OICCU Events Week
Benjamin Mathole May 2026
Dear friends, St Ebbe’s alumni, and in particular those of you who were involved in the OICCU back in your Oxford days:
‘Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever!’ Ps.118:1 – I would love to lift up your hearts about new and wonderful things God has done through the Events Week (Mission week) we held in Hilary term 2026, as there is much to praise him for.
The theme of Events Week this year was ‘What If there is Hope?’, and over the course of the week, 12 morning and evening talks were held on this theme - given by our fantastic speakers Glen Scrivener, Amy Orr-Ewing, Andrew Sach, and Joseph Chu (one of Ebbe’s own!); alongside many free meals being made and eaten together, a dodgeball tournament, much outreach and flyering in the streets, and even a ‘funk&soul’ music night the week before to launch it.
We cannot know how many people heard the gospel for the first time, or whose hearts the Lord is working in, but it was a huge excitement for us that so many of the events were packed out – especially the lunchtime talks, which had more of a focus on questions of apologetics. Some of our talk titles from across the week included ‘What if agnosticism isn’t the safest bet?’ and ‘What if we are made for more than just success?’.
Lots of local churches got involved, and Ebbe’s heartily got behind us – our student workers Josh and Ellie along with several others supported us lots over the week - meeting with us to pray, chatting to those who came to events, and helping us with running outreach in some of the colleges. It was such a delight to have their wisdom in conversations and their prayers for us. Prayer was one huge highlight of the week, it was a joy to see OICCU gather to pray every morning, consistently and expectantly for the Lord to bring his kingdom in Oxford and draw the hearts of our friends to Jesus. This is certainly the reason behind the success of the week, so much prayer from students and churches – and I’m sure from many of you! – was offered to the Lord, and in his kindness he answered us beyond measure.
There are too many answered prayers to count, but God came through for us in lots of areas that looked they might trouble us – providing a means of preparing food, keeping the North Gate Hall (our venue, originally owned by OICCU and now by Oxford Presbyterian Church) intact and accessible despite being a construction site, and healing Glen of an illness a couple of days before he was meant to speak for us. So many OICCU members have spoken to me of how God is answering their prayers for their friends, and I know of many who have come to St Ebbe’s since Events Week and heard the gospel there too – and praise God for those known to us who gave their lives to Jesus during the week, and for those who have done so since!
Please pray for us and for our Events Week next year (and in years to come!); OICCU is growing in momentum again, and we are so excited for all that God might have planned for the students of this city in the future.