TCD Christian Union Society

THE TCDCU GUIDE TO

WELCO ME Hey! I’m Rebekah and I’m the freshers and prayer officer this year for the CU! My hope is that CU will provide a place where you can grow and be challenged in your faith, but also where you can have some top quality banter!

We’ll be running lots of different events throughout this week and I would really encourage you to come along and bring your friends! Check out our events @ tcdcu.com/fresh.

CONTENTS 1. Welcome 2. Who We Are 3. Faith in College Sink, swim or dive in?

4. Church Hunting

Finding a church in the ‘big shmoke’

5. Getting Involved with CU 6. Making Time for God The busy college student

7. 10/10 Recommended by a Friend Awesome books, music, apps & websites

8. Fun Places & Quiet Spaces

Great places to hang-out, eat or have a coffee

9. Evangelism Toolkit 10. Stay in Touch 1

WHO W E ARE

We are the Christian Union, a society which aims to share the good news of Jesus all over our campus. We aim to grow deep in our understanding of the truths of the Bible, equipping and building each other up in faith - motivated by the joy, purpose and hope we have through Jesus.

We are a small and close-knit society, with members of every possible description!

Everybody is welcome, no matter where you are in your faith. We hope this guide is a useful resource in navigating

your way through college as a believer, or simply someone curious in discovering what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Our committee is made up of 8 students from second year to final year. We are responsible for coordinating different events and weekly meetings throughout the year; facilitating a place where people can grow in their relationship with God, and ensuring that the society as a whole is pursuing its aims.

You can get to know us better @ tcdcu.com/committee.

John 10:10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.�

2

FA ITH I N C OL L E G E ‘Your student days are the best days of your life’ - OUCH, there you go.

Overused, overrated and enough cringe to make your ears fall off. But there must be some truth to this awful one-liner to still be lingering in the ears of Freshers around the world. For me, that truth comes not from 365 days of pure sunshine and craic, rather that when it comes to some aspects of student life, you really have nothing to lose.

OR D I V E I N? Your experience of faith thus far has probably been dictated by upbringing and the culture you grew up in. That’s cool. Everybody reading this will be at a different stage to the next person.

You may not be sure that you believe in God. Your God/s may be different to mine. Maybe you love your God as much as I love mine.

Or maybe you are a follower of Christ but you feel like he is distant.

Whichever ‘category of faith’ you reside in, you’re welcome at CU!

This may be an invitation to explore the So for most parts, “Christianity, if false, is of no claims of Christiantrying new things importance, and if true, of ity this year, an and exploring encouragement to infinite importance. The only comes with little keep seeking God c o n s e q u e n c e . thing it cannot be is moderately wholeheartedly as important.” - C.S. LEWIS There’s something part of life as a about the unknown follower of Christ, or a which is exciting. Starting college, or call to go all in - sure look, what a new year of college comes with have you got to lose? high expectations, goals and desires.

How do we navigate a sea of the We unite over a common goal: to unknown and surface on the other give every student the opportunity side thriving, or at least sane? to hear and respond to the good news of Jesus.

One thing I love about college is the people - there aren’t many times in your life where you’re surrounded by There are plenty of ways to get such diversity.

Involved and you can read on for more!

3

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 this church, ‘You’re never going to find the perfect church, Kathryn’.

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, meaningful support, community and friendship, and I’ve settled in Dublin a lot quicker because of it!

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

C O M M UN I T I E S Many different student groups meet across the city during the week, here are but a few: Every Nation Campus Ministry Student LifeGroups, Tuesdays @ Grosvenor Baptist Chapel, Wednesdays @ St Marks Church

Internat. Student Cafe, Fridays @ Adelaide Rd Presbyterian 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!

C H URC H HUN T I N G IN THE 'BIG SHMOKE'

4

W E E KLY MEET I N G S This is where it’s at. The largest gathering during the week.

Something to look forward to after a long day of lectures (or no lectures if you study arts).

What to expect? Teaching, worship, conversation & craic!

This term (MT) we’ll be meeting on Thursday evenings. Next term (HT) we’ll meet on Monday evenings.

S M A LL G RO UP S Small Groups are groups within CU who meet once a week to study the Bible together. Four groups meet at different times and days around campus!

“Small groups are a great way to get to know others & spend time studying God’s word together. I really enjoyed the chance to ask honest questions, learn, & be challenged in my faith.”

G ET IN V OL VE D P R AYE R MEET I N G S We love prayer and believe it’s the backbone to our mission.

We meet in Room 6.36 (our society room in House Six, Front Square) to pray for each other, our college, country and world.

We have two prayer meetings each week: one morning before lectures and one during the day (times and date TBC).

5

L unc h H O URS NEW to this year!

Room 6.36 will be open on Fridays from 12 - 2pm. So head on over if you need a microwave, pals and a comfy sunken sofa to eat your lunch on!

Once a month, we run FoodForThought in the Atrium, a short lunchtime talk covering some of life’s big questions with free lunch!!!

Here are some tips from other students on how to practically make time in the day to spend with God, and what that looks like.

M A KIN G T IM E FOR GOD:

"When I get busy, time alone with God is normally the first thing to slip!

