GBU Modena

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In GBU Modena we started up really raring to go this second year!

We held an introductory pizza evening combined with a short reflection on the subject “Were the gospels altered?” dealing with the topic of the New Testament reliability and giving out a copy of Josh McDowell’s “More than a Carpenter” to those who were interested.

From this perspective, we started studying the life of Jesus through the Gospel of John. So far, we have met together twice in someone’s home (taking the necessary precautions) and using a computer as well, so that the study could be followed online too.

  • Let’s thank the Lord because it was a wonderful experience. Sadly, from the next GBU meeting onwards, our meetings will be online only. This won’t lessen our enthusiasm for studying the Word together and sharing the knowledge of Jesus from student to student! In addition to studying John, we’re also planning to do games evenings or film evenings to vary the schedule.
  • We’re thankful to have a new female coordinator this year and some new members who are enthusiastically coming along.
  • We’re asking for prayer to be able to talk to friends and acquaintances and invite them along, to be able to do the GBU meetings every week and that we would always and in every case trust only in the Lord, whatever the circumstances.

GBU Verona

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By the grace of God, GBU Verona has just started up again, despite it having been a truly unpredictable and unstable year from many perspectives!

God provided a new coordinator this year. We would like to thank God above all for His grace and faithfulness and then we’d like to thank all those who prayed for this ministry!

The group is currently made up of little more than around ten people, but not everyone participates actively.

Let’s keep praying:

  • that the group will have even more unity, be stronger and grow;
  • that new non-believers will join and thus get to know Jesus, the only certainty in this time where certainty is lacking.

GBU Bologna

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GBU Bologna is progressing well; we’re studying Romans to find an answer to the question, “Is God just?” and some wonderful ideas have emerged.

At the first three meetings there were always four of us, of whom one person was always alternating.

  • Let’s thank God for enabling us to do the studies, which after the first meeting have been taking place online, since it has been impossible to find a cafe or canteen open after 6 pm to host us.
  • Let’s pray that the Lord will help us introduce GBU Bologna to more students, also through presentations during the lectures, flyers and outreach events, and that if the Covid situation remains stable in Emilia Romagna, we will be able to find somewhere to meet in person as well.

Thank you for sustaining us in prayer.

GBU Messina

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GBU Messina was formed last year, just as the pandemic was breaking out!

However, despite this, we got off to a great start! We started our weekly Bible studies and held parties to gather as many students as possible. During the lockdown we organised online meetings and I have to say we managed to gather a fair few people!

I’ve come to realise at this time that when the hand of God is present and everyone prays, everything goes well and people’s hearts are touched, the seed is planted!

Now we’re continuing our online meetings and trying to arrange other things for the students.

  • We’re asking for prayer for this group, that it would become stronger and more united in Christ. And that we would be a light and witness for all the students!
  • We’re also asking for prayer for some events we’d like to put on soon! We were actually thinking of organising a games night (we have GBU Turin to thank for giving us this fantastic idea!) and creating a space for students to improve their English and vice versa, help English students improve their Italian!

Thank you for your prayers!

GBU Friuli Venezia Giulia

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GBU Friuli Venezia Giulia has officially begun. After six months of meetings in which only two people took part (the two current group coordinators), last Tuesday the first online meeting took place with two other students (already believers). The study was on the topic of “Who is Jesus?” which is made up of 5 chapters specifically looking at Jesus’ character. The first meeting was “Is Jesus a king?” looking at Matthew chapter 2.

We are very grateful to the Lord for this new opportunity. We had never had a GBU in Friuli Venezia Giulia, except for one in Trieste some years ago, and we are really keen to use this time at university for God’s glory.

As prayer requests, we’re asking the Lord for more believer students from the local churches to want to join in our meetings and that the Lord would bring along equally as many students who don’t yet know Him to draw near to Him through our meetings.

GBU Milan – Bicocca University

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Three weeks ago we started to meet on Zoom.

