Chairman: Sam Crossley Chairwoman: Elli Bottrall

Secretary and Treasurer: Dan Bailyes Cell Group Coordinator: Ruth McAdam

International Secretary: LawrenceWilson Events Coordinator: Will Eley

Publicity and Communications: Rachel Benge Prayer Secretary: Andrew Parsons

ReadingUniversity Christian Union

Post-Year and Fresher’s Week Prayer Letter, Summer 2008

‘For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.’

1Tim 4 v 8

Dear Fellow Pray-ers,

(I appear to have gone a bit nuts in length. But I can’t bring myself to delete any. So I’ve broken it up and put in some pictures for your concentration only. Enjoy!)

Yet again, we would like to thank you all for your support of us fighting for Christ on Reading campus! Whatever shape that support may have taken; whether in prayers, guidance or financially. As your prayers are more powerful than any support you could give us, we would like to inform you of the successes and downfalls of the past year and let you know our hopes, dreams and fears of the next year, so you can support us again over the next year.God has answered so many of our and your prayers over the last year! Thank you, Lord, for them. And thank you all for praying them.

Prayer Support

Eternity, as ever, being top of the list. Last time I quoted Ezekiel and Isaiah… *God, still, alone can change hearts(Eze36v26) and He has promised that His Word will never come back empty where it is spoken. (Isa55v11)*… and it hasn’t. And we have been blessed enough to have seen it’s effect on two people’s eternity! Praise be to our Lord and to the Lamb!

One guy and a girl have given their lives to our Saviour! I don’t know if they’ve told their families yet, so I guess they should know before you guys do, so praise God for them anonymously for now. Obviously also, they’re going to need a lot of support and development over the upcoming years, so RUCU and the involved churches are going to need to have or develop those skills as the time comes.

As with all the members of RUCU, next year is the beginning of a new chapter. As we all head off into the dark depths of summer (it’s England, dark depths and summer seem to go hand in hand), please pray that we would all start our next chapter stronger in faith. That we would all be trained in godliness over summer and be stronger for it by the time we start whatever it is we’re doing next.

Specifically though, the leavers are heading off into the real world, into jobs, gap years or the UCCF Relay Project. Wherever they are heading, may our prayer be that they would be strengthened and learn to translate the lessons God has taught them at Uni into their next stage… as real people.

For continuing students;we all need strength to glorify God in every area of our lives, so prayer for balance between CU, academic work and our social lives is imperative. As well, the committee will have our eyes and prayers peeled for the next committee. So please pray that He would make them obvious to us and for our wisdom and discernment to respond to God’s calling.

Then for the Freshers; please pray that the soldiers that God already has for us would find us and we would find them. Pray for their strength as they battle with all the fresh and new temptations and pitfalls of University, and that we would develop relationships with them to be help and encouragement to them. And for the Freshers who do not yet know the Lord… pray that they would! Revival is the Lord’s… Pray that He’d give it to us. Not for numbers, but for His glory alone!

And the small issue of the 2008/9 Free Gospel Project, aptly entitled, Free.

Check out…

We’re going to be handing out God’s own double-edged sword around Reading campus, in the form of a myriad of Mark’s gospels. Pray that we wouldn’t be flailing God sword wildly, but that we would be led to where exactly God’s word will penetrate soul and spirit, joints and marrow. On guard, Reading! Touchez!

In summary…

Praise God:

  • We have had two professions of faith. Yeah boy!
  • The Leavers’ influence on RUCU as a whole.
  • The Continuers’ are still with us.
  • The Lord has Freshers for us!
  • For the leaders of each of the CU meetings. God’s Word was spoken powerfully and directly!
  • We were well covered for money!
  • Judges 7. Numbers fell down at the end of the year. But God isn’t a God of numbers.
  • A huge majority of the CU got stuck in!
  • New committee. That God would pick them out and make them clear.
  • Our Students Union remains supportive of our work!

Please pray:

  • That the profession of faith would be real!!
  • The Leavers’ faith and strength.
  • The Continuers’ faith and strength.
  • The Freshers’ faith and strength.
  • The men coming to open God’s word to us. Pray for clarity, wisdom and firmness.
  • That the whole CU would be ready to hit the ground running at Freshers’ Week!
  • That International Students would be reached in Bournemouth by the guys down there speaking the word to them.
  • For the Gospel Project. Please God, use your word to penetrate hearts!
  • Pray that our good relationship with the Students Union this will continue as we enter a new gear of mission over the next year.

Financial Support

As an organisation totally funded by gifts, financial support is imperative if these events are to take place. The costs of this week include the hiring of venues, gifts to speakers, flyers, posters and the hiring of Christian bands and PA equipment. All these costs were graciously covered by many donations from guys such as yourselves! Thank God for the generous donations made! Individually speaking, however… they know who they are!

Thank you so much for standing with us in prayer, for your support of Reading students in your church and for your partnership in the gospel. It is invaluable to us. For more info on RUCU, to contact us, or to contribute financially to funding our events if you feel so led, please visit our new and improved website:

Thank you for your support,

Live free, Pray hard!

Andrew Parsons (Prayer Secretary)