Six things I’ve learned since joining my campus Christian group

Arts student Abby Donaldson didn’t join her uni Christian group straight away. But she’s glad she did in the end.

I entered uni with thoughts of faith on the periphery. Even after growing up in a church and being part of a youth group, I had a pretty hazy understanding of faith in practice.

Stepping onto the campus, the idea of feeling the presence of God was a distant one, especially when university life began to get busier and busier. Then, halfway through my first year, a mutual friend introduced me to someone involved in the Christian group on our campus. As a result of joining, the past two years have been the most formative for my faith in my whole life. Here are six things I have learnt.

1. Faithful Christians will grow your faith

As you meet more Christians, the overwhelming sea of faces at your uni will inevitably feel more familiar and way less daunting. There’s always someone to grab coffee with, but even better than that, becoming friends with faithful Christians at my university has been life-giving. I’ve watched friends diligently study the word, pray, and live out the gospel, inspiring me to do the same.

2. Prioritise a personal relationship with God

C.S. Lewis said “if there is a God, you are, in a sense, alone with Him.”

Becoming more involved with a Christian group has shown me that nothing, not academic achievements, impressive jobs or relationships, will satisfy us apart from a personal relationship with God.

When facing the challenges that arose in this new season at Uni, I realised I could find all I needed by turning to the Bible. An inward-looking tendency whilst at uni led me to this verse, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour” (Romans 12:10). Of course, this process of learning how we are called to love others can only occur when we know how deeply God first loved us.

3. Meet with Jesus at uni

In the rush of lectures and tutorials, joining a small group once a week meant that I could take one hour out of a busy day to sit with other Christians, study the word, and meet with God. Taking just one hour to share in fellowship is a great way to inject some perspective into your week and reflect with others.

4. Confront the tough questions

Accountability has been one of the most formative aspects of joining a Christian group. I realised pretty quickly that avoiding the process of personally grappling with the truths of the Bible wasn’t going to cut it if the goal was radical pursuit of God. In small groups, passages were read and discussed, and followed up with questions that tested me, humbled me, and changed my mind on quite a few occasions.

5. Delight in the good questions

There are certain questions that family members or friends may pose that you feel unprepared to answer in the moment. Some questions are really good. Becoming involved with a campus group allowed my understanding of God to deepen, and when you know your God, you want to learn more about Him. Gaining a clearer understanding of faith and a greater ability to answer the tough questions in turn led to much more fruitful conversations with non-Christian friends and family.

6. God is at work on campus

And it’s so encouraging! Uni has changed from somewhere I originally struggled to find God, to somewhere I was able to see Him working every day. In talks, bible studies, shared testimonies, and the countless other ways our God works, it is clear that the spirit of the living God is transforming the lives of students on our campuses, and that is no small thing.