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Welcome to all students!
We are delighted each year to welcome students who have moved to the area and are looking for a lively, student-friendly, Bible-centred church to join. Our goal is to become a church 'where no-one stands alone...' (i.e. where everyone experiences a real sense of belonging) '...and where no-one stands still' (i.e. where everyone is encouraged and challenged to move forward in their walk with God). So we want to support you and encourage you to make the most of your time in Birmingham.
About a third of Elim's congregation is made up of students, so student ministry plays a big part in the life of the church. Everything we do is aimed at fulfilling our church vision statement, but within that our student vision is:
And what that looks like broken down:
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Knowledge of the Truth (Titus 1:1b; 2Tim 3:16)
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Faith - reliance upon and submission to God (Titus 1:1b; Heb 11)
2. Commitment to Church. How?...
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Accountability - to both other students and the wider church (Eph 5:21)
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Exercising Gifts - to build up the church (1Cor 12:12; 1Pt 4:10)
3. Outreach. How?...
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Local Evangelism - in Selly Oak and on campus
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World Mission (Mt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)
So, everything we do for students is geared towards you growing in the above.
On Sundays, we get together after the morning and evening services...
Catalyst
Here's a flavour for some of the topics covered last term:
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God's heart for His world
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Godly priorities
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Spiritual Gifts
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Identity in Christ
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Friendship
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Knowing and telling the Gospel
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The Bible
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Prayer
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Guidance
(If you want the handouts from any of the above, e-mail Matt at matt@sellyelim.org)
'Catalyst' meets after the morning service at 1pm. This coming term (Autumn 2009) we're going to be looking at God's design for sex and relationships. The six sessions are going to take us through God's will, plan and design for sex, how we relate with boys and girls and how it's possible to have the best relationships and how to enjoy being single! Every session will be followed with lunch.
Every fifth week, we have a week off allowing for the opportunity for students to go round someone else's place a little older in the church for lunch. That way you get have fellowship with others in the church and not just students!
Inspire
'Inspire' meets after the evening service at 8pm. Inspire is a great opportunity for students and young adults to come together after the evening service to raise those difficult questions! Each week we'll either concentrate on the sermon and address any questions arising out of that and how the message can be applied to our lives, or there will be a short 10-15 min talk about other juicy topics such as, "What about the Dinosaurs?" We'll introduce different philosophies and ideologies and discuss them so that we can be thinking responsive Christians in today's society! "For the word of God is living and active" (Hebrews 4:12a) (NIV), so let's apply it! It might also be a good thing to get your friends to come along to. Inspire is a fab environment in which to propose any questions and talk them through. Cake and sweeties will also hopefully be included!
Catalyst week and weekends away
Throughout the year we'll go away for weeks and weekends away to look at certain issues in depth (e.g. last year we studied the book of Ruth, how the Bible fits togther, how to write your own Bible study etc.) - these are awesome! Check out last year's times away...
Student Weekend Away, March '07
If you'd like to come or want to find out more, then please contact me, Matt at either matt@sellyelim.org or on 0121-471 1133.
One-to-one
A really great way to grow in your faith is to do one-to-one with someone older in the church. In 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul writes to his friend Timothy and says: '...the things you have heard me say in the presence of many reliable witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.'
All through the New Testament there are examples of younger Christians meeting with older Christians to be discipled/mentored in order to grow stronger in their faith: the 12 Disciples [particularly Peter, James and John] with Jesus; Mark with Peter; Timothy with Paul; Apollos with Aquilla and Prisicilla etc. If you think that is something you might find helpful to do (in today's context it could involve studying the Bible, praying, asking difficult questions etc.), speak to Kristi, or someone else in the student team, and they will try to fix you up with someone older in the church.
Check out our 1-2-1 video
As a church, we deliberately don't run midweek groups for students. The reason for that is we're very keen you get involved in midweek groups on campus (see below) which are brilliant!!
Mission teams on campus
As Christians we've got such a good Gospel to share - and we should want people everywhere to have a chance to hear it. The student world is one of the most open areas, with many students interested in exploring spiritual things. For churches, though, it is one of the hardest areas for outreach because non-Christian students mainly tend to come into contact with other students, and churches are prohibited from directly working on campus.
So in order for outreach to happen, all the local churches send their Christian students (that's you guys!) in to meet together and function as a mission team on the campus. That team at the universities is the Christian Union, which is student-run and exists to equip you to "Live for Jesus, Speak for Jesus" - i.e. fulfill Jesus' commission on campus. Do go along and join the team!
- BUECU at Birmingham Uni meets at the Chaplaincy, St. Francis Hall, on Thursdays 7.30pm-9.30pm. (www.buecu.org)
- BCUCU at BCU meets in the main lecture hall at Birmingham Conservatoire on Tuesdays, 7.30pm-9.15pm. (www.ucecu.org)
- AUCU at Aston University meets in room MB 708C on Wednesdays, 7:30pm-9:30pm. (www.astoncu.org.uk)
Ideas for the summer
University summers are brilliant - 14 weeks to do whatever you want! But unfortunately it's a privilege which disappears after your student days and it's unlikely you'll ever have that freedom again...so make the most of it! Little tip: plan your holidays before they arrive. Lots of people have to work over the holidays to pay for the following year - fair enough - but seriously consider doing some kind of mission too. Many Christians look back fondly on a short-term summer project they were involved in as a student, saying that, in many ways, those experiences developed them as Christians, taught them to trust God more and helped them learn more of his heart for the world. There are so many oppurtunities out there! Below are just a few...
Short Term Mission oppurtunities
Kids camps - loads!...Cypher, Welsh, Elim etc. ask for recommendations from other Christians
Scripture
Tearfund Transform – whole range of things – various – www.tearfund.org/transform
Beach Missons – giving tourists and beach bums a chance to hear about Jesus –
Agape – evangelistic –
IFES (international fellowship of evangelical students) - trips to Europe and the rest of the world - www.ifesworld.org
OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship): www.omf.org.uk
There are loads of other good Christian things to get involved with over the summer - just do a search for 'mission finder' on Google. Make sure you investigate the organisation you go with (check their statement of faith, what they get up to etc.) as a few people have come back saying that their trip was only OK...but the ones recommended above are ace!
A mission particularly recommended is Cambridge International Outreach (CIO). If you've never done any mission work, this is a great place to start. Its based in
Student Team
Kristi Mair
Nathan Rivett
Ngozi Ifeanacho
Naomi Stevens
Useful links
Welcome to Birmingham site for students: www.welcometobrum.com
Agape: www.agape.org.uk
Agape resources page: www.agape.org.uk/resources.html
The Navigators: www.navigators.co.uk
BUECU (Birmingham University Evangelical Christian Union): www.buecu.org
Friends International: www.friendsinternational.org.uk
How to explain the gospel website: www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl
Bethinking Apologetics website: www.bethinking.org
Every Student.com: www.everystudent.com
Birmingham University: www.bham.ac.uk
Evangelism Toolbox: www.evangelismtoolbox.org
Growing In Christ.com: www.growinginchrist.com
Bible resource: www.blueletterbible.org
UCCF Resources page: www.uccf.org.uk/resources/index.php
Check out this hilarious video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTYr3JuueF4
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A member of the Elim Pentecostal Church and a member of the Connected group of local churches.
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