SCRIPTURE UNION CAMPUS FELLOWSHIP
THE CHRISTIAN CAMPUS FELLOWSHIP
A Campus is an institution of higher learning such as Universities, Colleges of Education, Polytechnics.
The dictionary refers to a Campus as the grounds of a University.
What is Campus Fellowship?
It will be good to differentiate what we mean from other groups meeting on Campuses. We are here referring to a Christian Campus Fellowship. Today many exist in our Campuses under different names. Some are interdenominational (Para church) while others are denominational (church base).
A Campus fellowship is made up of Christian students (young undergraduates) who want to keep, maintain and share their faith (or go public with their faith in Jesus Christ) in their institution of learning. SUCF is a Campus Fellowship and has to fulfill the above.
Every Campus Fellowship has her own objective and aims. What is similar to all, particularly, the Parachurch fellowship is “Evangelism”.
Who make up the fellowship?
Young Christian undergraduates whose common interest is to keep their faith, sustain it through fellowship and the reaching out to fellow undergraduates – room mates, course mates etc. Many have made it with God. It serves as the starting point to greatness in the walk with God.
What makes the Campus Fellowsip Unique?
It provides an avenue for exposure and growth in Christian maturity. Young men and women hold on to their faith, not accepting anything that defiles. Particularly for the parachurch organizations, their members are trained and trusted to act the training out. Undergraduates undertake journeys to attend conferences in other institutions of learning. A thing that has built godly relationships and challenges. Members have the opportunity to study bible together, share a common community life. Campus fellowship have afforded undergarduates the opportunity of knowing other Christians beyond their campuses. Care and share is easily practised. The harmony and love is ususally unequalled.
How is their programmes developed or planned?
The executive members think out prayerfully the programme for the semester. It is often wrong for a central programme to be developed for a particular campus fellowship group. This may be possible for the church based campus groups. Campuses are not the same. The fellowship groups should have some measure of freedom to initiate programmes that will build the members spiritually and challenge their spirit man. In the same way, they should be supervised and visited at regular intervals. National programmes as it is in Scripture Union have to be adapted by all SUCF groups particularly the ones that concerns them. This we will continue to do in SUCF.
How is the Campus Fellowship Financed?
This aspect reveals the maturity of the group. The avenue sources for funds are first and foremost from members of the group. Tis include offerings, donations (present members or alumni members etc) levying members, appeals to senior friends or associates, paying of tithe etc. Since none of the members is working, this collective effort has helped campus fellowships to achieve their goals. In parachurch or church base fellowships where they have a national body, the groups bear the cost of keeping them. With groups like NIFES, CU who have large alumni bodies, they achieve more. Graduating members are often made to make pledges that will help the Campus group to keep reaching them always.
The Challenge for You
Before the coming of SUCF on campus, other campus fellowship like Christian Union, NIFES, CASOR, etc have been on Campus for long. They have trained and turned out many vibrant Christians, but what is the effect of these graduating students to our country. You do not exist for yourself. The country and the world is looking out to you to show them Christ. The basic concern is not marriage, (He will do it for you) rather it is your contribution to the futherance of the Kingdom of God that is of great importance.
You should make use of this opportunity to make good your calling.
|