FRESHER?
we can't wait to meet you
If you're coming to Exeter in September, congrats! We can't wait to welcome you and encourage you, both if you are thinking about faith for the first time, or are super keen to get stuck into sharing the good news of Jesus - or anywhere in between!
Take a look at our 2022 Fresher's video to get more of an idea about what we do as a CU!
This year we're introducing ECU families - hopefully this will be a great chance to get to know other freshers and older years.
Make sure you follow us on instagram @exeterecu and join our Fresher's facebook page, linked in bio!
One of the best opportunities for you guys to meet other freshers in the CU is through hall groups!
Hall groups are weekly meetings with other Christians in your halls. They're led by CU members in 2nd year, and are a great way to get to know each other and spend time in the Bible, as well as outreach to non-Christians in your halls!
Click on your halls below to join the right facebook group:
Fresher's week
Fresher's week is a great chance to have a look at different societies - it can be an overwhelming time but we really want to be a place where you can build relationships and ask any questions you might have. Don't be afraid to message us, we're here to help with anything!
Our freshers week events are scattered around Campus and Exeter this year, and the events are linked to our facebook page! To find out more about the events head over to the facebook page, or have a look at the 'About Us' page on our website.
Here is the timetable for freshers week - please do join us for as many events as you want!
We cannot wait to see you there!
FAQ
‘I’m quite a new Christian and am worried about fitting in with the CU’
You’re welcome to join CU wherever you are with your faith! Our weekly central meetings aim to encourage and build us up as Christians and if you are a first year, hall groups are a great chance to grow in your faith, ask any questions you have and begin to share the Gospel with those around you in halls (don’t worry - this isn’t as scary as it sounds!). This year we’re aiming to introduce CU families, so as a first year you’ll be grouped with a few older CU members and other first years in a ‘family’ that can support each other!
‘What’s the difference between CU and Church?'
Church is the place that you can really grow spiritually, where you are supported by a community of all different ages, backgrounds and experiences. Although the CU offers some of this, its main focus is being a mission team to non-Christians on campus- we can’t offer the same chance to grow in your faith as Church does. If you’re choosing between the two, definitely get stuck into a Church! But we’d love to see you at CU too.
‘I’m not a Christian, can I still come along?’
Please do! You’re welcome at any of our events and meetings. If you want to learn more about Jesus, our outreach events like TBQ are a great place to start. Also, if you’re keen, a member of CU would definitely be able to read the Bible with you and chat through any questions you have! Don’t be afraid to ask.
‘What does ‘evangelistic’ mean?’
‘Evangelistic’ basically means that we aim to share the Gospel with non-christians. We are an evangelical CU as we want to share the good news with the non-Christians on campus! This is what most of our events are based around, as we believe that sharing the Gospel is urgent and so important.
‘My weeks are really busy - what is the one thing that CU does that I should go to?’
If you’re a fresher, we really encourage you to get involved with hall groups! Especially in current restrictions, we aren’t able to meet together properly, so getting to know people and building community is really important. If you aren’t a first year or can’t make hall groups, central (our main weekly meeting) is great to come to as we spend time in God’s word, encouraging each other and praying as a CU. Also there’s a high chance we’ll all go to the pub afterwards to chat some more and get to know each other!
'I'm anxious about standing out as a Christian amongst uni pressures'
This is something that all Christians will struggle with, so you're definitely not alone! The easiest thing you can do is be bold and confident from the start with your friends/flatmates and you'll come to realise that most people are very respectful. They might even be keen to know why you're living so distinctively! You'll also have loads of support from other members of CU/ your Church, so don't worry.
‘I’m not confident in sharing my faith’
You’re not alone! Lots of members of CU hadn’t even thought about evangelism until coming to uni. We hope that being stuck into a mission community will encourage you to start thinking about sharing the good news of Jesus, and to help, we have access to great resources like uncover Mark, and events like Text-a-Toastie that make sharing the gospel a little less scary.
‘Is it a good idea to go to everything?’
You are so welcome to come to everything if you want!! It’s great to get really stuck in. But make sure you aren’t burning yourself out in being too busy or stressed - it’s just as OK to only come every so often.