Sam Dickson studied Agriculture at Lincoln University and was a resident at The Well for two years.
Heading off to uni from a small farm in the back blocks of Taranaki, I was ready to go to Lincoln to see the world, to learn bigger and better things. My faith was very marginal at this point but my reasons for going to uni were not the purposes God had. I was there to gain a degree, but God used my time there to enable me to deepen my knowledge of Him, to grow in His Word, and for me to give my life to Christ. The most influential part of this was TSCF and living in the Christ-focused community of The Well.
I was very indecisive about going flatting in my second year. I could have gone with my friends from the uni halls, a few of whom were Christians, or I could move into The Well which is a TSCF-owned flat in Lincoln. In making this decision, for the first time, I chose to focus more on God leading me rather than depending on myself. And I can truthfully say what a blessing it has been to live in this flat for two years.
Through being in the community living space of The Well, I saw over my two years some stark differences from other flats.
Firstly, at The Well there is a deep sense of, and commitment to, community. Many of my year groups’ flats around Lincoln started well but through the trials and tribulations of life, some of these flats faltered and, for some, the only thing the flatmates had in common was living in the same house. In The Well I saw a sense of what community means: we had a common direction, a common goal and were united to follow Jesus Christ.
Secondly, our commitment to community was based on our shared faith. Hebrews 13:1 says that we are to love each other as brothers and sisters: a love deeper and richer than friendship. I never really understood what it meant to have brothers and sisters in Christ but living in The Well and focusing on God with other believers, I now can truly describe the people in the community of The Well as my brothers and sisters. We ate together, prayed together, and read God’s Word together. These people of The Well, of which many are from different nations and cultures and experiences, are all united, or
as Galatians 3:26 puts it, ‘“in Christ Jesus [we] are all children of God through faith.”
Thirdly, our faith helped us to ride the waves of student flatting as we followed the teaching of Jesus to serve one another. John 13:1-17 speaks of Jesus putting himself below another to serve that person. He commands his disciples to do the same. Though I haven’t washed anyone’s feet, I have seen this idea of serving others and seeking others’ needs before your own played out. As a flat we would serve each other’s needs in the capacity we knew how. An example of this was that as we cooked for each other, we considered each other’s dietary requirements and in one case the beauty of onions was cut out from meals in order to cater for everyone. And I must point out that many a cricket game was turned off so the TV could be used for ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’!
Ultimately, having brothers and sisters in Christ walking beside me as we lived in community, was exponential for the growth of my faith. When you are not in community, there is no-one to challenge or encourage you. In these times it is easy to be distracted or lazy, and you don’t grow. But being at
university and flatting in a community focused on Christ is so good and rich that I would do it all over again, no hesitation.