Girl power is alive and well at the University of Western Sydney.
The employment of a part-time female AFES staff worker has led to a 500 per cent increase in the number of students attending Bankstown campus Bible studies.
Elizabeth Roediger, 28, has joined the Rector of St John's, Padstow the Rev Richard Blight in ministering to the UWS campus, two days a week.
She was formerly ministering at Wollongong University.
"The uni hasn't had a female staff worker before," says Ms Roediger. "It means we can now have a girl meeting up one to one with other girls."
There has been a 500 per cent increase with around 35 people now involved with the uni Bible study, which is also running talks and evangelism training groups.
This compares with around seven people who attended the group last year.
Richard Blight says working together with the other UWS Christian groups at enrolments for the first time also increased the number of contacts made.
"We have never had that many contacts before," he says. "As some students can be across a number of the university's six campuses, we need to be connecting with each other."
Ms Roediger says the Bible study has also been effective in connecting new students with churches, particularly those who have come from outside of suburban Sydney.
"University can be an isolating place if you don't know anyone. We help students settle in, encourage them and link them with churches in Sydney near with they live."
Ms Roediger hopes to see Christian students trained in different skills and has started running "Two ways to live' training seminars with some of the girls.
"It would be good for them to gain skill such as knowing how to share the gospel, or how to lead Bible study groups. We want to be more confident in their faith and to invite them to events we are running.
Mr Blight says UWS Bankstown is a "very multicultural campus and a challenging area of Sydney' for ministry. However, he believes ministry in this area is essential.
"Cross cultural evangelism is rarely quick and occasionally dangerous," he says.
"But if we aren't doing this ministry out at Bankstown, then we might as well give up."