Having experienced this many times, I’ve begun getting up 20 mins earlier than usual in the morning to spend time praying and reading God’s word. The moment you get up, there will be a million and one things fighting for your attention. Be prepared!"

"Listening to sermon podcasts on your walk into college is a brilliant way to pass the morning and learn from God’s word at the same time!"

“Finding a quiet space can be hard, especially if you’re sharing a room. Go for an intentional prayer walk to escape from all the distractions.”

"In today’s culture, we’ve forgotten what true rest looks like. Any spare moment we have, our first impulse is to reach for our phones. We distract ourselves from thinking deeply about life, faith & our world. It’s so important to take a step back and to spend time talking to the one who made us & loves us most!”

6

MOBILE A PPS 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

WEBS ITE S 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.

7

B OOK S Mere Christianity

by C.S. Lewis Don’t Waste Your Life

by John Piper Just Do Something

by Kevin DeYoung Grill A Christian

by Roger Carswell Battles Christians Face

by Vaughan Roberts Dirty Glory

by Pete Grieg

BY A F RI END F A I TH x M USI C Rend Collective, Casting Crowns, We Are Messengers, Guvna B, Kings Kaleidoscope, Hollyn, Chapel Band, Hillsong United, Chris Tomlin, For King & Country, Tenth Avenue North, Lecrae, Rivers & Robots, Beautiful Eulogy, Young & Free, Unspoken, Hawk Nelson, and many more...

HERE ARE SOME AWESOME RESOURCES WE'VE FOUND tHAT ARE SUPER HELPFUL!

Q UI ET SP A C ES COFFEE SHOPS:

BRUNCH SPOTS:

Accents, Oolong, Coffee Angel, Dublin Barista School, Clement & Pekoe, Two Pups, Brother Hubbard and Kaph.

The Fumbally, Pot Bellied Pig, Two Boys Brew, Brother Hubbard and Cornucopia.

GRUB:

Yum Thai, Boojum, Pablo Picante, Mama’s Revenge, KC Peaches, Mongolian BBQ, Umi Falafel, Captain Americas, WOW Burger and Dicey’s €5 carvery!

QUIET SPACES: GREAT DAYS OUT:

Bray to Greystones cliff walk, Howth coastal walk, Ice Skating in Dundrum (at Christmas time), Phoenix Park and Ticknock Forest Walk.

St Stephen’s Green on a sunny day, along the canal, Science Gallery café at non peak times, Accents coffee shop, Sofas in the Hamilton.

TAKING THE BUS, LUAS OR DART? GET A LEAP CARD ASAP FOR CONVENIENCE - DID YOU KNOW YOU can TOP UP FROM YOUR PHONE (IF IT HAS NFC)?

8

BR EAKIN G T H E ' BU BBLE ' As Christians, we can so easily stay within a ‘Christian Bubble’ when coming to college. There’s a constant temptation to surround ourselves with Christian friends, neglecting friendships we have outside of church & CU. These are such great friendships to have.

“Name drop Jesus in first 24 hours of meeting new housemates. Every day after that gets harder. You don’t have to stand on the kitchen table and declare JESUS IS LORD, it could be a simple conversation about how you’re heading to church or CU this week.”

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16

“To be honest, with all of my friends in college it has been a slow process of sharing as I get to know them better. People do have questions about why you follow a man who lived on earth 2,000 years ago, but normally the questions come once people realise you're not crazy and can see that how you live is consistent with a love & genuine care for others.”

Jesus instructs us to share the good news of what he’s done for us, and guess what? It isn’t just for missionaries - it’s for every Christian and that means you and me. With such an amazing life changing message, how can we just keep it to ourselves? We need to live intentionally, forming great friendships with those outside of our Christian circles.

9

Hindsight is a great thing!

Here’s some advice from people in CU who’ve been there & done that.

THINK OF A FRIEND YOU'VE MET THIS WEEK. PRAY FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE YOUR FAITH WITH THEM. CONSIDER INVITING THEM ALONG TO ONE OF THE CU EVENTS!!

STAYING IN TOUCH Thanks for taking the time to read our Freshers guide!

Please come along to our stand in Front Square during the week and say hi - we’d love to meet you!

Save the date: Our first weekly meeting of the year will be next Thursday, Sept 13th at 6:30 PM in the Uí Chadhain Theatre (Arts Block). In the mean time, keep up to date with what’s going on by following us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter. tcdcu.com

/TCDCU

@TCDCU

@TCDCU

Maybe you’re reading this booklet and have questions.

Maybe you’ve heard about this person called Jesus for the first time, and are interested in finding out more. Please do get in touch if you’d like to chat or ask any questions you might have.

As each of us has, you can personally come to know the living God, and experience his love, joy, and tangible presence in your life. Jesus took the punishment we deserved for our sin, so that we may have a right relationship with God. This is made possible by what Jesus did on the cross and not by any good deeds or charitable acts we do. We believe he is the only one who can satisfy our desires and our search for meaning in this life. He came to bring us life and life to the full.

We look forward to getting to know you this year!

Love & Blessings, TCDCU Committee

10