Origin

Where did Fusion come from?

In 1997 a small group of undergraduates In Trinity college began praying fervently for God to do something new in the University. Even with existing Christian groups, thousands of students were passing through Cambridge without ever hearing about Jesus or getting a taste of Christianity that left them wanting more.

The pioneering handful wanted to be part of a student group where God could be God and people could be themselves. Where lots of different styles of worship and prayer could be tried out. Where new ideas for loving people could be road-tested. Where relationships were real and gutsy. Where there was room for spiritual gifts to be practised, in both senses of the word. Where it felt like grace, not judgement. Where everyone was involved and the bible was lived out dangerously.

But more fundamentally, the group that formed wanted to create an environment where God could be experienced as well as learnt about - through his Spirit, word, and friendships with other people. A God-filled community in the heart of student world seemed the perfect environment for post-modern students to come and find out more about Jesus. And so they did.

What's in the name?

Meanwhile, a national group of Christian leaders was speculatively launching 'Fusion' -  a new student initiative based on cell groups - in response to the need and interest they were picking up from Campuses around the country. Six months later the Cambridge group met up with them and realised that the values and vision were the same. Fusion were able to provide encouragement, training and resources, as well as being a national affiliation to help the local thing find its bearings and explain to onlookers what on earth was going on.

And so the groups became 'cells,' a biological metaphor suggesting life and multiplication. It was a term increasingly popular with churches to describe the small communities that made up their whole.

How did it get so big?

People heard about it and wanted to come. Firstly the group multiplied within Trinity. Then students from other colleges had a go and decided to stick around. Eventually they started cells in their own colleges. It all culminated in a celebration event in King's College Chapel in 1998 where 200 students showed up and seemed keen to keep the thing going.

Another major change was in the relationship to local churches. One church had backed the first students from the beginning, but as it grew more and more students from different denominations or no church background at all came along, and so the church base widened. To this day, there are churches who actively support Fusion in Cambridge, some who are happy that their students are part of it, and a few whose members have to sneak in through the back door.

By 2005 Fusion had grown to 40 cell groups in Cambridge University, found at the majority of colleges, and with people from every college attending. The heart of Fusion Cambridge remains simple, though, as it was at the start. We pray that God would move powerfully in many ways to impact the lives of all students in Cambridge, and the Fusion cells are one vehicle that he can use to do so.