The next step
Posted at 11:52 PM
Last week I accepted a place on UCCF’s Relay scheme, working with the University of Sussex Christian Union (USCU). So I’m currently trying to sort a house for next year, alongside raising some money, finding people to pray for me and finishing my degree!
The process to get here was a long one. Looking back through this blog, I can see where my thoughts started taking me in this direction. In April last year I was wondering about secular work versus “gospel” work, and thinking that a secular job might be great, but wasn’t sure whether a “gospel” job would be better. Soon afterwards, I came across the idea of “creation” and “new creation” activities, and saw that everyone is involved in a bit of both, but for some the balance might be different. I still wasn’t sure how to tell where the balance should lie in my life.
In July I wrote that a good way to figure that out would be to get on and do something, with the oversight and input of wiser people, and see if you had the gifts necessary, while growing in the maturity necessary. I mentioned Relay as a way you might do this, and by this stage was seriously considering it myself.
Since coming to uni I’ve been doing both creation and new creation activities. I love my degree (though it’s definitely got better as it’s progressed!), I love the choir I sing with, I love messing around recording covers with friends, and performing with them in concerts; I’ve loved the excitement of student mission, but realise frequently how bad I am at it; I’ve loved getting stuck into the Bible with others, seeing God’s goodness as we read together; I’ve grown so much from the input of older Christians at church; I’ve been blessed with opportunities to help younger Christians. In terms of priorities, or time spent, the emphasis is of course on my degree – all the music I do. Relay is a chance to change the balance, and work at the new creation stuff full time, with music on the side. The idea is to better see where the balance should be for me in the future, as well as grow lots in all sorts of ways, with a staff worker discipling me, getting great teaching and training, and generally getting to spend time learning, growing and serving.
I’m excited about it, but am currently focussing on a large composition for orchestra, so have very little time to think about it – which is probably all to the good, as I too easily slip into forgetting my present situation and responsibilities, concentrating too much on the next stage, and not enjoying or appreciating where I am now.
So, a few more weeks of writing orchestral music, and then I’m a full-time apprentice student worker/evangelist (albeit one on holiday for two months…)! Should be good.
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