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With over 2,000,000 students in this country, Christians with a passion for evangelism have to be a good thing. The Life Gospel Project last year fuelled a new enthusiasm among students for sharing the good news of Jesus with their peers - and the momentum is growing.

During the last term, three major regional student events have focused on the importance of evangelism. Each aimed to encourage students to live out their university and college years for Christ, sharing him with others with relevance, creativity and faithfulness to the gospel message. In Exeter, students from across the South West soaked up a day of evangelism training. This was followed by a practical session doing questionnaires in the city centre.

Eleven new CU Staff Workers joined UCCF this summer. They play a vital role in co-ordinating the support of Christian Unions, as well as encouraging, advising, teaching and training students. Please pray for them as they begin this new stage of ministry.

Naomi Pilgrem (London) comes from France, and chose to study at King's College, London, because she had heard of CUs, and wanted to be part of one. After a year on Relay she moves to the east end of London to support smaller CUs in postmodern and multicultural universities.

While you might be kicking your heels waiting for your fortnight in the sun, most students are already two months into their summer break. The encouraging news is that many Christian students are giving weeks or months this summer to be part of what God is doing worldwide.

Serb and Croat, Israeli and Palestinian students were among the 2,000 who spent Easter morning sharing in communion, praising God, and celebrating salvation through Jesus Christ.

It felt like a small taster of heaven. There may not have been palm branches, but we were each given a daffodil, which we waved as we sang together 'Up from the grave he arose'. The sea of bright yellow, intermingled with national flags from Sweden to Spain, Germany to Georgia, demonstrated our unity in Jesus. Political, economic and social divides were put aside as our Lord was praised.

Evangelism was obviously top of the agenda of Christian Unions last term: over 50 mission weeks took place across the country, tens of thousands of copies of John's Gospel were given out, many students put their trust in Christ, and enquirer courses were well attended.

A month or so later, has evangelism slowed down? Have students done their bit, storing up their evangelistic zeal for next year's drive?

Paul, a student a Reading University, stood up at the CU house party to deliver a simple message: 'Talk to your friends about Jesus like Sam and Rosie did for me, and support this mission week. If it wasn't for last year's mission I wouldn't be a Christian.'

At UCCF we are so thankful to readers of EN for your prayers during the CU mission weeks last year. Paul and numerous others around the country put their trust in Christ last spring and we praise God for that. We thank God too for the students who have been converted throughout the year.

Students are not lacking in imagination. Take a recent CU house party. What would you do with the leftover food from your church weekend away? Distribute it throughout the church? Donate it to a local hostel? Freeze it for the next weekend away? Not these students. Following the example of Aberdeen CU, Durham decided to auction off everything that was unused, with proceeds going to their forthcoming 'life' mission.

Ranging from bread to pasta, a signed copy of The Blurb (signed by the CU's vendor) to A Call to Spiritual Reformation by Don Carson, the items were put up for auction. With the treasurer looking on eagerly, the bidding got underway.

How's your personal evangelism going? - I'm not just asking if you've been leading on Christianity Explored course or even speaking at guest events. I'm wondering how we're all doing in making opportunities to explain the gospel to people, talking about Jesus with our work colleagues, or unbelieving family members, and finding ways of being a witness in the community in which we live?

I'm asking, not because I'm in a position to make such a challenge, but because I have been deeply challenged. And by a surprising group of people: students in Christian Unions.