Ireland

Breaking the Mold in Ireland

Sometimes Christians have the tendency to stick together a little too much. Many times events are designed with each other in mind and don’t always attend to the needs of those seeking answers that are found in Jesus. One of the desires that Blake and Katy Edgmon, AGWM Personnel working with university students in Ireland, is for their student ministry to break out of the mold of typical Christian event formats. They relate the story of a recent event. “We helped put together an event that was designed to be a time for Christians and non-Christians to discuss (not debate) questions they have about God in a non-threatening environment. The event’s leader was Jools Hamilton, a good friend and a chaplain at Trinity College who we’ve worked with many times in the past. He cleverly titled the event, “God on Tap” and arranged for us all to meet in a room at the social hub of Trinity College.

“We had a friend named Peter Taylor come and speak that night. He is a lecturer on theoretical physics at Trinity College. He talked for a few minutes on the way his faith in God is strengthened by his knowledge of the physical universe. After his initial comments, the students asked questions and we had great back-and-forth discussion.

“The night was so encouraging. Not only did we learn amazing things about creation, but students who do not know Jesus were invited to join in the discussion. We would love to have more events just like this in the future! We are praying to discover new ways of bridging the gap for those who do not know Jesus.”

sfc.JPGSometimes Christians have the tendency to stick together a little too much. Many times events are designed with each other in mind and don’t always attend to the needs of those seeking answers that are found in Jesus. One of the desires that Blake and Katy Edgmon, AGWM Personnel working with university students in Ireland, is for their student ministry to  break out of the mold of typical Christian event formats.  They relate the story of a recent event.

“We helped put together an event that was designed to be a time for Christians and non-Christians to discuss (not debate) questions they have about God in a non-threatening environment. The event’s leader was Jools Hamilton, a good friend and a chaplain at Trinity College who we’ve worked with many times in the past. He cleverly titled the event, “God on Tap” and arranged for us all to meet in a room at the social hub of Trinity College.

“We had a friend named Peter Taylor come and speak that night. He is a lecturer on theoretical physics at Trinity College. He talked for a few minutes on the way his faith in God is strengthened by his knowledge of the physical universe. After his initial comments, the students asked questions and we had great back-and-forth discussion.

“The night was so encouraging. Not only did we learn amazing things about creation, but students who do not know Jesus were invited to join in the discussion. We would love to have more events just like this in the future! We are praying to discover new ways of bridging the gap for those who do not know Jesus.”