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The story of Fusion
As told by Tim Anderson, who was there at the start, at the Hub. (Remembered by Annie: if you don't like bits, it might be my fault.)
It started with people in their early 20's... Tim starting City Life Church aged 21, because the people round him were sure God uses young people who aren't all shiny and don't have it all sewn up... So he did church in Cambridge, dreaming for the University, and met a tiny handful of students who really really wanted to see God change things in the the university, really wanted their friends to meet God and be able to grow and be changed. And that's all it took to start Fusion. Less than 5 students who were sure there could be something... more, and going for it.
In Hebrews 11 it says faith is:
"the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible.”
Its seeing something that isn't there, as if it is, because if God says so then it will be...
And it goes on to talk about the whole series of heroes of faith...
“Who by [the help of] faith subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions, extinguished the power of raging fire, escaped the devourings of the sword, out of frailty and weakness won strength and became stalwart, even mighty and resistless in battle, routing alien hosts.”
That's all good... but we're here, and Fusion is smaller than it was 2 years ago, and it doesn't work all the time, and it's hard. So what are we supposed to do with that? Here's another story:
Its about David, in 1 Samuel 30. He made a bad call, and took his men off to battle, leaving all his army's families and possessions in the camp, and the Amalekites came and captured the lot. And when they got back his army were ready to stone him... Do we ever get that? We're trying to lead a group really well through a challenging time and not just settle for the minimum and... then it gets a bit horrendous and people turn round and say “what are you doing? How can you call yourself a leader?!”
So with his people looking meaningfully at rocks, David cried, but he also strengthened himself in the Lord. We don't know what that means... but its time to yell at the priest to bring yo ephod: not about deciding it's too difficult and we're not good enough and things don't just change when we pray. So David strengthened himself, and he asked God what to do next, and if he should chase the Amalekites and attack them. And the answer was “you will surely overcome”. So off they went and chased after the Amalekite army and captured all their wives and children and donkeys and microwaves back again.
And being a cell leader (or member) isn't all easy and all victorious, if we're honest. It's not huge or 100% flourishing... but awesome stuff can and does and will happen. Its still about that kind of faith, still about strengthening ourselves in the Lord, about making sure we talk to each other, keep people outside college updated and praying for us and encouraging us... Because ultimately God is in this, because we are still called, and there is a plan for this University, for your college, your friends. Because all it takes is a handful of people who keep dreaming for illogical things, who keep holding out, imperfectly, on their good days. And that – more than any report or list of things we've done - is the story of Fusion: “it looked like nothing would come of it, but they still dreamed and then God turned up.”
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Annie Holmes, 22/12/2008 |
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