As a Christian Union, we are part of a nationwide movement called Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF) which unites most of the Christian Unions at universities and colleges around the country. The main purpose of being a Christian Union is to make the most of the unique opportunity we have to reach out to our campus with the gospel.
The CU vision is to make disciples of Christ in the student world who live and speak for Jesus. We are united by our common Christian beliefs, as stated in the Doctrinal Basis, but we recognise that there is still a wide spectrum of beliefs on issues not quite as central to the message of Jesus, as we are interdenominational. This means that we don't endorse any one denomination's set of beliefs, but value the diversity that the different backgrounds of our members bring to the life of CU.
There are lots of areas that make CU what it is, and we want to outline the purpose behind these and our vision for them here:
On Saturday nights we come together for our main meeting. This is a time for the CU to worship as a body and to hear God’s Word faithfully taught by gifted preachers from across the country that challenges us and helps us learn more about the Lord. The style of worship reflects us as an inter-denominational group of Christians, varying from week to week but always in a respectful, sensitive and joyful way praising God.
The aims of Saturday nights are many and varied, but primarily it is a place for the CU to encourage each other, and receive spiritual nourishment that equips and releases us to go out and live and speak for Jesus. In semester one we will be exploring the person of Jesus, and what we can learn from His life, death, and resurrection. This is to lead the CU into a deeper and more intimate knowledge and understanding of Christ, enabling us to worship Him with greater depth in corporate worship, and to live and speak for him more effectively in our individual lives.
"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." -- Romans 6:4
As such a key part of the life of the CU, not only in teaching and worship but also in fellowship we share and ways we encourage each other, we really do encourage everyone to come along to Saturday Nights. As this is a time for everyone, we honestly do appreciate all feedback on every aspect of it, so if there is anything that you are unhappy with or feel uncomfortable about please do not hesitate to tell us.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." -- Ephesians 3:20-21
Prayer is an integral part of the life of the CU. We know that we can do nothing without God, and so as a group of believers we lift up everything that we do to God, trusting in His faithfulness:
Weekly prayer meetings are a chance to pray with and for each other, and to cover everything that the CU does in prayer.
Each department also has its own prayer group to pray for specific issues related to that subject, and the vision to which this aspires is that every person who passes through the University is prayed for.
24/7 - this is an exciting international movement that began by a few Christians recognising that prayer is essential for every part of our lives, and so set up a prayer room as a place for continual prayer. Here at the university we recognise the immense blessing this brings and will be holding a week on campus in which we will pray non-stop as a CU.
Half-nights of prayer are held intermittently as an opportunity to come and pray for our friends that do not yet know God. You can come for twenty minutes or three hours!
Individual prayer and time alone with God are vitally important to our walk with Jesus, and all the different prayer events are not in any way a substitute for this.
Cells are the building blocks of CU. They provide an opportunity for community, friendship, encouragement, discipleship, bible study and worship. Meeting in houses and halls across Leeds, the cell groups are not just a place for supporting Christians, but are also uniquely placed to reach out to friends and colleagues around us and to share the gospel. Cell meetings generally included a fun time of fellowship, worship, bible study and prayer. Prayer partners and accountable relationships almost inevitably grow out of cell meetings. As cells are outward looking they regularly hold evangelistic events in place of meetings such as dialogue dinners, open mic nights, Grill-a-Christian events and most recently Explorers' courses.
"...for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" -- Romans 10:13-15
As a CU we have a mission on campus; to live in a way that reflects the character of Jesus, and to tell people the good news about his death and resurrection. There are so many ways in which we do this, and therefore so many ways for you to get involved!
Friendship evangelism: we want to see everyone that we know and love come into a relationship with God and to be saved, and one of the most effective ways is one-to-one contact and true friendships. However it is essential that we share the truth of the gospel. The CU puts on a number of events both big and small through which the truth is declared on campus. These include mission weeks, lunch bars, evening events, cold contact, No Frills and Gospel talks. As mentioned above we recognise that prayer is essential to all that we do, and so have prayer groups for specific people groups on campus, for example Jews, Muslims and our lost friends. Along side this we have training in reaching Muslims, reaching Jews, cold contact etc.
Mission weeks are times of intense evangelism when we host large evening events, daily lunch bars, cold contact and various other practical ways of sharing the gospel.
Leeds University has vast numbers of students from different countries coming every year to study, with a multitude of cultural and religious backgrounds. The CU makes them feel as welcome as we can, with an International Freshers’ Week in which we serve tea, coffee etc, and show them around campus. There is also a weekly Living Room Café, a chance to make friends with internationals, and to provide a place for them to make friends with each other.
However, there is another side to International work. Christ commands us to make disciples of all nations, and we take every opportunity we have to share the good news with these students, inviting them to an Explorers’ course specifically designed for Internationals, and meeting up for one-to-one Bible studies.
What is so exciting about the work of international students?
1. The gospel is being taken back to different closed countries when the International students return home!
2. Working alongside a team of amazing Christian students!
There are many different ways in which the CU is encouraged to mature in their faith. As well as teaching on Saturday nights and Bible studies in cells, there is also Deeper (for the ladies) and Gentlemen’s Club (for the gents!) to support each other and learn from each other. Mentoring relationships come from these groups, as do various opportunities to explore the giftings that the Lord has blessed us with.
Running throughout the year there will be seminars, covering relationships, witness to other faiths, learning how to teach the Bible, and training for prayer ministry.
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." -- John 13:35
We have a real passion to see the CU grow as a fellowship of believers, not just as a group of people with a few things in common, but as a family in Christ. Alongside friendships that grow in cells, Deeper and G.C, we spend time together after Saturday nights, and have introduced Pre-meeting Munch, a chance for first years to go and have a meal at the homes of second and third year students.
During the first semester, the CU goes away for the weekend to the Welsh border, a time for fantastic in depth Bible teaching, worship, prayer, and a crazy time of fun.
With this much going on, we hope that every Christian at the University will find their place within the family of the CU. Let’s fulfil the vision of reaching the student world with the life-changing and saving gospel of Christ.
Have a great time at Leeds and get involved!
LUUCU Vision:
"so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." -- Hebrews 9:28 (NIV)
