What would attract 500 students to Skegness for a week? If it wasn’t the weather, it must have been 6 full days of student related seminars, Bible teaching, films, friends, coffee and conversation that was student.evolution

The event was organised for university and college students by a partnership between Spring Harvest, Soul Survivor, Tearfund, Alpha for Students, Fusion and ALOVE. It ran from 29 March to 3 April at Butlins in Skegness. A number of students/student workers from The Salvation Army and some ALOVE UK staff went to the event.

Each day began with a choice of one of five different main seminar streams including ‘Understanding the Bible’ with Elaine Storkey and ‘The Holy Spirit’ with Mike Pilavachi, from Soul Survivor. Students gathered together later in the morning for Bible teaching on the letter to the Ephesians with Nicky Gumbel, the Alpha Chaplain. Russ Rook, Director of ALOVE lead a seminar on the concept of ‘Evangelical Beauty’ using clips from the film ‘American Beauty.’ Worship was led by Tim Hughes or by One Hundred Hours.

Pete Greig, the Team Leader of 24-7 said, ‘student.evolution is a brilliant idea. If you're praying that Jesus be made famous, credible and attractive once again in our universities you simply cannot afford to miss this event.’ The evening sessions really sought to hit that point home. In a high-impact mix, the sessions were challenging in teaching and preaching, powerful in prayer, inspiring in stories and helped people draw closer to God in worship.

One particularly moving moment was in praying for representatives of universities all over the UK, from Edinburgh to Exeter, London to Loughborough and Bristol to Bangor. Each representative was crowd-surfed so that people could pray and lay hands upon them as they passed overhead.

Planning for next year’s event is already underway, it will take place in Skegness again, from 31 March to 5 April 2005.

For more information please contact steve.coles@salvationarmy.org.uk or check this website as news becomes available.