I’m Laura, a Howie working alongside students to welcome newcomers at the start of the year. I’m here to take you behind the scenes of our start-up season.

But first, why have a welcoming team at all? During the ‘welcoming season’, the EU meets more newcomers and people exploring Jesus than even some of our largest missions. This season shapes the robustness of the rest of our campus ministry during the year, including evangelism, Bible studies, and AnCon.

Stewarding this opportunity requires careful planning, which starts six months before Welcome Week. In Semester 2 of last year, we gathered a team of students with a heart for newcomers to be active in their faith on campus – one senior staff, two Howies, three senior students and 16 other team members.

Our efforts continue over the summer break, partnering with ministries such as Connect and Launch Camp which seeks to support Year 12 leavers in their next stage of life. Early sign ups trickle in as students receive early entry results.

The week before semester kicks off, the EU gathers all its leaders for a training conference. We get 10 minutes to share our plans and encourage others to sign up.

Welcome Week (Wednesday & Thursday)

Many Zoom-meeting, announcement-making, grocery-shopping, spreadsheet-scrolling, reel-editing, flyer-designing, bargain-hunting hours later, the big day arrives — O-Week.

Wednesday, 8am: Volunteers arrive. Our senior student leads our team in prayer. We pray that incoming students would make their time at uni count. We long for them to meet Jesus in the Bible, to be confident in their faith, and equipped to serve Christ’s body for the rest of their lives. 

9am: Thousands of people swarm across campus for O-Week. Over two days, 80 student volunteer as part of our frontline efforts to engage newcomers and be a public Christian presence. With smiles, free food and bright green shirts, we are hard to miss!

From nervous first years to curious international students, our stall is buzzing with conversation. I’m reminded of just how diverse our campus is, and how many people have yet to deeply consider the claims of Jesus.

4pm: Our pack up team arrives. We clean, pack down the gazebo, wash up items, and get ready for day 2. In another room, staff and students are personally contacting those who have signed up. We share stories of conversations at the stall and pray for all those whom we met.

Launch Day (Friday)

On the last day of O-Week, the EU gathers for our welcome event — Launch Day. We start by meeting at Gadigal Lawns in our faculty groups to share lunch together. It is very sunny — a welcome answer to prayer after a forecast of rain. We end with 400 students gathered at Eastern Avenue Auditorium to hear a Bible talk on Paul’s prayer in Ephesians, and sing praises together.

Whew! What a way to end the week.

Thank you for praying for the staff and students of the EU!

Thank God for:

• Bringing many people to our Welcome Week stall who had not heard of the EU
• The many volunteers who cheerfully volunteered to welcome first years
• Keeping the rain away, allowing 400+ students to have space to gather as a community

Please pray that:

• The many students who signed up will be warmly welcomed and enfolded into the EU
• Our conversations at the stall would plant a seed that eventually grows into faith in Jesus
• The relationships formed during this season would last so that students would experience God’s love amongst his people

– Laura Bee, Howard Guinness Project 2023-2024