1950-1965. Glory Days

The answer is a strong, but not unqualified, yes, at least for the next 15 years. The SUEU grew steadily, at one point admitting 205 new members in a single year, until it reached an all time high of about 600 at the end of 1964, 4% of the university population of about 15,000. During the mid 50’s, while overall student numbers declined, the SUEU grew, so that by 1955, it was nearly 7% of the campus.

What stands out in this period is the significant impact that missions had, both in the University and outside it. Of unparalleled status in the folk-lore of the SUEU is the 1951 mission, organised by Dudley Foord. In his 1951 Annual Report, retiring President Warren Adkins relates how the best estimate puts at full 100 people who were converted through the mission, many of them since the meetings themselves, and often being people with a Christian background. It was a reaping time - 7 small groups for Bible study on the Christian life had started to deal with the follow up. An incredible number of subsidiary meetings were organised, at many points throughout Sydney in the homes of SUEU’ers, and the degree of detail and quality of execution raised missions to a new standard for the SUEU. Included in this movement was the formation of the Sydney University Volunteers Union, in which over 150 students pledged to give themselves to fulltime overseas missionary service, a large number of whom made good on their pledge.

Following the dramatic success of the 1951 mission was developed the idea of a university mission every 3 years, so that each student generation would hear the gospel, with an external mission in the intervening years in order to prepare. Thus missions were held in 1956, 1958 (a real highlight with John Stott speaking on What Think Ye of Christ in the Wallace Theatre and numbers converted as they strained to hear Stott’s flu-ridden voice), 1962 and 1965. At the same time the SUEU sought to clarify its mission and it was during these years that the three Objects of the SUEU took their present shape. It was a fruitful period.

However, while these big-picture issues were firmly in place, it was at the grass roots that troubles appear, and are not really resolved until the 60’s. Membership seems to have become merely a declaration of Christian identification, not of commitment to the work of the gospel on campus, so that although there were many members, not many of them did much. Throughout the early 50’s, DPM’s of 5 people were not uncommon and never more than 30-40; Public Meetings were attended by 100-150 people, around a third of the membership. Owen Giles, the President for 1952/53 resigned in March 1953 after an interview with Paul White, General Secretary of IVF, where White criticised the SUEU for its lack of vitality. A mission planned for 1954 was cancelled, because the SUEU was not ready.

Two factors contributed to the resolution of these problems - first, the effective decentralisation of the SUEU through the faculty system, and second the widespread use of quality small Bible study groups. A Faculty basis for the Union had been on the agenda for some time, first mooted in the late 40’s. However, it had taken some time to build into the fabric of the SUEU, and in particular for the faculty groups to take up full responsibility for the running of activities in their faculties.

Associated with this was the emerging significance of student led Bible study groups. Originally, Bible study was conducted in large groups with invited external leaders. With the faculty based decentralisation this was no longer practicable and the system changed to smaller groups led by students, who were trained for the task at pre-academic year conferences, and supplied with Bible study material prepared by IVF staff and senior students. By 1960/61 about 70% of the membership of 525 were actively involved in these groups; similarly, at the end of 1963/64, 520 of the membership of 600 were involved. These groups provided the relational glue which held such a large body together; however, it would prove inadequate in the face of the challenging social revolutions about to hit the campus.

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