An article for AFES PrayerNet
Get set to pop the corks and pump up the volume. World Student Day (#ifeswsd) is celebrating what God doing in universities all over the world! Help your campus group join the party by getting up to speed with what’s going on.
A party is fueled by a sense of occasion, so what’s this one about?
#ifeswsd is a celebration of students in universities all around the world: their dreams and their potential, their needs and their hopes, the opportunities they have and the adversities they face. Our Father is at work amongst students, and students are playing their part in our Father’s future!
#ifeswsd exists so that campus groups can connect across borders: students, graduates, staff and other supporters all linked together around the world. They’re our peers and our family in more ways than one! We’re not only united in Christ, but also in our love for our campuses and our love for the world we’re part of.
A great party’s not just a bunch of randoms, but people you know. Who’s behind #ifeswsd?
As AFES people, we’re part of a bigger family beyond our shores. It’s called IFES and it’s been a global partnership from the beginning. AFES is one movement among 154 nations — in total there are more than 500,000 students involved! Some of the biggest groups are from the majority world: of the ten groups that founded IFES in 1947, the Chinese was the largest, and today, the biggest groups are in Nigeria, India, and USA.
Then there are newly pioneered groups, like ZVEŠ in Slovenia, who we’ve already enjoyed some connections with in Australia. Hearing about their challenges and creativity has enriched NTE in recent years, and it’s been a privilege for Aussies to give them a boost by contributing to a staff salary.
Of course, the party’s best when you know the host personally. As we meet together for #ifeswsd, it’s really at God’s place for God’s party.
‘Mission’ is the Father’s thing — His plan for His people and His world. The great promises to Abraham set the stage for a new humanity in which people from every tribe, tongue, language and nation can thrive under the Father’s peace and blessing.
The biblical pictures of God’s Kingdom come to Earth often involve parties — the party to end all parties. Maybe, as we meet for #ifeswsd, we’ll get a taste of God’s vision for the world: a wedding feast, a sprawling banquet for uncountable people united in Christ. What a day that will be.
#ifeswsd is Friday 18 October. Save the date and sign up. Then connect and share on Twitter (profile, hashtag) and Facebook (page, event).
Categories: University ministry Written by Arthur
Arthur Davis
Arthur Davis is an Aussie living in Tanzania, writing at meetjesusatuni.com.
Meet Jesus at uni 
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