On the first day of Christina’s biology class at the University of Toronto, the professor announced that the required class reading was a book titled, “Why Evolution Is True.”
As a Christian student majoring in psychology, Christina expected that her beliefs might be challenged. Growing up in a Christian home, she had been bullied throughout elementary and high school for her faith. Even at church, she felt surrounded by hypocrisy, leaving her hurt and unable to connect with others. She entered university without a single Christian friend.
“I remember going through all these different experiences, whether they were very difficult or joyful, and not having a community that I could turn to,” she says. “There was no one that would keep me accountable, no one to support me, understand or pray for me.
“I felt very spiritually isolated.”
One day, a friend of hers mentioned an event held by Power to Change – Students (P2C-S). Christina thought about going, but the timing interfered with her classes. But by the end of her second year, joining a Christian community became her priority.
“I realized I couldn’t expect to grow in my faith without having others to share and pray with,” she says. “So I went and was overwhelmed with love and acceptance and pulled into this amazing family.”
Christina has been involved with P2C on her campus ever since. She is passionate about helping people discover Christ and has learned to share her faith more effectively through Perspective Cards, an evangelistic tool that helps students explore questions of worldview and spirituality, and by talking to students on campus.
“When I first began intentionally starting spiritual conversations, I was petrified,” she says. “Perspective was one of the first tools I used and it really helped me gain an understanding of how to structure a conversation.”
For P2C-S, helping students grow in their love for Jesus and giving them a vision for how they can be part of Jesus’ mission is important to avoid stagnancy and a faith that gradually dies. Only one in three people who attended church as a child still do so as young adults, according to a study commissioned by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada called Hemorrhaging Faith.
Through P2C-S Bible studies, conferences, outreach events and training, Christ-followers are engaged and equipped to follow Jesus with a lifetime of vibrant faith.
“P2C-S has had a profound effect on my faith and the view I had of other Christians,” says Christina. “Every year, I see my P2C-S family get bigger and grow. They are all so important to me.”
This year, over 35,000 students heard the gospel message, and more than 9,000 students engaged in deeper conversation with Power to Change – Students (P2C-S) about who Jesus is and what He has done for us. And for the first time in 48 years of ministry, P2C-S began the school year with a ministry presence in every Canadian province.
As the school year comes to a close, we invite you to help students discover Jesus, grow in their faith and share their love for Him with others. Your donation helps us plan outreach events, prepare resources for small group Bible studies, organize conferences and equip staff and students with training tools to help them be even more effective when sharing the gospel. Visit p2c.sh/planthope to help us plant the hope of Jesus in students’ lives.
