Friends International

Friends International Growing Friendship and Faith with International Students in the UK and Ireland

We’ve recently had a fantastic time at Forum with our staff team, and we’re so grateful for everyone who gave their tim...
07/09/2026

We’ve recently had a fantastic time at Forum with our staff team, and we’re so grateful for everyone who gave their time and energy to help promote the work of Friends International.

It was a real privilege to meet and connect with people from across the UK and Ireland (and even a little further afield!). We had many opportunities to chat with students and leaders, share ideas for mission, pray together, and encourage one another.

Our team also had the pleasure of speaking directly with attendees about International Student Mission; practice, ideas and how we as a charity can help those interested - we were really encouraged by the positive feedback and enthusiasm we received.

Thank you so much for praying for our conversations and interactions with CU groups and leaders during this time. Please continue to pray that we can support and equip those with a heart for international student ministry as they prepare for the challenges of a new start of term.

We hope that the resources we shared and the conversations we had will help encourage, inspire and better equip everyone passionate about International Student Mission as they step into new things ahead!

We're excited to be settled and completely up and running now in our new office at CMS House, Oxford. As we have been se...
21/08/2026

We're excited to be settled and completely up and running now in our new office at CMS House, Oxford. As we have been setting up the Support Centre, there have been many elements to tie together and now we have all the furniture up, cables in and boxes unpacked - things are looking finished.

Since July 1st we have been enjoying the new space - a downstairs office rented at the CMS Building in Oxford, albeit smaller than All Nations; we have had to think strategically in what we need where and how many in some instances!

It boasts four desks, to allow the Support Staff room to work and hot seating for those who visit on a less frequent basis being based part at home also.

The office is proving to be be very effective in our needs day to day, it is quiet and very modern, with wonderful facilities - the CMS staff and neighbouring charities on site have been great to talk to and we often spend lunchtimes with various people during the week.

If you haven't already - please do sign up for our free Support Centre Official Opening Celebration for the 18th September - to come and have a good look round and officially open the office with us:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/friends-international-office-move-cms-oxford-tickets-1987613865577

We’re excited to share that Alan Tower was recently interviewed by UCB to give his perspective on the fascinating AI-pow...
14/08/2026

We’re excited to share that Alan Tower was recently interviewed by UCB to give his perspective on the fascinating AI-powered trial taking place at Bristol Temple Meads railway station!

The innovative trial aims to enable people using audio devices such as Bluetooth earphones, headphones and hearing aids to receive real-time audio translations of announcements made over the station’s tannoy system.

Alongside discussing this exciting development, Alan also had the opportunity to talk more broadly about the work and role of Friends International.

An approximately three-minute segment of the interview aired on the morning of Monday 10th August, and the full interview is now available on the UCB app, UCB Player, together with an outline of the discussion.

The audio-only version is also available via UCB’s basic web player:
https://timbre-player.sharp-stream.com/embed/item/67df5e56-dcd2-4923-bf33-b92b5ab24455

We hope you enjoy listening to this engaging interview and hearing Alan’s thoughts on this exciting development in AI, accessibility and communication!

Our latest Opportunity Magazine – Summer Edition (August – November) is here!Packed full of inspiring stories, exciting ...
31/07/2026

Our latest Opportunity Magazine – Summer Edition (August – November) is here!

Packed full of inspiring stories, exciting updates, and uplifting news from across the UK and Ireland, this edition shines a spotlight on the incredible work happening at Friends International - and the amazing ways international students are being supported!

Download your copy now:
www.friendsinternational.uk/opportunity

Not receiving your free copy yet? Sign up and join the celebration!
www.friendsinternational.uk/sign-up

It's been fantastic to be back at Keswick Ministries Keswick Convention this year! Week 1 is almost wrapped up, and we'...
22/07/2026

It's been fantastic to be back at Keswick Ministries Keswick Convention this year! Week 1 is almost wrapped up, and we're so excited to be staying on for Weeks 2 and 3 as well!

We've already had the joy of meeting and chatting with people from all walks of life, including some wonderful former Friends International staff and volunteers. If you're visiting the convention this year, we'd love for you to stop by and say hello!

There's something for everyone at our stand, with competitions and prizes to be won, fun activities for children, and plenty of freebies to pick up!

You'll also find a range of our resources and materials designed to inspire and equip people to welcome, befriend, and support international students. If you can't make it to Keswick, you can browse many of these in our online shop: https://www.friendsinternational.uk/shop

We can't wait to meet many more of you over the next two weeks!

