How did CICCU come about?

Christian Unions are grassroots movements, and as with most CUs, CICCU (the 'Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union') was started by a group of Christian Students. In fact, CICCU was the first university Christian Union ever and has continued to be the University of Cambridge's most prominent student Christian organisation. It was formed in 1877, but can trace its origins back to the formation of the Jesus Lane Sunday School in 1827 and the Cambridge Prayer Union in 1848. Students in many other universities followed Cambridge's lead in forming their own Christian Unions, beginning with OICCU (Oxford) in 1879. Initially CICCU became part of the Student Christian Movement, formed in 1889; however, the CICCU left the SCM in 1910 because the SCM had drifted to the view point that Jesus' death on the cross was not at the centre of their message. Recognising the seriousness of this issue, OICCU and other CUs followed them in this split, and together they founded the Inter-Varsity ...  more

Christian Unions are grassroots movements, and as with most CUs, CICCU (the ‘Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union’) was started by a group of Christian Students. In fact, CICCU was the first university Christian Union ever and has continued to be the University of Cambridge’s most prominent student Christian organisation. It was formed in 1877, but can trace its origins back to the formation of the Jesus Lane Sunday School in 1827 and the Cambridge Prayer Union in 1848. Students in many other universities followed Cambridge’s lead in forming their own Christian Unions, beginning with OICCU (Oxford) in 1879. Initially CICCU became part of the Student Christian Movement, formed in 1889; however, the CICCU left the SCM in 1910 because the SCM had drifted to the view point that Jesus’ death on the cross was not at the centre of their message. Recognising the seriousness of this issue, OICCU and other CUs followed them in this split, and together they founded the Inter-Varsity ...  more