We’ve reached the halfway point of Love, Jesus, a two-week evangelistic mission on campus—and there is much to thank God for.

One great encouragement has been seeing students step out of their comfort zones to speak with others about Jesus. Senior-year small groups have been doing walk-up evangelism, striking up conversations with students across campus and inviting them to gospel opportunities throughout the fortnight. For some, this has felt daunting. One student had never done walk-up evangelism before and was unsure about giving it a go. Their small group leader suggested they simply shadow a more experienced student. By the end of the hour, they described the experience as ‘exhilarating’ and wished they had more time to keep talking!

Students have also met people who had never heard the name of Jesus before. One international student was particularly keen to hear more, and after hearing the gospel for the first time responded, “This is amazing news!” Next week, the first-year small groups will have their turn to take the gospel out across campus.

There have been many other opportunities to invite people to hear about Jesus. Some small groups have held special ‘open weeks’, inviting friends to come along and ask any question they have about Christianity. Public Meetings have been exploring the love of Jesus through Mark’s Gospel, while faculty groups have considered how Jesus loves the tired and weary, offers hope to a groaning creation, and teaches us what it truly means to love others.

Students have also been wonderfully creative in creating their own gospel opportunities. Picnics, meals, and coffee catch-ups have provided relaxed spaces for significant conversations about God and faith. Flower-bouquet making, run clubs, crafternoons, and paint-and-sip events have created opportunities to share testimonies and devotions. Outreach stalls—including a protein-hot-choc stall with questions about God—and BBQs providing lunch for students leaving class have opened further opportunities for conversations about faith.

A particular highlight was the Mark Drama on Wednesday and Thursday nights. A cast of EU students were trained and supported to present this 90-minute, theatre-in-the-round presentation of Mark’s Gospel. It provides a wonderful opportunity for people to engage directly with Jesus in Mark’s account who might not otherwise come to a Bible talk or small group. Across the two nights, 440 people attended, and 77 copies of Mark’s Gospel were given to interested people. It was a huge effort from the students performing and producing the drama. Encouragingly, some non-Christian students even invited other non-Christian friends to come along with them.

As we look to the second week, please pray for more walk-up evangelism and outreach stalls giving away free Bibles, more Public Meetings exploring the love of Jesus, and many grassroots gospel opportunities where students gather friends, classmates, and strangers for honest conversations about Jesus and how we should respond to him.

Please also pray that these conversations won’t simply end when the mission fortnight does. Already, some opportunities are planned to extend beyond these two weeks. May God continue to grow the seeds being planted, and may many students come to know for themselves the extraordinary love of Jesus.