Gareth Magel

Growing up, I never knew a relationship with God was possible. Or if I did, I thought it was more of a contract – he just wanted to change me in the ways I needed to be changed. And that sounded hard, so why would I want it?

I thought I had to be perfect to make Jesus happy with me, so I tried for years to do everything on my own, afraid of the future and unaware that more was possible. In my first year of university, I met CCO and took Discovery, but didn’t know I was still keeping Jesus at a distance in my heart. Halfway through my second year, I went to Rise Up in Toronto, and Jesus asked me to trust him with all my fears about the future and invited me to invite him to be at the center of my life. I said yes and since then, Jesus has reintroduced me to the personal relationship I was created to have with him: where I don’t have to be perfect and where the life I always wanted comes from relying on his strength, not my own. CCO’s culture and community have been instrumental in strengthening my relationship with Jesus.

My Mission

In my last semester on campus, I felt a stirring in my heart to proclaim Jesus more. I had been leading faith studies for years, but still doubted Jesus’ ability to work in the hearts of those I was accompanying – so once again I had been trying to do it on my own. One day in prayer, Jesus showed me how simple it really is to encounter him and how much his heart burned for others to know him, not just me. Jesus once again helped me to trust his strength, not my own, and now I want university students – who are at such a pivotal time in their lives – to know Jesus so they can experience a life that is joyful and fulfilling beyond imagination.