An update for supporters of the Evangelical Union at the University of Sydney

Each December, over 2000 university students from across Australia gather in Canberra for the National Training Event (NTE). A week of deep Bible teaching, rich fellowship, and mission preparation run by the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES), NTE brings together students and staff from across the national movement to be equipped for gospel ministry on campus, in Australia, and around the world.

This year, over 150 students and staff from our own EU are registered to attend. What an encouraging sign of the hunger among USYD students to be grounded in God’s Word and shaped for lifelong service of Christ!

At NTE, each day includes Bible talks; meals; strand groups; and electives exploring mission, theology, and practical ministry topics. The strand groups train students to handle Scripture faithfully, covering exegesis, biblical theology, systematics, and ethics. By the end of the conference, each strand participant will prepare and preach a short bible-talk. This year, the theme for NTE, The Eternal Gospel ‘Timely and Timeless’, seeks to catalyse attendees to see the all-encompassing truth of the Gospel and its enduring relevance for all peoples, tribes, tongues and nations.

For many, NTE is a turning point. Students sometimes arrive unsure of how their personal faith connects with the wider world, but leave deeply convinced that every Christian has a part to play in God’s global story. What takes place in Canberra doesn’t stay there as it immediately flows into post-NTE missions across the country and around the world.

EU students in particular scatter to serve alongside local churches and ministries in locations LRLR (Less Reached and Less Resourced). These mission teams are a practical outworking of the training and vision students receive at NTE. Having been equipped to share their faith and serve others, they now put those lessons into practice in real contexts, whether that’s door-knocking in rural NSW, running youth programs in regional towns, or assisting local congregations in their outreach efforts.

This year, NTE mission teams from the EU will serve not only in various locations around Australia, but even further! Four members of the EU community – two staff and two students – will be part of the second-ever AFES Horizons team heading to West Asia from 10–23 December. This team will partner with long-term workers in a region where the name of Jesus is scarcely known, gaining a firsthand glimpse of cross-cultural gospel ministry. Their experience will not only shape their own discipleship but will also inspire the wider EU to keep looking outward to the nations.

As supporters of the EU, please be praying for our 154 participants, that NTE 2025 would be a time of growth, conviction, and joy in the gospel. Pray too for the NTE missions and the Horizons team, that all involved would proclaim Christ with boldness, humility, and love.

From Canberra to country towns to the ends of the earth, each year NTE reminds us that God’s mission involves sending beyond our own borders and that the timeless good news of Jesus is worth timely taking to the ends of the earth.

– Seth Fellows, EU Senior Staff