We're excited to share that, alongside the recent move of our Support Centre and some changes to our staffing team, Frie...
16/07/2026

We're excited to share that, alongside the recent move of our Support Centre and some changes to our staffing team, Friends International has continued to grow and develop in wonderful ways over the past few months. We're especially delighted to now include Friends International centres in both Derby and Liverpool, which are in their exciting early stages.

Together, we continue to build friendships and share faith with the more than 700,000 international students who come to the UK and Ireland each year. As we equip churches and volunteers to welcome, support, minister to, and care for students holistically, we're encouraged to see this ministry expanding into new communities.

It's always a joy to celebrate growth - whether through new centres opening, new affiliates joining the Friends International family, or our incredible network of volunteers continuing to flourish.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and generous financial support, which have made this map - and the growth it represents - possible. We're excited to see what lies ahead as more centres are established, our staff team grows, and the wider Friends International family continues to expand in the years to come!

As our Support Centre settles into its exciting new home, we're also celebrating some changes within our team!We've said...
10/07/2026

As our Support Centre settles into its exciting new home, we're also celebrating some changes within our team!

We've said a fond farewell to Jennifer Gibbs (Office Administrator), Mary Reeves (Supporter Relations), and Diane Smith (HR Manager), thanking them for all they've contributed and wishing them every success in their next chapters.

At the same time, we're delighted to welcome some fantastic new faces! Please join us in welcoming Jemimah Tomsett, who joins us as our new Office Administrator / Supporter Relations, and Taiwo Adebanjo, who joins the team as our new People Manager.

Take a look through the following images to get to know everyone a little better. You'll discover a few insights into their new roles, hear what they're most looking forward to, and be able to put a face to the name!

We’re absolutely delighted to be settling into our new home at CMS House, Oxford!The journey of packing, moving, unpacki...
09/07/2026

We’re absolutely delighted to be settling into our new home at CMS House, Oxford!

The journey of packing, moving, unpacking, and getting everything set up has been a big undertaking, but we're thrilled to say the transition has gone smoothly and we're enjoying making this wonderful new space our own.

After 15 memorable years at All Nations, saying goodbye was bittersweet. Those now-empty rooms hold so many cherished memories, shared experiences, and friendships. While we'll always be grateful for our time there, we're excited to begin this new chapter, surrounded by new friends and organisations at CMS House.
There are still a few finishing touches to add - some pictures to hang, a few plants to keep watered (!), and the final details to complete - but we're already feeling at home. The air conditioning has certainly been a blessing during the recent warm weather, and we've been busy getting our IT, phones, and systems fully up and running.

We're also delighted to welcome Taiwo, our new People Manager, and Jemimah, our new Office Administrator and Supporter Relations team member. We're so pleased to have them on board as we continue this exciting new season together.
Thank you once again for your prayers, encouragement, and ongoing support throughout this move. We can't wait to welcome many of you to our evening celebration in September at our new Oxford office!

Our new address is:
Friends International
CMS House
Watlington Road
Oxford OX4 6BZ
Telephone: 0345 512 0026

We share a recent update from our York Centre Team Leader, Charis, who passes on two encouraging moments from recent wee...
27/06/2026

We share a recent update from our York Centre Team Leader, Charis, who passes on two encouraging moments from recent weeks;

“Chris is a student from the Philippines, known to us from one of the first welcome events last September. He was one of the three students we met at that event. However, God turned the frustration into excitement, because Chris started to join every event we hosted and very quickly, he decided to attend church and come to our Bible study group regularly. The conversations with Chris soon developed into how he experienced God's care and how he appreciated knowing Jesus. Yes, he proclaimed his trust in Jesus last November. It's been a real encouragement to see Chris grow and share his faith to others.

A second recent story is of ‘John’, originally from China, who attended a university Open Day Event in May. He was invited to our international event and met many Christian friends for the first time. His original two-day trip in York turned into a whole week holiday, during which, he attended every event we organised including our Bible group and a church service. A few weeks later, he returned to visit for a few days and again attended all our events. Just before he left York, he showed his appreciation towards us and most importantly, towards Jesus for saving him!”….

Please be praying for these two individuals, two wonderful recent stories to keep in your thoughts at this time!

Address

Friends International, CMS House, Watlington Road
Ware
OX46BZ

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+441920460006

Website

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