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Exeter Postgraduate Bible study Group. ( New title Postgraduate
and Mature Students Christian Network.)
The group began some twelve years ago with a request to the Chaplain
from a postgraduate student who felt there was no provision for
postgraduates. Aims. To provide an informal Bible study to encourage
Christian postgrads and mature students to explore and grow in their
faith.
Format. The group meets on Monday evenings from 6pm- 7.30pm in the
Chaplaincy room on campus. The first half an hour or so is coffee cake
and chat. Then follows a very informal Bible study where group members
are encouraged to contribute to the discussion. In recent years we
have studied a Gospel, Acts, 1 Corinthians and Old Testament
Prophets. We are planning to study another Gospel, probably Mark, this
term. At the end we share concerns and needs for prayer and usually
pray silently because the members come from a variety of traditions
and not all would be used to open prayer.
We have a meal together each term and sometimes have international
food evenings. We have also been walking together during the summer
holidays. Some of us took part in the Pilgrimage 2000 walk in December
by joining in a local stretch of the walk from Teignmouth to Budleigh
Salterton.
Membership. The group is fairly small but attracts students from a
number of different nationalities. Postgraduates, mature students and
one or two staff attend. There has been good continuity in the group
for the past three years and the group has found it supportive. Past
students from a number of different countries have asked to be kept
informed of studies and news each week so an international e-mail
network has developed.
Other activities. The group has been keen to support the Jubilee 2000
campaign and we organised a mini-bus to attend the rally in Birmingham
in 1998. We manned a stall for Fair Trade Fortnight in March this year
with samples of Fairly Traded products for people to try.
Speaker events. For the past two years we have organised an event in
the University where Christian staff are invited to speak on a topic
relevant to their discipline from the perspective of their Christian
faith. The last event was on the subject of “What does it mean to
be human”. Lecturers were invited from Biological Sciences,
Psychology and Business and Economics. About 40 people attended and
light refreshments were provided. It was held in the Postgraduate
centre and went very well.
Challenges. A number of people have left because of leaving the
University and we are starting up again with a very small core of 4 of
us. One of those who has left is the co-leader Mark Gant.
Links with other groups.
The Globe Cafe' was started 2 years ago by an umbrella group of tose
of us working with international students but with strond input from
the Christian Union. It meets fortnightly and offers a social
environment for international students to meet one another. It
alternates between meeting in the home of a couple from one of the
local churches and in a room on campus where there are low tables and
a relaxed atmosphere. Some weeks light refreshments are provided and
we have had two or three meals each term. Initially we met in an
actaul cafe' on campus and had the meals provided but the costs were
prohibitively high to maintain that. We have invited people to bring a
dish from their country or the couple have provided food. A number of
evenings have had a theme like pancake night or Burns evening. A
couple of evenings a term might have an evangelistic talk. During the
CU mission week a meal with a talk was held for internationals and
another similar occasion close to Christmas. This group is not
targetted at postgrads but international students
Trini-G. This is a Bible study group of Singaporean students which
meets weekly. Most if not all are undergraduates. A member of this
group has been part of the planning group for the Globe Cafe
Melanie Griffiths
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