Thank God we are having several new students who have started to participate in our meetings. For now most of them are believers, but we have also seen an interest from several non-believers, although unfortunately we have not yet had the opportunity to have any non-believers take part in the Bible study.

Despite this, we do not want to be discouraged and rather we want to continue to pray that the Lord will give us the grace to invite some classmates or simply spread the word about what we are doing with GBU in the university, even if for now only online.

Unfortunately, like many other GBU groups not only in Italy, but also in the world, we are facing the difficulties of this particular and challenging period. Sometimes it is difficult to perform at best and make the most of the potential of what can be done with the GBU, because unfortunately sometimes it is necessary to have a face to face relationship with people; but above all, everyone misses being able to meet physically.

Despite everything, we want to live this moment with joy and strength knowing that the Lord is already doing something extraordinary in the universities even at this time.

We ask you to pray that the Lord may support us, encourage us and give us wisdom on how to move during each meeting with the group.

As a theme of the studies we are addressing Acts, with the addition of insights on various topics (wisdom, anxiety, time, hope) once a month.

Thank you very much to everyone for what each of you are doing for the GBU and for the Lord.

GBU Urbino

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As GBU Urbino we have started doing Bible studies in Nicola’s house (the coordinator) with his housemates. It is a close-knit GBU group but informal at the same time.

Let’s pray for M., G. and V., that they would discover (and, for some of them, rediscover) a true personal relationship with Jesus. In fact, all three of them have a strong Catholic background, but as they grew up they moved away from that religious, unsatisfactory formalism. Indeed G. admitted in a conversation with me a few months ago that he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of regaining his faith but would do so with different assumptions and in a different way to how he once had.

Let’s also pray for N. and D. who would be interested in coming to the meetings.

GBU Forlì

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This year no true group has formed as such, because all the students from last year have left and due “distance/online learning”, there aren’t any new members at the moment.

We are therefore asking for prayer that:

  • God would bring together the Christians on campus, help them meet one another or make the GBU known to them.
  • That as individuals as well, we would reach those in need with whatever tools we have (online meetings currently).

GBU Florence

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GBU Florence is starting again with many new faces and a desire to form a cohesive group of joyful disciples who will courageously share the knowledge of Jesus in their universities.

We give thanks for:

  • our first month of activities which God hugely blessed with training and mentoring evening events for the new members;
  • an opening event of outdoors games where the gospel message was proclaimed through love and words;
  • A first series of Bible studies on the subject, “God, what are you doing in all of this?”, which saw active participation by new students and the involvement of others in leading the discussion groups.

At this difficult moment in history, where lectures are reduced or not happening, with restrictions and difficulties in organising meetings over a certain number of people, we’re grateful to have rediscovered the value of closer friendships and in particular the great power of prayer.

Over the last week, we stopped every day to pray for 5 minutes for 5 friends at 5 pm, and we found ourselves praising God for the wonderful conversations He has given us during this time with many of them!

We’re asking for prayer support for:

  • group members, that they would grow in the truth of the Word and as children of God, and feel involved and equipped to be a light among their friends.
  • a social event taking place on Saturday 14 November, that it would be a time to grow closer together through games and sharing, and a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel with friends and housemates;
  • our staff and student coordinator, for guidance and wisdom in making plans which are always subject to changes, and for time management.

GBU Milan – State University

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The GBU Milan State University group has been updated this year, in fact all the coordinators are new and there are many new GBU members and university friends.

This has meant that there is a lot of new energy and potential to use for the best. We decided together to deepen our understanding of Jesus through meeting many of the characters whose lives were profoundly touched by Him.

We thank the Lord for making it possible for us to meet physically with all the new young people at the first meeting of the year. All this happened before the health emergency began to worsen.

Now, given that Lombardy has been declared a red zone, all our meetings will take place online.

We’re asking for prayer that all the online meetings would be equally as effective and that the new group could keep coming closer together despite the impossibility of forming one-to-one relationships.