Studying science? Love Jesus? If that’s you, you don’t want to miss the Science Network Autumn Gathering. Each October, we gather Christian students in the sciences from all across the UK, both undergraduates and postgraduates, to think together about how following Jesus makes all the difference to how we do science. Come and meet other students, learn from scientists at the top of their fields, and be equipped to serve Christ in your faculty in the year ahead.
The Autumn Gathering 2023 happened on 21 October. Read on for a report on the day from some students who were there, and watch this space for more information about the 2024 Gathering!
Autumn Gathering 2023
Ellie Moore and Ben Cutts, Portsmouth CU
It was such a joy to be able to attend the Autumn Science Network gathering this year, connecting with science students from across the country for a day to worship, learn and discuss how God is moving in our studies.
In our first session we heard from Professor Richard Buggs, on signs and science in John 2:1-11. For many scientists, miracles such as turning water into wine are a stumbling block to faith as they violate the basic principles of science. However, Richard shared how this doesn’t need to be the case. Science shows us on a molecular level why the miracle shouldn’t have happened, so the fact we know they do happen, and still occur today, only points to how amazing the miracle is! You could’ve heard a pin drop in the room, everyone was engrossed in what Richard was sharing. I came away inspired - I had never viewed miracles through a scientific lens before. We really do have a great and awesome God.
One thing that I (Ellie) really enjoyed was the amount of time we had to connect with other students. With regular coffee breaks I was able to chat to students from other universities about their studies and what it’s like to be a Christian in their fields. I particularly enjoyed sitting with my CU at lunch. It was a very special moment as we all went round and shared and thoughts on the days teaching to see how God was teaching and speaking to each of us individually.
The undergraduate set of talks focused on how we live and study for Christ, and on the practicalities of how this looks in our day-to-day study, both in the lab and in our lectures. The talks were split into two sections with plenty of time to discuss with people in our groups about what was being said and ask questions which were answered well. I (Ben) really enjoyed these sessions, and it challenged me a lot, especially in the way I see and think about my lectures when I don’t find the lectures particularly interesting.
After the talks finished, a large group of us from the different CU’s went to the pub for dinner, and it was another great opportunity to get to know them as well as discuss the joys and struggles of being a Christian and doing a science. It was a great opportunity to talk to some of the speakers to and ask further questions, and just discuss with them more generally.