Making the most of an online mission week

It might be hard to picture how your mission week is going to go this year. Maybe others in your CU are excited about it, and you’ve even mentioned it to a couple of your flat mates – but really, you aren’t too sure what to expect from a series of virtual events…

Here, CU students who have been in your shoes share how they found their online mission weeks, and give top tips on how to make the most of it!

1. ‘Pray first’

‘A few months ago, I was reminded that God can work even through a Zoom call. The CU’s online mission week allowed me to invite a very lost friend (who probably wouldn’t have attended in person) to come and listen to the Bible. In the quietness of my dorm room, we heard how Jesus’ love is more than religion and a few days later we sat down together again for a Q&A.

Honestly, evangelism is hard. But when we evangelise the Holy Spirit moves, and so my advice is to pray. Pray without ceasing, pray for opportunities, pray for boldness, pray for the right words and pray for God to open hearts. And also, remember that it’s just sharing Jesus – it doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t have to be deep theology. (But because it’s simple, doesn’t mean it isn’t powerful).’ – Natalie, Chichester CU student

Chichester CU’s mission week ‘Made for more’ included five Zoom evening events, with gospel talks, testimonies, musical performances and a Q&A.

2. ‘Don’t worry about numbers’

‘My advice would be not to worry about numbers. Fewer people may attend thanks to it happening online, but this shouldn’t be looked at as necessarily a bad thing – at the end of the day God is in control and He has chosen who He wants to be there. And even if you only reach out to one person, doesn’t that make the week worth it?’ – Esther, Edge Hill CU student

During Edge Hill CU’s mission week ‘Chosen’, the CU ran three live events each followed by discussion on Zoom. They ended with a Grill-a-Christian where students baked together using ingredients sent to them by the CU – this went on for over two and a half hours.

3. ‘Be bold and go for it’

‘My advice to those planning mission weeks is to be bold! Despite debating lots of other topics, there was always very little conversation between my coursemates and I when it came to faith. But praise the Lord that all three attended our Black Lives Matter talk during our mission week, with one inviting her whole flat and chatting to the speaker afterwards!

Though online events are daunting, and the buzz and attendance you may be used to is different, Jesus continues to work in and through us to advance His kingdom. The pandemic has meant that the darkness we are all in, and the reality of death, has gone from being a taboo to headline news. Salvation in Jesus remains our only hope, and so being involved in a mission week and helping someone see this truth is an immense privilege – so be bold and go for it!’ – Claudia, York CU student

‘Life: what matters to you?’ was York CUs first autumn mission week in living memory. As well as running daily Zoom events and a Q&A each evening, they had an online hangout space called the ‘life lounge’, and even dropped off care packages at houses.

4. ‘Be thankful for the events you can run’

‘I think the best advice I could give to anyone doing an events week in these circumstances is to focus on doing a few events and doing them well – rather than going for as many as you would in a normal year. I’d also add that it helps to pray for an attitude of gratitude for being able to put the events on, even when the planning can get busy!’ – Alex, Bath CU student

Bath CU’s mission week was called 'Hope' and they ran live, online events across four evenings. A highlight was seeing challenging questions sent into their Grill-a-Christian.

As you run creative mission events this term, we are praying that you have a spirit of boldness, thankfulness, prayerfulness and wisdom – and that many respond in faith to the gospel.