Well it’s the penultimate month of an epic year on Relay. I can’t believe how the time has flown in. God has really blessed me in his provision, in what he has been teaching me and how he has been directing me to where he wants me to be in the future.
I’ve got so much to be thankful for during the past month. Before the Easter break I was in Leeds for a Team Day where we had an opportunity to look at the book of Exodus. I think a major eye opener of the past term was realizing how awesome the Old Testament is. I have often read over Exodus and Leviticus in a reluctant, can’t wait to get to the New Testament fashion. However, during our study it was really evident how the Gospel comes out of these Old Testament books. Just think of the design specifications for the Tabernacle. God got Moses to create a picture of God by creating the Ark (Throne of the Father), the Table (with bread on it representing Jesus the Bread of Life) and the Golden Lamp stand (made with pure gold and holding oil which is a symbol of the Holy Spirit). Then he created a picture of the heavens and earth by the building of the tabernacle in one piece (when God made the heavens and earth it was not divided). Then a picture of our rebellion with the dividing curtain and immediately a picture of the solution to this division from God by making the Altar for the sacrificed burnt offerings (a picture of the Christ as the sacrificial Lamb). This simple yet profound example of how the Old Testament books speak into the Gospel blew my mind.
Just before the Easter holidays Jo and I were able to spend a week at New Word Alive, which is a Christian evangelical conference providing Bible teaching and pastoral ministry. I was stewarding at the conference which was a great way to be part of and serve the conference. This was a great week of teaching, praising God, and being encouraged by the Heroes of the Old Testament as well as some of our modern day heroes such as Ben Kwashi (Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Jos and Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Jos in the Church of Nigeria).As some of you know, we had to move out of our previous house before the Easter holidays as our landlord was forced to move back home due to the earthquake in New Zealand. Upon our return from New Word Alive we were able to sign contracts for our new home and begin the moving in process. We managed to move most of the boxes and big items, with the help of a few friends from church, within 3 hours. Since our return from Northern Ireland we’ve been trying to unpack everything and make the flat more homely, which has been great fun. So if you are ever over in our part of the world and need a place to stay we offer very reasonable rates on our spare room :)
Over Easter, Jo and I managed to get over to Northern Ireland for a well-needed break. The weather was glorious, the BBQ was used and being able to chill out with family and friends was amazing. It was really good seeing friends even though it may have only been briefly. We even had an opportunity to do a bit of farming J I was very thankful for an opportunity to share at the Good Friday service how Jesus death on the Cross impacts the work that I am able to do with both Christian students and with non-Christian students. 
Some of you may have known that I have been thinking about working full time within the student ministry field, and particularly within the UCCF organization as a Staff Worker. In March I had an interview, which went really well however, I was not offered a job at that time. Nonetheless, they have encouraged me to apply again in November when there will be more vacancies available. Please pray for further wisdom and guidance from God on this so that we will know where God wants to put us. Pray also for me as I now look for a job, preferably in the legal sector for this next year. I am thankful that I have an opportunity to work in the secular workplace for a year and will have more.The Christian Unions
Both the CUs I work with have now begun the new term and are beginning to draw there summer programme to a close. Just before Easter I helped the Exec committees of both Sunderland and Northumbria in a planning day. This year we used a new resource, which creates a fun, very visual method of planning for the year, and involves a lot of paper, chocolate coins and jelly babies. (If you ever want to know what was going on just ask.) Sunderland was the first planning session and the three exec members got rather excited about the prospect of doing more evangelistic events that they can invite their friends to and the wider student body. They have planned in more evangelistic events during one term than they have had all year, which is awesome! Please pray that the planning for these events goes really smoothly and that God will use Sunderland CU to make the Gospel known throughout university. They plan to take on the movie nights and make it a fortnightly feature of the yearly evangelism strategy. Please pray that CU members will step up to take ownership of these and lead them well so that the exec will not be over burdened.The Northumbria planning session was just as fun, and one of the key moments was were the Prayer Secretary was sharing what one of his big aims would be; “That I could share with my whole year group that I am a Christian and what that means”. How awesome would it be if everyone in the CU felt this way and shared the Gospel with their whole year group. They also have been planning more evangelistic events which start this term with an Open Mic Night in the Students Union. Please pray that during this intense exam and assignment season that people will want to take a break and invite friends along to this event where they will be able to chill out and hear the Gospel proclaimed in an engaging way.
At the beginning of April I had the opportunity to speak on 1st Corinthians 7 & 13 at Sunderland CU. This was a great time of study into a passage largely speaking about Sex, Marriage and Singleness, which is a massive topic for students both Christian and non-Christian. The talk seemed to go well and we had a question and answer session afterwards for people to ask questions from the talk or about issues that are affected by it. The CU were very open and asked some great questions on which God’s Work speaks clearly on. Please pray that as they have been going through 1st Corinthians that they will be able to interpret what God is saying to them individually and corporately and how they might be able to put into practice the applications from this part of God’s word.
I will be speaking again on Friday 20th May on 1st Corinthians 15 so please pray that as I begin to study the passage that God will speak to me as to how He wants me to preach His message. Pray also that as I speak it will be the Holy Spirit speaking through me to those who are there and that His words will not fall on deaf ears or hardened hearts.
Just last weekend the North East CU Leaders met together in Durham to look at how to be a leader that stays strong in grace and to look at some practical things like preparing for Freshers Week etc. I was co-leading a seminar on “How to Delegate Well” with another Relay worker (Edwina). The seminar had never been done before but proved to be really useful for some of the CU Leaders who were there.
Pray that as I begin to wind down from full time ministry that I will be able to keep my focus on God, spending time with Him and delighting in the gift of grace that brings us back into fellowship with Him. Pray that I will be able to find other ways to serve both my church and my friends who are still students.
I want to finish up this penultimate newsletter by thanking everyone who has been praying for me throughout the year. Your prayers have very much been felt by Jo and I and within the ministry that I have been able to do.
We would love to hear of the things that you have been getting up to and the things that we can be praying for.
God Bless
Chris and Jo
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