City Students Podcast

There's so many changes and transitions in early adult life, often moving from place to place and job to job. How do we know when to stay somewhere, and when to move on? What does it mean to truly settle somewhere? How do we know when to? How does being a follower of Jesus influence this whole process? Sam talks to Tom Scrivens, lead elder of Hope Church in Ipswich, to end our series on what's next.

Most students move away from their university locale when they graduate. What's it like to leave? How do we do it well? What about heading back to a family home? How about to a new city? Any ways to approach it all as followers of Jesus? Sam speaks to Baiba, who works for Friends International in Canterbury, about her experiences of moving on and her advice for students today.

Looking ahead to the next season of life can take our eye off the present. How do we stay in the present whilst thinking about the future? How do we end our current season well? How should being a follower of Jesus affect all this?

We speak again with Sam Dyer, Youth and Student Worker at Emmanuel Church in Canterbury, for his thoughts and insights on the topic.

We can have our hopes and dreams for our future and want them to come to pass as soon as we finish university. How do we stay patient when that doesn't happen? How do we know when it's wise to compromise on my dreams, and when should we hold out for them? How do we bring all this to Jesus?

Stephen Carter, Associate Vicar at SMB church in Canterbury, joins us again to talk this all through.

How do you find making decisions? Sometimes the day-to-day decisions can feel hard - so life-changing decisions can be really, really hard! How can we decide well? What does being a follower of Jesus mean for our decision-making process?

We chat to Becca Wild, Staff Worker for the Christian Unions in Canterbury, to hear her thoughts on how we can make decisions as a follower of Jesus through young adult life.

Young adult life is full of changes. Between the ages of 18-25, where you live, what you're doing and who you're living life with changes so many times - sometimes on an annual basis! How do we navigate all that change well as followers of Jesus? In our first episode, Sam talks to Elliot about all this change in their lives and share some thoughts as to what the Bible teaches us.

As the autumn term comes to a close, what will spring term be like? What will change, and what will stay the same? And how do we navigate the new season as a follower of Jesus? This can be especially mysterious whilst in your first year, but it also affects you if you're a returning student. Sam chats to Ed Earnshaw from Fusion, a Christian ministry all about equipping students in following Jesus, about what this new term might have in store.

Picking housemates is not a simple process. Who should I live with? Who shouldn't I live with? What can I afford? When do I need to decide? Sam talks to Sam Dyer, Youth and Student worker at Emmanuel Church in Canterbury, for some excellent help and advice in making these kind of decisions all for the glory of God.

Is this a genuine problem as a student, or just an unfair stereotype? Handling money whilst at university has many unique qualities to it that can make it challenging but there is plenty of wisdom for followers of Jesus to help us. Listen to the next episode of our podcast as Stephen Carter, Associate Vicar at St. Mary's Bredin in Canterbury, joins the conversation.

Sam talks to Baiba Strause-Kalmere, who works for Friends International in Canterbury, about how loneliness is unfortunately a common experience for students, yet through relationship with Jesus and by reading His word, there is much to help and encourage us.

Sam chats to Becca Wild, staff worker for the Christian Unions in Canterbury, about what it's like to be a couple of weeks in to a new term and try to work out how you're doing...

"Have I made enough friends?"

"Is it OK if I'm finding some things hard?"

"Should I be in a church by now and settled in a Christian community?"

Unprecedented, strange, unusual...just a few words we hear all the time about the days we're living in, but how will that effect the student term ahead? In this first episode of our new series, Sam is joined by Peter Dray from UCCF (Universities & Colleges Christian Fellowship) to discuss the particular challenges and hopes for campus life for the rest of 2020.

In this week's Podcast Chat, we talk to Tom Shaw, leader of Sanctuary Church in San Francisco and previous Lead Elder of us at City.

We catch up with him about life in the US, as well as reminisce about his university years and why having a 1-1 discipleship relationship is so important in growing as a follower of Jesus whilst at university.

In our first Podcast Chat, we talk to Tom Scrivens, Lead Elder of Hope Church in Ipswich, about his university years and his thoughts and insights for being a young adult and a follower of Jesus today.

Does tomorrow and next week and next year occupy your mind? How about your future plans for your studies and career and relationships? The City Students team talk about making plans for your life whilst being primarily concerned with devoting today to God.

Who doesn’t look forward to a holiday?! But when routine goes out the window, does time with God go out the window too? Or does a break in routine inspire devotion to God? The City Students team discuss how they find shifting between the two affects their devotion to God.

Have you noticed how your time with God looks so different depending on how you emotionally feel about the day ahead? The City Students team talk about what it means to be emotional and to give our daily range of emotions to God.

Does the fullness or emptiness of your diary dictate how much time you spend with God? The City Students team discuss the desires and realities of trying to keep devotion to God through the day no matter whether the day is busier or quieter.

Are you a morning bird or a night owl when it comes to your time with God? The City Students team consider what the biblical pattern of God at the start and end of every day can look like in our lives.