What is The Welcome Project?
The Welcome Project is our way of showing the University of Birmingham community our care and concern for them and to introduce our ministry: Canvas. It's one way of welcoming students to our weekly bible study, small groups and free dinners, and to the unique sense of community that Canvas can provide. To get ourselves out and into the University community, we have developed a plan to show, in action, who we are as a ministry and what we are about.
We want every student to know that we are available for them. We want Canvas to be among the clubs and extracurricular activities that they will be choosing from. We want students to know that we love them and want to serve them, as that is so close to the heart of Jesus.
So, how do we actually do this? It is our desire that every student on these crowded students streets receives a gift and a cup of coffee and a snack on their way to their first lectures. This is a gift that gets our name into the community and includes a list of our weekly events and contact information. Each gift costs a total of roughly £3 or $6 for each student. The Canvas team will prepare these gifts and hand them out to the students in our community as their new university term is beginning.
Our goal: welcoming 5000 students.
How can you help?
You can help in two major ways: praying and giving. This past year, as we've watched the Canvas community grow, we've seen each student that walked through the doors as unique and important to the whole community. We know that these people haven't walked in by accident. If you're a pray-er, you can start praying now about each of the men and women we will meet. You can pray that they will find acceptance, that they will find love and that they will see these acts of love as something bigger, something like Jesus.
We also need financial support to make this project happen. Welcoming 5000 students is a daunting financial task. After the success of last year's Welcome Project, we know that it's both possible and incredibly valuable. You could, for example, decide to sponsor one student, giving £3/$6. Perhaps you would like to sponsor a whole house of eight students and give £24/$48. Or you may even be interested in sponsoring more students than that:
- 15 Students at £45/$90
- 33 Students at £100/$200
- 50 Students at £150/$300
- __ Students at £___/$___
Additionally, you can work to engage your church or organization to join in these efforts and then celebrate the stories of these students together. The possibilities are endless and every bit of financial backing is an important one.
What's the next step?
We would love to have you join us in this year's effort to welcome students to university, to Canvas and to the community that they can experience there. If you feel that this is a project with which you would like to partner, please consider financially supporting the Welcome Project.
It's easy to give online through our parent organization Christian Missionary Fellowship. They have set up an online giving form that will accept your donations securely. If you would like to give in this way, click here to walk through the steps of giving your support for this important work.
Alternatively, you can mail your contribution to:
CMF International
PO box 501020
Indianapolis, Indiana 46250
(Be sure to note 'Canvas Welcome Project' on the memo line)
Thank you for being a part of the 2009 Canvas Welcome Project. Who knows how many will come through the doors of Canvas because of these efforts, and who knows who they will bring with them?