Rach's Diary - Freshers' in Manchester, the 2nd Edition

It could never be said that my job is dull, and generally, no two days are the same. However, Manchester's Welcome Week did develop a rhythm as each morning started with prayer and then the team effort of putting up a Yurt. In the yurt, we offered tea, cake and fruit to all those passing by, and as you can see the sun even shone! I also did all my usual things, like Skype-ing into the SCM staff team meeting in Birmingham, and catching up with Simon (the National Coordinator). I've also baked cakes, made Ikea chairs and eaten soup.

I've also been busy doing more preparation for the event in Lancaster, 'A Light for All'. Watch out for more details and get booking!

This fortnight has also included the latest SCM General Council meeting. It was great to work with the new members as well as the existing ones. The day started with unconscious bias training, where we thought about the beliefs we hold without realising, and the times we are in the in-group and out-group. We also discussed upcoming events, the projects we're working on, membership and the highlights of the past year for the trustees' report.

One of my favourite parts of my job is meeting with students, and the last fortnight has included two such occassions. One student was sharing some exciting news from their summer, and with the other I discussed inter-denominational marriage and church searching, which was a mixture of research for a conference I'm speaking at in October and hopefully helping her to find a grounding community. 

Welcome Week continues elsewhere and more trains await, but that is a story for next time. Current September train count: 45.

Rach