Student ministry in lockdown: ‘Keeping it fresh at Canvas!’

Despite the maximum restrictions of the third lockdown in Great Britain, Tom and Jenna Gallant and the Globalscope campus ministry team at Canvas in Birmingham, England, are implementing fresh and creative ideas for the new university term.

“We have been very encouraged by this,” said Tom. “Online ministry has been a long slog, so keeping it fresh is important.”

Thursday Nights

Due to continued interest from students and more teammates, Thursday Night online events are now occurring every week.

“So far, we have engaged students in a fun, welcoming environment with interactive games and questions,” said Tom. “We’ve also started a new talk series, which included an interview with our new teammate Luke Caldwell so the students could get to know him.”

The team is also bringing back Thursday Night dinners for students to grab and go from the Canvas House.

“This is a great way for us to serve them during this time and have very brief face-to-face conversations with them,” said Tom. “Many students are confined to their houses with the same people, so even a short and safe interaction outside with someone else is so valuable.”

Student leaders

The student leadership team has nicknamed themselves “The Marauders.”

“This term, we’re looking at four characteristics of good leaders. Each Marauder will lead a meeting based around a characteristic and I will teach on how Jesus led with that characteristic,” said Tom. “Soon, we will help the student leaders grow through doing the ‘Strengths Finders’ course together.”

Virtual weekend

Next month, the team will hold a series of virtual events over a weekend.

“The purpose is to knit the community together and take the opportunity to share about who Jesus is,” said Tom. “We’ll have a Friday night meal, Saturday morning wake-up fun, tasks to complete while on a walk, talks about Jesus and many other activities. We’re really excited about this event!”

Collaborations

Canvas will participate in collaborative Zoom events with two university societies (club) as a way to engage new students and raise money for a local food bank.