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Week 2 was the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. With such a number of Christian societies knocking around on campus, this national event is always used as an opportunity to try to bring Christians at the university together for a change, to celebrate some of the things we all, as Christians and as people generally, have to celebrate. This year was a little different to the previous years that I’ve been here, at least in terms of organisation, because it was the leaders of each of the Christian societies (under the parent-like care of chaplains Graham, John and Tony) who took it upon themselves to sort out the week’s events. As a symbol of our unity this was great, and something which can hopefully be maintained in future years.
Somehow, between the lot of us we managed to arrange daily prayer meetings, during the lunch time, which seemed to work well enough (the ones I made it to were pretty well attended anyway!). Wednesday saw a ceilidh over in good old Alcuin — with a band knocked up by outgoing CU President Tim Sargeant and friends. For those of you who didn’t go (shame on you), I can tell you that they were shockingly good, in actual fact! And that they were all Christian students here at York only added to the homegrown spirit of the occasion. We managed to raise 80 pounds for Amnesty International through it — a reminder for us all that Christianity is about more than just looking out for ourselves …
Friday night brought the week to a close with a service in Heslington church, consisting of artwork, drama, music and writing put together by the students themselves at seminars held earlier in the day. That it worked so well is a testimony to the latent talent of all those who came, and is in no way a reflection of the quality of our hasty planning, I am sure!
In short, a good week which, if nothing else, proved that co-operation between the societies needn’t be a difficult chore, but can in fact be fun, and a source of no little blessing.
It was really great to be involved with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity this year. Right through the week, and the planning meetings, there was a real sense of friendship, cooperation and I guess, love. Both the Ceilidh and the workshops were brilliant ways of spending time with people that you wouldn’t bump into on a normal day and a chance to chat with people. As a result, they became slightly more than just familiar faces
It was a relief that there were no attempts at pretending to be all the same, but rather a recognition from all parties that the one thing that unites all true believers is what Jesus did for us on the cross and that however different we all are, God’s grace is big enough to extend to everyone.
“Why not come along this week? We need helpers!” OK, I thought, can’t be too bad. Just one week right, no big commitment. So I went. Then I went the following week, and the one after that. Pretty soon I had acquired the title ‘Project Co-ordinator’ and not long after I found myself in the role of minibus-driver. But what was this frightful organisation that had lured me into its net? The Mafia? The IRA? Cake Soc??? Well, no, actually it was the far more benign student-run association called CAP. Any wiser? Let me spell it out so there’s no confusion — I had just become an active member of the Community Action Projects! Grand stuff, eh?! Believe it or not, every reader of this magazine is also a member of this prestigious organisation simply by being a student — the question is, are you active or not?
CAP is all about lending a hand to help people in the wider community of York who could use the friendship or services of people like us. The range of projects is extensive: school visits and children’s summer camps; babysitting for needy parents; horse riding for the disabled; talking newspapers for the blind; and coffee-clubs for the elderly. The volunteers? The only criteria is a servant heart. After all, I don’t have many other qualifications to lead a Riding for the Disabled Project; I have no experience of working with disabled people, I am certainly no extrovert, and the last time I tried riding a horse I promptly fell off! [Don’t worry, no riding is involved!] Helping for a few hours each week is not a chore but a challenge — and a very rewarding one when you see miracles happening almost every week. People slouched in wheelchairs are suddenly able to control a horse; handicapped children make new friends, but often it’s just a smile that makes it all worthwhile.
If you’re in any way interested watch out for events in week four, and there is even a training weekend on campus for all new volunteers. “Why not come along … we need helpers!”.
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Last modified: 25th November 2005
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