The Russian Student Christian Movement (Русское студенческое христианское движение, РСХД) is among the significant religious-social organizations to emerge in contemporary Eastern Orthodox  culture. Founded in 1923 in Přerov (Czech Republic) by members of the Russian intelligentsia scattered abroad in the aftermath of the Bolshevik revolution, the RSCM brought together émigrés to engage in active spiritual life and to promote the renewal of Russian religious culture. While the RSCM focused on activities for youth – such as summer camps, conferences, reading groups – it was a locus of community activity that attracted members of all ages, and quickly became a central institution in Russian émigré spiritual and intellectual life. The RSCM, with headquarters  in Paris, is often associated theological, spiritual, philosophical and social orientation of the so-called “Paris School” of Russian émigré religious thought.

Among the organization’s key activities has been the publication of the journal, the Vestnik [Messenger] of the RSCM (Вестник РСХД), a major resource for tracing the evolution of this strain of modern Russian spiritual and intellectual culture.

Today, the RSCM – known as ACER-MJO (l’Action Chrétienne des Etudiants Russes – Mouvement de Jeunesse Orthodoxe) – continues to organize events and activities for the Orthodox community in Europe, and since the 1990s opened a branch focusing on humanitarian work in Russia (ACER-RUSSIE).

For more on the history and current activities of the RSCM, visit their website.