by Joseph Smith
Christian students at the University of Technology, Sydney fear the unique opportunities they have for evangelism will be lost if a proposal to close the University’s Ku-ring-gai campus goes ahead.
Student and community groups have opposed the University’s proposal to sell off the campus to make way for a housing development.
“Christian Students are particularly concerned because they are keen to have an AFES staff worker on the campus,” said Sydney AFES Regional Director, the Rev Peter Hughes. “If they do get a full-time worker, they would look for a long term ministry there.” Under the proposal, redevelopment of the site would start from 2008. Christian Students is the only extracurricular group that meets onsite.
The plans could also limit the involvement of nearby St Alban’s, Lindfield in supporting university ministry. Assistant Minister the Rev Jonathan Holt, who devotes part of his week to campus chaplaincy, could not say how closely the parish would support UTS work if their local campus closed.
“It would be a shame to lose the distinctive character of the Christian Students group at the campus,” Mr Holt said. “There are great opportunities for them to be involved in what is a slightly smaller campus and reach people with the good news of Jesus.”
Christian Students has over 80 members involved in weekly Bible studies and public meetings. President Ed Yorston says the group has seen a huge growth in attendance recently. “Unlike the [UTS] City campus, people at Ku-ring-gai sit around all day in the cafeteria,” he said. “It’s a mission field with a huge potential for reaching out to people.”
UTS spokesperson Robert Button said the potential sale of the campus is ‘merely one possibility’, but admitted the State Government’s recent cancellation of plans to build a train station at Ku-ring-gai has brought the long-term viability of the campus into question.
“We have a number of Christian student associations that operate particularly vibrantly at UTS,” he said. “The location is incidental to the way the uni operates.”
