study, and also the curiosity to find out more.
We also know that Jesus was a carpenter in his hometown before he started his ministry (Mark 6:3) which is an occupation that requires hard work. Jesus was no stranger to this and in his years of preaching, he encountered many trials and opposition to his message. Even so, he remained determined to complete the task that he set out to do, and frequently challenged those who considered themselves experts in the law.
The Bible also says that studying too much will exhaust you, (Ecclesiastes 12:12) and while this passage may be talking about the study of wisdom, it is applicable to study on other topics as well. It is a good practice to learn to make our schedules balanced with work and rest to ensure we save ourselves from exhaustion and so that we keep mindful of our mental health and wellbeing.
Remaining Focused As A Student
How do I remain ‘me’ at a time when everything I see is telling me to be something else?
The world around us is constantly bombarding us with adverts and advice that tell us what we should do or buy to be happy, successful, attractive, and even accepted. Yet these things rarely prove to be worth their cost in the long term.
There are adverts which claim to have the latest great thing; the fragrance to make you irresistible, the clothes to get you friends, the drink to let you have a good time, the event or regimen that will change your life for the better. But the truth is that these things are temporary. The euphoric effect they seem to have will wear off eventually. When we focus on influencers on social media, or celebrity lifestyles, it is easy for us as students to want to be like the people we see and have the things they have.
While University can give valuable experiences to learn more about the world and about oneself, sometimes we can find ourselves doing things we had never intended to. As Christians we believe that God’s grace through Jesus is available to all people and can set us free from these shackling behaviours, when we respond appropriately through repentance.
It is always possible to learn from the mistakes we make in order to live lives in good relationship with God. If this resonates with you, we would love to help you understand more about God’s grace and how that can you free.
The Bible describes the hope that we have in Jesus as our saviour as our ‘anchor for the soul’ (Hebrews 6:19) which means that no matter what goes on in the world around us we can remain firm footed and grounded because we trust that God’s values are wholly good and that he is ultimately taking care of our wellbeing.
Struggling With My Faith As A Student
I’m struggling with student life right now, can you help?
It can be difficult, especially when away from home and family, to come across difficult circumstances. Transitioning into a new place can be challenging enough, but sometimes our studies seem to get the best of us, and our living conditions can suffer when we struggle to make ends meet. We are here for you to support and guide you through any difficult situations you may be facing.
We are able to help in more ways than you may imagine, please do not hesitate to contact us and explain your situation. Our church is no stranger to suffering, we have just adopted a new perspective because of what God has done for us.
We believe that God’s love has the ability to fill us with a never-ending joy, (Romans 15:13) so much so that we can even be joyful in suffering! When we suffer, we know that God has good things planned in the future, so we rejoice (have joy or delight) that any suffering we face on earth is temporary and cannot compare with the good things to come.
Through enduring our suffering, we grow in character with Christ. (Romans 5:3-5)
How Do We Meet And Learn?
We meet as a church on Sundays at 3pm in the West End for worship, prayers, and a lesson or talk based on a variety of topics. We sometimes have special Sunday talks, and we will hand out leaflets for these in public spaces. If you attend University in Glasgow you may be coming to this website from having been handed an invitation while we were evangelising on your campus, if so – Welcome, and thank you for following up!
We are Christians who believe that God has a love and hope to offer everybody on earth, and we are passionate about sharing these things with everyone we meet.
Each of our church members is equipped to conduct Bible studies with individuals as well, so if you are interested in knowing more about God’s love, the hope we have in Jesus, and the scriptures please contact us and we can arrange a time to talk.
Do You Do Any Work Within The Community?
The love of God inspires us to love others, and in our city alone there is a great need for this in reaching out to those less fortunate like the homeless that we see on the streets every day.
A number of our church members have previously been involved with Glasgow City Mission, volunteering at their night time drop-in service, helping prepare and serve meals to those in need and providing encouragement in making a connection with guests. Moved by these experiences, the charity effort Bags of Hope – Glasgow was made in order to help aid and serve those living rough in our city.
Nexus is involved in helping Bags of Hope – Glasgow provide bags of essential hygiene and emergency items to those on the streets. We have been able to distribute many such bags in the city centre and hope to do more once we are safely out of lockdown.
We have also participated in community clean-ups where we meet in a local community area and pick up rubbish in order to make the areas more family-friendly for the local people. Our most recent effort was in the East End in Molendinar Park.
What Other Things Can I Be Involved In?
At the moment our student ministry and our singles ministry are joined under the heading of ‘Nexus.’ The word nexus means the ‘central link or connection’ of a thing, and so this is where our two groups meet in Christian connection. We have a range of activities within the Nexus group that are open for any and all who would like to join, whether student or single, studying the Bible or not. We believe it is important to stay connected to one another and to build strong friendships together, especially when we may otherwise be isolated from friends and family at home if at University.
During the pandemic, the Nexus Group has weekly online Bible discussions using Zoom, which are hosted by one of our student or single disciples on a variety of topics. We believe it is important for people to express their opinions and give their perspective on things in a safe space while using their own experiences and lessons they’ve learned in life to teach others. Our aim is to encourage an open and informal atmosphere for students and singles to share their thoughts; talk about topics they may not have discussed with others before, and also to explore the Christian scriptures; for example, one of the topics we have previously had a talk on was ‘When Love Isn’t Loving – Manipulation in Relationships’.
We often find that the topics we wouldn’t usually talk about are the ones we are most in need of discussing.
We aim to have two Nexus events every month for our students and singles, one which is Bible based and promotes discussion, and one which is activity-based and promotes social interaction.
During the pandemic we have moved our meet-ups online so we use Zoom for our Bible discussions and quiz nights, a card gaming app to play games, and Watch Party for watching films together. Once we are allowed to see the students in person again we look forward to BBQs, trips to the countryside, meeting up in coffee shops, and more, but we plan to keep using online platforms after lockdown as well so we can connect with students who cannot meet us in person.
Our church is linked with a wider body of churches in the UK who host events for students during the year. Every student is welcome to attend these events, whether committed Christian or not, and they are a great place to meet new people and to learn more about God and our calling in him.
The most recent of these events was the UK and Ireland 2020 Winter Student’s Retreat, last hosted in February by the ministers at the Manchester Church of Christ. The theme was on ‘His Kingdom’ and around 115 students from around the UK attended.
Please get in touch if you are interested in attending any upcoming events.
