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Perhaps ‘tips’ is the wrong word for this title since I don’t really consider myself to be in any position to be giving tips on witness at university. But as someone who is currently at university maybe it’s helpful to share with you some things I’ve learned about being a witness for the Saviour there. Firstly, one of the great things about going to university was the amount of time I had on my hands. With the exception of possibly medical-based courses, most students have a lot of time out of lectures, particularly in the first two years. Obviously, I realized that I needed to work hard at my studies, because that is honouring to the Lord, but I was still faced with a lot more free time than I had expected. In fact, as I am now considering job applications and all that ‘working life’ involves I’ve started to realize that I will perhaps never again (at least until I’m retired!) have as much time when I’m not required to be anywhere. My advice to you is if you are at university to use the time you have for the Lord and for these years spend as much time as you possibly can supporting work for Him. For example think about how you could spend your summer holidays in service for the Lord!
I had the opportunity to be involved in running open-air meetings with a few people from the local assemblies, both on the University campus and in the city centre. I have also been involved with the Christian Union (CU) at the University. I understand Christian Unions vary in different locations but nonetheless I am at ‘uni’ to be a witness to my student friends and this seemed to be a good opening. There were however aspects of CU that I discovered that I was not overly comfortable with and each believer would need to make their own judgement on how involved they become, Having said that many opportunities to speak to people about the Lord arose as a result of sharing in these activities.
Probably the best opportunity I had to be a witness was among the fellow students on my course. If you share halls/flats with people then this will be another sphere where you can be a ‘light in the darkness’. Everyone is in the same boat when they arrive at ‘uni’, knowing very few people. What an opportunity we have to show the love of God by just being a good friend! As you get to know people and develop a group of friends, be aware that they will notice what you do, since you may be the only Christian they know, they will make their opinions about Christ, based on what they see in you. Make sure you know what you think about the key issues of faith, based on the Bible: not just on what you’ve always done. I have had the opportunity a few times throughout my degree course (and plenty more that I have allowed to pass by) to take my ‘uni’ friends along with me to different meetings. As a result I had the joy of seeing one or two show a real interest in spiritual matters! No doubt you will end up serving the Lord indifferent ways to the ones I discovered. We have all been given varying gifts and talents so it’s up to you to find out what you are good at, and what is going on in your area. And if there is nothing going on, start something yourself!
