Our History

In 1930, Australian university students gathered to hear English evangelist Dr Howard Guinness. With single-minded devotion to Christ, he spoke on the power of the gospel to transform lives. Students were convicted: they needed to tell people about Jesus on campus. Taking up the call to evangelism, Christian groups formed on university campuses across Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, and Brisbane.

Guinness returned to Australia three years later to encourage the fledgling groups. Small evangelical unions began in Perth and Adelaide, and in 1936, this national network became the Australian Inter Varsity Fellowship (IVF).

The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) formed in 1947, and Australia was one of its ten founding members.

To reflect the affiliation with IFES, the Australian IVF changed its name to the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES) in 1973.

Griffith Christian Students began on the Gold Coast with a few students and the support of local churches.

GCS began an organised outreach to international students called FOCUS.

GCS celebrated 21 years and affiliated with the Student Guild after they allowed religious clubs to join