Encountering God in the Cliff Year

I am sat in the Chapel at Cliff College, it is calm and quiet. I am reading chapters from 2 Samuel, which is not a book of the Bible I have ever picked up before, but it is my shift at 5am in our 24-hour Bible reading challenge. In the eight weeks that I have been at Cliff College, I have picked up my Bible more times than I have in the past five years. I have spent five years away from church with God in a back corner of my brain, but I still heard his call to come and participate in the Cliff Year programme at Cliff College.

Reading the Bible is one of the main ways to encounter God. Sitting with and deciphering the Word of God is a challenge I have not much undertaken, I have instead relied on being told the stories of the Bible through Sunday School. Yet, here at Cliff College, I have been regularly reading parts of the Bible and, following from our 24-hour Bible reading challenge, I have been inspired to read the Psalms. I can confidently say that I would not have been motivated to do this if it were not for being on the Cliff Year. Having the time and space to encounter and sit with God is one of the best parts of the Cliff Year and the community life at Cliff College.

I have been encountering God in many other ways during my time at Cliff College – through conversations with students, through random acts of kindness done in the community and through the intentional helping, everyone in the community is willing to step up when needed. It is evident that God is working in the Cliff College community.

But Cliff Year isn’t only about my personal encounter with God, it is also about working in a variety of ways to help others to meet with God. I have had the opportunity to draw closer to God with others, at youth events such as 3Generate and Autumn Soul, in worship services for which I have written and delivered mini sermons such as at the Girl’s Brigade national conference and in creating content for Cliff College’s online community. The chance to encounter God alongside others, in communities other than here at Cliff College, is an essential part of the Cliff Year programme. By seeing God at work in young people, churches and individuals, I know that I am going to grow in my faith and to continue seeing God in people and the world around me. I can only imagine the ways in which I will encounter God and the plans God has for me over the next seven months.

Written by Megan Whiteman, a 2025/26 Cliff Year participant