TCD Christian Union Society Freshers 2019

FRESHERS' WEEK 2019

WELCOME! Welcome to Trinity! My name is Gavin and I am the Freshers & Prayer Officer of the CU this year. The Christian Union is group of students who want to follow Jesus Christ, share him on campus, and build each other up in faith. Our aim is that CU will be a place where you will be encouraged and challenged in your faith, and be equipped to serve God on our campus. And we’ll be sure to have lots of craic while we’re at it!

We are going to be running loads of events throughout Freshers’ Week, so please come along to meet us and find out what we’re about. Bring your friends and your questions! Check out our events @ tcdcu.com/fresh

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Welcome Who We Are Evangelism Toolkit Church Matters Church Hunting Get Involved Following Jesus in College 10/10 Recommended by a Friend Fun Places & Quiet Spaces Committee Introductions Trinity Hacks Staying in touch

>> WHO WE ARE

We want to dive deeper into TCDCU is a missional communithe gospel of God’s grace, and ty united and motivated by the as we are transformed by what gospel. CU exists to equip stuJesus has done, the gospel will dents to proclaim the good move us out to make much of news of Jesus with others. CU is Jesus in our campus, city and also a place where students world. As well as helping stugrow in their knowledge and dents follow Jesus in love for Ephesians 2:4-5 universiGod as “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich ty, we t h e y in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when aim to d i s c i p l e , we were dead in transgressions prepare encour—it is by grace you have been saved.” students for age and life after college, understanding build one another up. their purpose in the world and their role in God’s story.

We aim to rely on the Bible, commit to prayer and partner Our small, close-knit society is with local churches as we made up of a wonderful diversiengage with objections to ty of people. Everyone is welChristianity, give reason for our come to CU, no matter what hope and show that nothing you think about Jesus. beats knowing Jesus.

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EVANGELISM >>TOOLKIT 1. Remember the gospel yourself The good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is for you too. The gospel is our…

Motivation - thankful joy in the gospel compels us to share it.

Confidence - Jesus has already won, he has redeemed his people. It doesn‘t just rely on us.

Encouragement God’s delight in you is not based on your performance, boldness or eloquence; your acceptance & adoption is based on Christ’s life & death - rest in that freedom.

2. Conversations The gospel is the best news, but people don’t hear unless we tell them. Yet conversations are two-way - so ask questions and listen, and respond kindly, humbly.

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Questions are great for learning what others believe, what their misconceptions of Christianity are, and for reasoning about the problems in other worldviews.

(But why would you expect the world to be free from suffering, if natural selection is all that’s behind it?)

3. Relationships Share life with people in your classes, halls, societies - and not as projects.

Love deeply and let them see how a follower of Jesus lives, studies, suffers, struggles, and has fun, where you find your satisfaction, hope, freedom, meaning. Don’t be afraid of honest, deep conversations. Yes - invest in your church, depend on Christian community but don’t retreat into a bubble.

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Check out: 1 Corinthians 2:4

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4. Find a starting point Show how the gospel meets someone right where they are, and all of their longings. We never change the gospel, but communicate how it’s wonderfully relevant to every single person.

The fancy word - ‘contextualise’ just means sharing the gospel in a way that makes sense to the hearer - to someone suffering (Jesus came down & suffered most, that ours may end) or lonely (Jesus felt abandoned by his Father, so we could be forever pulled near) or cheated on (he’s so committed to his people that he died for them), or scared (Jesus took what’s most terrifying - sin - to make us safe) or searching for acceptance (Jesus earned God’s unwavering acceptance for us).

5. Make the main thing the main thing Whether it’s ethics or evolution, link every issue back to what’s most important - what God has done through Jesus.

6. Just go for it There’s no magic formula for exactly what to say to bring up Jesus - don’t stress out, overthink, or get caught up in how to even start. Leaning on his grace, just go for it, like you bring up anything exciting and interesting. The more you do, the more normal it will feel.

7. Read the Bible together Don’t be afraid or embarrassed by the Bible - God uses His Words to open eyes to Him. Ask if someone wants to look at it with you - isn’t it important for them to investigate Jesus for themselves?

