Interview
One term, one person every week came to know Jesus or odd. One term, one person every week came to know Jesus. We did a lot of praying and sometimes went busking, singing gospel songs on Waterloo station and combining the raising of money for persecuted Christians with talking with unsuspecting travellers. We didn’t exactly get arrested but they did keep moving us on! But although our CU was incredibly important we loved going to church as well. Being with people of different ages and backgrounds helped us not become too insular. And I fell in love with the associate minister there, and that was very good indeed!
Celia Bowring studied to be a teacher at Roehampton, South London in the early 1970s. Today she is Operations Director and Prayer Coordinator at CARE. You became a Christian at university. How did that happen? I was determined to have nothing to do with anything remotely religious. Funnily enough the very first people I met were Christians who were so kind to me and didn’t seem to mind me arguing about what I considered were their old fashioned irrelevant beliefs. Then I read a book called ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’ which had such a profound effect that I decided to go to church and find out what believing in Jesus was really about. I heard the gospel for the first time in my life and knew it was the truth. That night I made the decision to trust in Jesus Christ.
How do you think university life has changed since you were a student? You did feel very different as a Christian and stood out more than today. It was not the same lifestyle as now, there were fewer drugs readily available and as we could only afford a half of beer on a Saturday night there wasn’t much drunkenness! We had grants not loans, so debt wasn’t really an issue. I think there were more lectures and more essays to write! What advice would you give to a Christian who is just starting university? Find friends who will strengthen you. Join a local church. Believe God will do extraordinary things in and through you.
What impact did your faith have on your time at uni? It was life-changing. A group of us grew very close because we had such a deep desire to see God at work. We wanted to share our faith and prove that being a Christian wasn’t boring
22
Celia and friends on their way to the Festival of Light in 1971, at which CARE was launched