In Depth:  Kate Duncan

The Third Degree

‘It is amazing see God work in front of my eyes.

‘I brought my friend to the Story mission week and, despite personal struggles with suffering, she was able to start believing in God.’

The Third Degree

University is a key moment.

From day one, university promises a chance to reinvent yourself, to make lifelong friends and to load your CV with qualifications that will guarantee you your dream job upon graduating.

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Spring months are busy.

It’s the time of mission weeks. By contrast the pace of the university summer term can seem slower as students knuckle down for end-of-year deadlines and exams. Yet with these stresses and challenges also comes a stream of evangelistic opportunities – in Christ and in Christ alone can we find rest for our weary souls and purpose for our lives. So, despite the increase in deadlines and work pressures, Christian Unions (CUs) continue in their gospel mission.

The Third Degree

‘Would you be interested in our events this week?’

I was offering an information flyer to passersby in the university hallway, a busy thoroughfare en route to lectures. Most students had taken one. Some even stopped to chat, asking ‘What’s this about?’ or having a go on the ‘Question Wheel’ – discussing purpose, identity or love over a free bowl of cereal or cup of coffee.

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‘I've got some questions’, Rachel began.

‘I think we can take things to another level with the carol service.’

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I’m shivering in a tent!

I’m in a Shropshire field surrounded by over 1,000 students. It is Forum, UCCF’s national training conference for Christian Union (CU) leaders, and it’s hugely exciting.

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Leaving the UCCF office in Oxford over the past few weeks has become an occupational hazard.

‘Trashings’ are in full swing and if you’re not careful you can get caught in the crossfire of silly string, shaving foam and champagne. Finalists are celebrating finishing their last exam and their time at university.

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Kate Duncan and relay worker Joanna Robertson share five ways

Over the last three months, more than 38,000 students have attended a university Christian Union mission week event.

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Carol services remain a popular part of Christmas for students.

Christian Unions (CUs) are uniquely placed in their universities to provide that festive celebration and share the good news of Christ incarnate in creative ways.

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What do you get when you gather 1,000 evangelicals from 148 countries in a Mexican resort?

Nothing less than una fiesta grande: a plethora of culture and a little foretaste of Revelation 7.9: ‘…there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb…’

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In two months another 600,000 new students will start at Britain’s universities.

For any new student this is both an exciting and daunting time, and marks the start of what is often a life-defining experience.

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‘For the first time, I have begun to understand Christianity.’

So said a student at a London university following an evening of Sixties’ style festival fun and a talk on ‘The God who Loves us’. She had joined hundreds of other students for one of the joint London Christian Unions’ (CU) city-wide events during their mission week in January. It was a week of creative and persuasive evangelism with lunchbars, Text-a-Toasties, question boards, free cafés, photo booths, questionnaires, Grill-a-Christian, Meals with a Message, art exhibitions, musical performances, testimonies and dramas.