8. Pray!

God loves to answer when His people pray. And God loves to rescue.

EVANGELISM >>TOOLKIT 4

>> CHURCH MATTERS Jesus died for his Church, and being united to him means we are joined to one another - we’re rescued into a family that crosses history and the world.

(Ephesians 2:11-22) What’s more, God has given us local expressions of his body, and he’s designed us to depend on one. So we need to be invested in a local church - we won’t survive without it, nor should we want to - it’s the ‘dearest place on earth.’

A church is a uniquely beautiful, diverse community - spanning age, class, culture and race - that showcases and defends the gospel of Jesus (1 Timothy 3:15).

God’s plan - for displaying His wisdom and Jesus’ worth (Ephesians 3:8-11), for evangelism and discipleship, for reaching every nation with the gospel - is the church, empowered by His Spirit.

The church is God’s plan to achieve His plans in the world.

CU is good, but it isn’t and can’t be your church. God gives churches for His glory and our good -

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- through hearing God’s word taught, receiving baptism & communion, singing & praying, and being discipled in loving community, under the care of church leaders, we are helped to follow Jesus. We’re commanded to commit to a local community, to love and joyfully serve the church, to use our gifts for the building up of the body, to give generously, to disciple younger believers & be discipled by the older, to encourage, pray for, care for, bear with, be examples to and watch over one another.

Finding a church is hard - but it’s one of the most important things you can do when you move to uni.

In Dublin we’re blessed with many healthy churches - go ahead and visit a bunch of them (we’re having a church crawl to help you explore), but we encourage you to get plugged into a church as soon as you can - aim to be settled somewhere

by Christmas!

CHURCH HUNTING >> The church scene in Dublin is exciting, you will be amazed at how many churches small and large are serving the Lord faithfully in this city.

Whilst CU is brilliant, we do not aim to replace the church. One of the best pieces of advice I received when moving here for university, was to find a church and stick with it! Initially there was a lot of church hopping – I liked different things about each one, and found it hard to commit. It wasn’t until a pastor reminded me on one of my many ‘visits’ to his church, ‘You’re never going to find the perfect church’.

I had spent too long thinking about what my preferences were and what suited me. Look for a church that is Bible-centred and gospel focused, where you can really invest your time and gifts - church is not all about taking. Every other ticked box is a bonus! In church, I’ve experienced spiritual growth and maturity, community and friendship, and I’ve settled in Dublin a lot quicker because of it!

Church Crawl During September, the CU hold a ‘Church Crawl’. This is where you can suss out the church scene in a month alongside other CU members.

You can find more details on our website: tcdcu.com/churches Student Groups Many different student groups meet across the city during the week, here are but a few: Internat. Student Cafe, Fridays @ Adelaide Rd Presbyterian Student LifeGroups, Tuesdays @ Grosvenor Baptist Chapel, Wednesdays @ St Marks Church On our website you will find details and points of contact for some great local churches and student communities!

Also there’s the ‘Student Link-Up’ app - just download it, excellent shtuff!

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>> GET INVOLVED >> WEEKLY MEETINGS

Our main event each week!

Something to look forward to after a long day of lectures. We meet every Monday night at 6:30pm in the Ui Chadhain theatre in the Arts Block.

What to expect? Teaching from a guest speaker, time praising God, conversation & craic! Everyone is welcome!

PRAYER MEETINGS

We are passionate about prayer believe we pray to an Almighty God that hears us when we talk to him.

Every Tuesday morning at 8am, we meet together in 6.36 to pray for each other, our college, country and world.

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APOLOGETICS & EVANGELISM WORKSHOPS

New this year! We are very excited to be meeting every month or so to learn a little bit about evangelism. Our hope and prayer is that these workshops will equip us to share our faith on campus with our friends and classmates.

These will run every few Thursday nights, keep an eye on our social media for dates!

SMALL GROUPS

We have a number of small groups that will be running throughout both semesters.

