The Renewed Universities Project - PUR - started in February 1994, at SEARA, the carnival meeting which happens every year, at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) Minas Gerais, Brazil. SEARA is promoted by the charismatic catholic students in Viçosa and congregates every year, around 7.000 people from the hole country, on carnival.
The interesting is that the Charismatic Catholic Renewal in Viçosa started inside the university, when three students, in 1981, started to pray together. Just as it was in the beginning of the CCR in the Church, when students of the University of Duquesne (USA), congregated to participate of the Cursillo, and received for the first time the baptism in the Holy Spirit, just as the apostles experienced in Pentecost.
The Renewed Universities Project was born from a dream placed in the heart of a veterinary medicine student of UFV called Fernando Galvani. One morning while he was praying in his room, still in the UFV, looking at a great picture of the city of Jerusalem, hung in the wall God gave him the biblical passage at Acts 5:28. This passage is the motion of the Holy Spirit to the whole Renewed Universities Project, and the beginning of the accomplishment of a great plan of Gods love to the students and future professionals of the whole world.
The bible verse shows Jerusalem religious capital of the time covered of Jesus doctrine, exactly ahead of the difficulties and persecutions that the first Christians suffered. Reflecting about this text and the picture, Fernando observed that the true Christians students suffered persecutions in universities as well as the disciples suffered. Therefore came the huge desire to fullfill the universities with the love of God and more than this, the dream to see the Universities Renewed...
Being thus, he perceived that the evangelization of the university students was extremely necessary and urgent. The construction of a fairest and more fraternal society will only be possible when new men, formed to the light of the Spirit and urged from the power of the same Spirit, assumed their places in it.
And these men, in their majority, pass by Universities. However, any work of evangelizelization will only be fruitful and lasting if carried through the power of the Holy Spirit of God.
Renewed universities consist in stimulating the formation of University Prayer Groups (UPG), so that, when leaving the university, the students understand the plan of God in their professions and exert their professional vocation with dignity, ethics, respect to men and the certainty that "if I dont change, nothing will change". It is definitely necessary to advance, to search the teachings of God and to build the civilization of the love in our world.
In the middle of 1998, at the national advice meeting of the Charismatic Renewal, it was decided to include the Renewed Universities Project as a ministry of offensive service to the CCR. Months later this ministry would assume the name of Luke Ministry, similar to what occurs in others ministries of the CCR in Brazil. The Luke name was chosen:
Did you know that only 3% of brazilians finish the University?
Words that lead the Renewed Universities Project
"We gave you strict orders (did we not?) to stop teaching in that time. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man's blood upon us." Acts 5,28 - It is the ideal of our dream: to see the universitiesy full of God's love.
(Jesus) said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." Mt 14,16 - There wiil be no one else to evangelize the university student, but the university students itselves.
"How many loaves do you have?" Mt 15, 34 - What do we have to present to the Universities? Doubts or the certainty that the salvation is given us in Jesus Christ.
"It was not you who chose, but I who chose you to go and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask th Father in my Name he may give you." Jo 15, 16 - We can not pass by the Universities without spreading the fruits that God askes us to.
"Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." Mt 5,16 - The professional of the kingdom must be respected by its faith and its ability.
"Be firm and steadfast, so that you may give this people the possession of the land which I swore to their fathers I would give them." Jos 1, 6 - Regarding our mission at the universities.
"Work at your tasks in due season, and in his own time God will give you your reward." Eclo 51, 30(38) - There isn't a best time to evangelize the university students than during our academic life.
We suggest that you read these words attention, and perceives how great is the love of God for us!