The cold weather is setting in, the trees are changing colour, and semester is wrapping up at the University of Sydney. As I walk into the International Student Lounge, I find some flyers advertising AnCon. They read “Light, Truth, Love: Jesus and His Church.” Needless to say, my interest and curiosity were caught by these flyers.

Hi, I’m Matt. I’m a second-year trainee with the EU, and I have the joy of being on the AnCon team this year. If you were ever a part of the EU, you probably remember the excitement of looking forward to AnCon.

I, however, didn’t study at Sydney University. My knowledge of AnCon comes from being a trainee. I don’t know why students are excited, but I need to find out. So, I’ve put on my investigative journalist hat (complete with a little bit of paper which reads “press”), and I’ve been asking students, “What do you love about AnCon?” Here are my findings.

Turns out students are excited for lots of reasons! Some talked about the teaching. An Arts student said, “AnCon was the first place I learnt about the whole story that the Bible tells.” She talked about how this helped her in her early years of faith. Meanwhile, an education student shared that “the talks were really helpful for how I think about living for Jesus. Last year’s focus on the cross challenged me to think about what grace means.” The science student next to him added, “AnCon helped me think about how to put my faith into action.”

A law student shared about how AnCon challenged him to think about the nature and need of Christian service. “I remember the first AnCon,” he said, “making the ‘Send Me’ commitment. And then I looked
around, and the guy behind me was standing up too! He’s now in Africa.” Musing on how impactful it was for him, he added, “It was a key moment for me, recognising the sheer privilege it would be to share Christ with others, and the need to do so.”

Other students reflected on their first time at AnCon. An engineering student shared, “AnCon22 was my first ever Christian camp. I went into it with a great deal of excitement, and my high hopes were met! The opportunity to delve into an area of doctrine for a week was so valuable and interesting. And the community was rich! I probably made more new friends that week than any other in my life… I recall coming to the end of AnCon and wishing that it was two weeks long.”

Not everyone came to AnCon with such high hopes, though. In a story I found very touching, a health student shared that she was “hiding in the bathroom during dinner on the first night” because she was anxious being around so many people. Eventually, she went out into the auditorium, expecting to sit by herself. “But as I got a plate of food,” she said, “a group of girls in my year called my name and waved me over to sit with them. I felt so loved and welcomed!”

As students start to register for AnCon25, would you pray that it can continue to have such a strong impact on students? Please pray that they can continue to grow in understanding of and love for God’s Word. Additionally, pray that students will be challenged about how they can serve the Less Reached and Less Resourced. And, as they do this together, pray that they would grow in the love by which Jesus said the world would recognise his disciples.

– Matthew Cain, EU Senior Staff