'God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord' (1 Corinthians 1.9, ESV).
2004 sees the celebration of the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union's 125th anniversary. On May 8, DV, we shall be welcoming J.I. Packer and Andrew Goddard to encourage and challenge us from God's Word in a celebration to be held in St. Aldate's main building. It is our hope that former members of the OICCU will be keen to join us.
Surge in confidence
The OICCU itself was founded in 1879 - a time when evangelicalism was experiencing something of a surge in confidence, not least as a result of the formation of the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union. However, it is possible to trace the origins of the OICCU back to 1867, the year when the Daily Prayer Meeting began in the rooms of Arthur Cleveland Downer at Brasenose College. He, and an undergraduate at Exeter College, had been moved to meet to pray for the evangelistic meetings which were being held for the residents of Oxford in the old Town Hall. Thus the distinguishing characteristic of the OICCU, which dictates its work, was evident at its very roots: the priority of evangelism under the sovereignty of God.
