| | | | | |
When God Walks on Campus
There are over 2.3 million students in the UK and just under 2 million of these are within reach of a Newfrontiers church or church plant. Matt Hogg recently began working for Newfrontiers assisting Tom Shaw (City Church, Canterbury), so we interviewed him to find out more.
There are over 2.3 million students in the UK and just under 2 million of these are within reach of a Newfrontiers church or church plant. Matt Hogg recently began working for Newfrontiers assisting Tom Shaw (City Church, Canterbury), so we interviewed him to find out more.
1. Please tell us about yourself and your family.
I am married to Jennie and we have recently moved from Portsmouth to join The City Church in Canterbury so I could start my new role. Jen has just started working for the University of Kent, so we both have our feet in student areas!
2. What is your experience with students?
I first got involved with students nearly ten years ago at Kings Church in Eastbourne when I started a small student and twenties cell. This quickly grew to around 20 students attending the church from the small campus of Brighton University in the town. Jen got involved with the student work with me when we started dating in 2001. In 2003 we moved to Portsmouth to be part of the leadership of Solent Community Church and, in particular, to pioneer a student work there. God incredibly blessed us and within a few years we had seen our student numbers grow from a handful to over 40.
 3. What inspires you with regard to Student Work?
One of the first books I read on working with students was When God Walked on Campus by Michael Gleason. The stories of evangelical awakenings in universities contained in this book have fuelled my prayers for God to walk on our campuses in increasingly powerful ways. I have a huge passion to see students saved and have been involved with numerous student Alpha’s and evangelistic events. I have been involved with students long enough now to see them not only getting baptised, but also moving on into married life and church leadership too – it’s so inspiring to see God’s grace at work.
4. What does your new role entail?
My new role is split into two parts. The first is to support Tom Shaw in running the Mobilise students and twenties event as part of Together on a Mission in Brighton each year. I organise all the speakers and get involved with promoting the event through www.mobiliseuk.org, Twitter and Facebook. This year the conference will take place 6-9 July, and will undoubtedly be an amazing time for students to grow and seek God together. Online booking is now open. 
The second part involves linking up with over 80 Newfrontiers churches that are located near universities in the UK. This involves lots of phone calls and emails along with a few visits around the country during the year. The main way we can help student workers is through our annual Student Worker Weekend. This is a great opportunity for student workers to get together and share ideas and frustrations while receiving some great teaching and encouragement. It really is not to be missed!
5. Do you have any news of what God is doing with students around the UK?
These last few months I have been chatting to many of our student workers and it has been so amazing to hear of God’s grace to us in seeing students impacted for God’s glory. Mike and Becca Blaber, from Oasis Church, Birmingham, are seeing fantastic breakthrough with a twice-termly gigging event ‘Impact’ which showcases local, up and coming secular bands. With around 150 attending and at least 50% of those un-churched, they are gaining favour and influence with the music culture of the city.
In Portsmouth they have seen five students saved already this term and the Holy Spirit filling them powerfully during a recent student celebration. In Manchester, Tim Simmonds is pioneering an evening congregation for students and twenties called ‘The Chapel’ out of Christ Church Manchester. I recently visited Living Hope Church in Bath and had a great time chatting to their students after their morning meeting. It was so encouraging time and again to hear them telling me that they had got saved by being invited to the church by a friend–brilliant!
6. What’s the big dream for UK student work in Newfrontiers?
 Our heart is to ensure that every student work in Newfrontiers is faith filled and fully resourced to reach and save as many students as God will bring us. We know we can do more together than apart, so linking our student workers to each other and leveraging the growing resources on the web is key to this. Look out in the next few months for new resources at www.mobiliseuk.org |
|
|
|
|
Sign Up Now!
If you're not signed up
yet but would like
to receive eConnect direct to your email address
click here » |
|
| |
