Charis Patterson
Charis is doing Relay in Oxford, supporting the Christian Union in the University of Oxford.
Relay is a ten-month discipleship, training and mission programme run by UCCF, a charity which aims to give every student in Great Britain an opportunity to hear and respond to the good news about Jesus Christ.
Relay Workers equip, resource and encourage student Christian Unions whilst being discipled and trained by a member of UCCF staff.
Charis says...
Hellooo - I'm Charis! I've recently finished studying a degree in History and English at the University of Oxford and I'm really excited to be starting the Relay programme there this Autumn.
From the start of my time as a student, the Christian Union at Oxford worked tirelessly to make me feel welcome, to show me what a treasure we have in the good news of the gospel, and to equip me to share that good news with my friends. It's a real privilege to be able to serve students in the same way that I was once served — by coming alongside them in the joys and challenges of university life and helping them see how the gospel speaks into every part of it.
The student world is full of so many unique opportunities for sharing the gospel as students are curious, open-minded, and are extraordinarily up for trying new things! However it is also full of many challenges: as young Christians we are unsure about so many things, we feel so inadequate and ill-equipped for the task of sharing our faith, and too often prefer to seek acceptance from our friends than choose to stand out. Wonderfully, the more we fix our eyes on Jesus, the more we delight in him, the more we cannot help but declare his beautiful story of the gospel of grace!
I see Relay as a gift as it allows me to continue to be involved in the exciting things God is up to in Oxford – and it’s something you can be involved in too! As a ministry role that is self-funded, I am relying on the prayerful and financial support of friends and family to cover my living and ministry costs for the year, so please do sign up to my prayer letter or consider supporting me financially if you’d like to join in. And please do get in touch if you’d like to find out more!
Pray for Charis
Prayer is a vital part of supporting Charis’s work with Christian Unions. Here are some prayer points from Charis:
- That God would use me and the Christian Union in Oxford to invite students in to be part of his kingdom!
- For students to be convinced that the gospel is good news and to delight in boldly sharing it with their friends with wisdom, grace, and love.
- That I would depend fully on the Lord to meet all my needs this year, and that he would give me strength and endurance to meet the demands of this season of ministry.
