Like many Christian charities, our Christian Union staff workers rely on personal support to raise funds for their posts.
This is a joy for many of our staff, who get to partner prayerfully and financially with those who care about the mission of UCCF: making disciples of Jesus Christ in the student world, as students reach their universities with the good news of the gospel.
However, some of our staff particularly struggle to reach these personal support goals. Some come from backgrounds where there is no culture of Christian giving outside of the local church. Others have become Christians later in life and don’t have extensive Christian networks, and some come from other backgrounds which make support raising more challenging. For these individuals, personal support raising brings significant challenges. We don’t want this to be a barrier to those who are being called into full-time ministry.
Two of our supporters have become increasingly passionate about giving to those who feel called to become Staff Workers, but have difficulty raising personal support. They don’t want our staff to feel added pressure on top of their roles and so have repeatedly offered to fill gaps in giving. This has meant granting large sums to individuals who don’t have networks open to giving, plus lower amounts to those who are struggling to raise the last little bit.
As well as giving to these staff, they pray for them regularly. They receive regular prayer updates, hearing what is happening on the ground, giving them an insight to the ministry they are partnering with.
Their wonderful generosity has enabled us to add staff to our team who otherwise would not be able to reach these financial targets. This allows people from all backgrounds to work with us, bringing a wealth of perspectives into how we can continue to reach students with the gospel.
Staff who may have had to spend longer fundraising now have time freed up to meet with students and equip them in their evangelism on campus. More leaders can be encouraged to delight in Jesus more deeply, display him more fully, and declare him more boldly as they lead their CUs.
Pray: Please do be praying for those who are considering joining us at UCCF and feel apprehensive about personal support raising, that the Lord would guide them and they would come to know the joy of fundraising.
Give: If you, like those two supporters, would like to enable more Staff Workers to join UCCF through your giving, we would love to partner with you in this way. Your generosity can make a world of difference to new staff members and can enable us to appoint the right and best people to work alongside students in Christian Unions across Great Britain.
Act: Want to find out more about UCCF, and the impact that Christian Unions are having in universities across Britain? Visit uccf.org.uk.
Learn to live more generously
Join thousands receiving insights and reflections that encourage a life of generosity. Sign up to Generous today and receive a free digital copy of Money and the Gospel.
Matt Lillicrap
Matt Lillicrap, studied Medicine in Newcastle and worked as a doctor before transitioning to ministry. He served as Associate Pastor at Eden Baptist Church and Pastor at Hope Community Church. Passionate about student ministry, Matt lives in Cambridge with his wife Anika and their six children.
