One of the great privileges of university ministry is opening God’s word with students week after week. Our staff team spends countless hours reading the Bible with students, praying with them, answering difficult questions, and helping them grow their faith in Christ. It is joyful work — but it can also be demanding work.

That is why, as a staff team, we are aware of the importance of pastorally caring for one another, as we care for students.

At the beginning of 2026, amidst some wider reorganising of regular staff meetings, we introduced a new structure called Pastoral Care Groups, complementing regular 1-2-1 catch-ups between different staff for more detailed check-ins. For the past four months, staff have gathered every Monday morning in smaller groups to begin the week together in God’s word, prayer, and fellowship. These groups have created regular rhythms of encouragement and spiritual care amongst the staff team itself.

The EU ministry can at times feel isolating. Staff members are often spread across different faculties, ministries, and even campuses, throughout the week. Many of us spend our days investing deeply in students, without naturally crossing paths with one another very often. 

The Pastoral Care Groups help remind us that we are not serving alone.

First thing each Monday morning, staff spend time reading Scripture together and reflecting on God’s promises and character before launching into the demands of the week ahead. We want to ensure that as we bring God’s word to others, we are regularly turning to it ourselves. Before we teach, pastor, evangelise, or train, we first sit under the word together as fellow disciples of Jesus.

The pastoral care groups have also provided dedicated time for prayer. Staff pray regularly throughout the week for the students and ministries they are involved in, and so pastoral care groups mark a precious opportunity to also pray for one another personally — for endurance, wisdom, godliness, joy, and faithfulness in ministry, as well as the other joys and challenges of life staff might be experiencing. In the busyness of university ministry, these intentional moments of sharing and prayer help us carry one another’s burdens and celebrate together what God is doing across campus.

Another important aspect of the groups has simply been hearing about ministry life from one another. Because staff are often immersed in different specialist ministries and faculty communities, it can be easy to lose visibility of what others are experiencing. The Monday gatherings have created space to share stories, challenges, answered prayers, and opportunities for encouragement that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Besides these staples of pastoral care groups, you can regularly find us celebrating birthdays and big occasions, at times taking the chance to sing God’s praises together, more often than not sharing a good laugh, and enjoying the benefits of those who have the spiritual gift of baked goods.

Already, these groups have been a blessing within the staff team, and we pray they will enable greater sustainability in ministry. We want staff to be supported not only organisationally, but spiritually and relationally. Healthy ministry flows from healthy dependence on God and healthy partnership with one another.

We are thankful for your partnership in supporting the ministry of the EU. As you pray for students to hear and respond to the gospel, please also pray for the staff team — that we would continue serving together with humility, encouragement, perseverance, and deep confidence in God’s word.