These are great opportunities to explore the Bible with others and discuss how the Word of God is important in our daily lives.

Here are some tips from other students on how to follow Jesus and know Him more in college...

“College raises big questions, and that can be healthy. But doubt your doubts, let them make you run towards (not away from) God, and investigate the resurrection it’s the foundation that Christianity stands or falls on - it stands up to scrutiny, and it changes everything.”

“Make sure you get stuck into a church. And get out and SERVE in the community/college, it is so worthwhile!”

“Going to church and having that fellowship with other believers is so important during college.

Spending time with fellow Christians, meeting them to talk about the Bible, and having that accountability is essential.”

“I’ve learnt it’s all about priorities. If I don’t actively mark out time in my day to spend with God in prayer or in his word it just won’t happen. I’ve found it helpful when life gets really busy to add an appointment for quiet time into my daily planner.”

“Surround yourself with friends who have the same vision as you.

These people will encourage you to keep going on days you find yourself struggling and in turn you will spur them on when they are feeling uninspired!”

“Church is so important. At times college seems to keep you infinitely busy, but making time to be attending and actively involved in a church is crucial. Church is the place where you can grow, be encouraged and be surrounded by good community.”

>> FOLLOWING JESUS IN COLLEGE >>

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10/10 RECOMMENDED

BY A FRIEND { MOBILE APPS } YouVersion Bible App by ‘Life.Church’ Explore - Bible Devotional App by ‘The Good Book Company’ Solid Joys Daily Devotional by ‘Desiring God’ Our Daily Bread - Daily Readings by ‘Our Daily Bread Ministries’ Read Scripture - Bible Reading Plan by ‘Crazy Love Ministries’ Prayer Mate

by Andy Geers

{ BOOKS } Reason for God

by Tim Keller 321: The Story of God, The World and You

by Glen Scrivener 10 Ways Your Phone is Changing You

by Tony Reinke 9 Marks of a Healthy Church

by Mark Dever Not Yet Married

by Marshall Segal Celebration of Discipline

by Richard Foster

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{ WEBSITES } bethinking.org - for help with answering difficult questions about our faith (apologetics). thegospelcoalition.org - for helpful resources and articles about faith. cmf.org.uk - Christian Medical Fellowship’s website (for all you Medics out there!). thebibleproject.com - for very clear & engaging videos about the Bible. desiringgod.org - for great articles and the ‘Ask Pastor John’ podcast.

{ FAITH x MUSIC } Citizens and saints, The modern post, Norton hall band, Ghost ship, Matt Boswell, Page CXVI, City Alight, Sovereign grace music, The Enfield hymn sessions, Dustin kensrue, The sing team, Andrew Peterson, United Pursuit, Kings Kaleidoscope, Urban Rescue, CASS, CityAlight, Rend Collective, Trinity Band, Lecrae, and many more...

{ DAYS OUT } Bray to Greystones, Dun Laoghaire, Phoenix Park, Botanic Gardens, Dublin zoo, Howth cliff walk, Kildare village shopping outlet, Dalkey, Phoenix Park...

{ QUIET SPACES }

{ CAFES } Caffe Nero, Accents, CocoBrew, Insomnia, Books Upstairs, Clement and Pekoe, Kilkenny Cafe, Red Rose Cafe, Dublin Barista School, coffeeangel...

{ BRUNCH SPOTS }

Dubray, Merrion Square, Books Upstairs, Glasnevin Botanic Gardens...

FUN PLACES AND QUIET SPACES

Lemon, KC Peaches, Beanhive, Bread 41, Granthams, Meet me in the Morning, Farmer Browns...

{ GRUB } Mamas revenge, Yum Thai, O'Briens, Boojum, Honey Truffle, Pitt Bros, Leon, Pot Bellied Pig, Pi, Honey Truffle, Mongolian bbq, Dollard and Co...

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COMMITTEE >> INTROS And a wee bit advice for ya...

