How many Howie’s can say that in their final month of the two-year traineeship, they’ll be embarking on their first big residential conference? This year, a handful of us, including myself, can! But that makes me treasure even more that the National Training Event (NTE) is going ahead this year.

Of course, in a season marked by change and innovation, instead of meeting in Canberra with all the AFES groups across Australia, there is a twist: campuses will gather together in their states for the conference. Over 750 students from Sydney/Illawarra will meet at Katoomba Christian Convention Centre for a 4-day reimagined ‘regional’ NTE experience. And whilst there is real sadness in not being able to connect with students from the whole country, the theme of NTE this year is ‘to the ends of the Earth’, so we will still be casting our minds beyond our regional group!

One of the delights of NTE, is that it inspires and convicts us from the bible, and then we have the opportunity to image God’s missional heart around Sydney as we head straight into a 3-day mission trip. This year, the EU will be partnering with local churches in Berkeley, Campsie, Fairfield/Bossley Park, Campbelltown, Greenacre, Guildford, Lakemba, Merrylands and the Sydney Japanese Evangelical Church.

The beauty and distinctive of our EU mission program, is that our teams go to churches that are in some ways Less Reached or Less Resourced with the gospel, with the key aim to expose students to gospel need, and help them to dream of a future where they can serve God in less reached and resourced places, whether that be in our city, or further afield.

Our teams go to churches that are in some ways Less Reached or Less Resourced with the gospel, with the key aim to expose students to gospel need, and help them to dream of a future where they can serve God in less reached and resourced places.

Will you join me in praying that through NTE and EU missions this year, God will be changing students hearts, and raising a generation of believers ready to take the gospel to the ends of the earth?

Alice Tricks

EU Howie