CCP
Christ Central Preston
Kick starting a church while at Uni
Feb 12, 2016 -- Posted by :Luke "Tik Tok" Meyers gives his take on church planting while at university. Luke is in his second year of studying Acting (BA) at UCLAN.
Church is an important part of Christian life. Unfortunately it is sometimes easy to convince yourself otherwise, particularly when moving away from home. A church acts much like a family, and the idea of trading off my old family for a new one when I moved to University was not one I felt particularly comfortable with. If it wasn’t for a lot of encouragement (and a little push) from some good friends of mine, both from back home and at university, I might have convinced myself that church wasn’t all that important during term time. Luckily friends were on hand to prevent me from making the biggest mistake of my life, and I realised I had very little reason to avoid finding a church.
I was invited to accompany a friend of mine to a church plant which he was involved with. This is a church which is just establishing itself, a group of people who have moved to a new place with the purpose of building a church there. It was a small gathering at someone’s house, there were less than ten other people there. At first I felt extremely awkward. Being in the house of someone who I had never met, knowing nobody except the friend that brought me, it’s not usually the kind of situation I thrive in. Never the less, despite my nervousness the evening went on without a hitch, and despite all of prior my worries, before the night was over, I knew I had found a new home.
From day one I couldn’t work out how I had lived without my new church family. And if I’m honest, I’m not sure I did, not fully anyway. They quickly became a large part of my life. Partly because there is a lot to do in a church plant. Many jobs, and usually a limited supply of people. The church hosts events all over the place, and we want to welcome everybody to come and join us.
Planting a church is an amazing experience...
I had thought that I was relatively busy before joining Christ Central Preston (CCP). I had my degree, various voluntary committee roles and sporting commitments. And I wasn’t wrong, there never seemed to be enough hours in the day to do everything. However my sporadic ‘busyness’ was pulled into focus upon contact with CCP. I have realised that some things are more important. Some things deserve more attention. As I work closer with the church plant I am becoming more focused. I am beginning to see what is more important. Yes I am here to get a degree, but I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t where God wanted me, and becoming a part of a church plant has helped me to see that.
God has a reason for everything he does, and a method of pulling you in. If you had said to me as I was first meeting my friends at CCP that I would be helping to establish a church in Preston, I would become a part of it, work with the church and watch it grow, I would have said, I’m sorry, I don’t have the time. But here I am, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Planting a church is an amazing experience. Even in the early stages. You have to be willing to give things up, have to be willing to make sacrifices, but let me tell you, it’s worth it. And my journey with CCP is only just beginning.
Church is an important part of Christian life. Unfortunately it is sometimes easy to convince yourself otherwise, particularly when moving away from home. A church acts much like a family, and the idea of trading off my old family for a new one when I moved to University was not one I felt particularly comfortable with. If it wasn’t for a lot of encouragement (and a little push) from some good friends of mine, both from back home and at university, I might have convinced myself that church wasn’t all that important during term time. Luckily friends were on hand to prevent me from making the biggest mistake of my life, and I realised I had very little reason to avoid finding a church.
I was invited to accompany a friend of mine to a church plant which he was involved with. This is a church which is just establishing itself, a group of people who have moved to a new place with the purpose of building a church there. It was a small gathering at someone’s house, there were less than ten other people there. At first I felt extremely awkward. Being in the house of someone who I had never met, knowing nobody except the friend that brought me, it’s not usually the kind of situation I thrive in. Never the less, despite my nervousness the evening went on without a hitch, and despite all of prior my worries, before the night was over, I knew I had found a new home.
From day one I couldn’t work out how I had lived without my new church family. And if I’m honest, I’m not sure I did, not fully anyway. They quickly became a large part of my life. Partly because there is a lot to do in a church plant. Many jobs, and usually a limited supply of people. The church hosts events all over the place, and we want to welcome everybody to come and join us.
Planting a church is an amazing experience...
I had thought that I was relatively busy before joining Christ Central Preston (CCP). I had my degree, various voluntary committee roles and sporting commitments. And I wasn’t wrong, there never seemed to be enough hours in the day to do everything. However my sporadic ‘busyness’ was pulled into focus upon contact with CCP. I have realised that some things are more important. Some things deserve more attention. As I work closer with the church plant I am becoming more focused. I am beginning to see what is more important. Yes I am here to get a degree, but I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t where God wanted me, and becoming a part of a church plant has helped me to see that.
God has a reason for everything he does, and a method of pulling you in. If you had said to me as I was first meeting my friends at CCP that I would be helping to establish a church in Preston, I would become a part of it, work with the church and watch it grow, I would have said, I’m sorry, I don’t have the time. But here I am, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Planting a church is an amazing experience. Even in the early stages. You have to be willing to give things up, have to be willing to make sacrifices, but let me tell you, it’s worth it. And my journey with CCP is only just beginning.