{ Sarah Emerson - President }

{ 2nd Yr TSM Eng. Lit. and Jewish & Islamic Civilisations } What I learned in first year: Jesus is faithful; he keeps and convinces his doubting, wandering people. Sharing the gospel is a normal part of following Jesus - and He’s worth it. My favourite thing about Dublin is that there’s people here from all over the world!

{ Hannah Hession - Vice President & Small Groups Coordinator} { 3rd Year Human Health and Disease }

If I could go back and give my first year self some advice it would be to stay organized and to make the most of every opportunity. My favourite quiet spot in Dublin city centre is probably down by the grand canal but I equally love the hustle and bustle of Grafton Street on a sunny day!

{ Gavin Taylor - Prayer & Freshers Officer } { 2nd Year Engineering }

Advice to first year self: dive into the new opportunities college has to offer. Be intentional about making and strengthening new friendships, get involved with societies, and put God first right from the start so that He is at the centre of this new chapter of your life. Favourite spot in Dublin: St Stephen's Green - it’s a great place for a walk during lunch.

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{ Amy Quinn - Secretary } { 2nd Year European Studies }

Advice to first year self: give yourself time to settle in! The change isn't easy.

Favourite spot in Dublin: Rolling Donut (shout-out to all you dairy-free ones). I also love that there is so much to photograph!! Could take days out to just explore!

{ Alice Lennon - Treasurer} { 2nd Year English Literature }

Advice to first year self: don’t be scared of talking to new people because everyone is super chill, and try out different college events/societies to meet like-minded mates. Favourite spot in Dublin: chilling out at the Rose Gardens in college in between lectures/tutorials is proper cute.

{ Sarah Isip - International Officer } { 2nd Year Physiotherapy }

Advice to first year self: Make time for God early on in the day, otherwise things add on and your quiet time might be pushed down to the bottom of your list.

Favourite spot in Dublin: a trek out of the city to Ardgillan Castle and Skerries.

{ Emma Kilroy - Music Coordinator } { 2nd Year Music Education }

Advice to first year self: focus on your identity in God and don’t try to change yourself to fit in.

Favourite thing about Dublin: the amount of shops!!

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TRINITY HACKS >> The Pav breakfast is fab!

Download the Trinity Live app.

Use your student card to pay Find out where your nearest for food and snacks when microwave is so you can bring in you’re on campus- get that 10% lunch and heat it up! discount.

The Chaplaincy has free tea and Make use of the Sports Centre coffee, and every Tuesday (gym, pool, etc) - your there’s soup and bread. student card gives you It’s also a good place access. to chill.

The 24hr library is a great place Learn where the toilets are. to do some early morning read- House 6 actually has a toilet! ing or late night revision.

Familiarise yourself with the You can bring your lunch to the main buildings in Trinity - Arts Block, Hamilton, Museum buildAtrium and eat with friends! ing, Aras an Phiarsaigh, Sniam, There are electrical sockets in Trinity Business School Building, lecture theatres - charge your etc... phone during lectures...

Get used to using ‘Blackboard’ Need meds? Check out phar- a website which lecturers use to macies nearby that give a stu- distribute notes and collect assignements online! dent discount 13

STAY IN TOUCH >> Drop by our stand in Front Square during Freshers week and say hi!

Maybe you’re reading this booklet and have questions.

Maybe you’ve heard about this person called Jesus before, but don’t know what relevance he could have in your life, or what he was all about at all. If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch if you’d like to chat or ask any questions you may have.

Keep up to date with what’s going on by following us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

Website >> tcdcu.com Facebook >> fb.com/tcdcu Instagram >> @tcdcu Twitter >> @tcdcu TCDCU is affiliated with Christian Unions Ireland: www.cui.ie

>> SAVE THE DATES! First CU Weekly Meeting

Weekend Away 2019

Monday 9th September, 6.30pm Uí Chadhain Theatre (Arts Block)

27th-29th September Castledaly Manor Speaker - Mark Ellis, Director of CUI.

Evangelism & Apologetics workshop introduction

Coffee Morning

19th September, Thursday 6-7pm (Venue TBC)

21st September, Saturday 10:30 - 12:30.

(Venue TBC) 14