The Action Chrétienne des Etudiants Russes (Russian Students Christian Organisation), was founded in 1923 in Pcherov in the Czech republic by Russian refugees fleeing the Bolshevik revolution. Among its founding members were some well-known personalities such as Fr Serge Boulgakov, Basile Zenkovski, father Georges Florovsky, Nicolas Berdiaev, Antoine Kartachev, and Lev Zander.

Oriented from its origin towards work with young people, the movement developed quickly in European centres of Russian emigration: Prague, Berlin, Belgrade, Paris and the Baltic countries. It then gathered its activities in the French capital - where its head office had always been - after the second world war. As it happened, in 1926 the YMCA had given ACER premises on Montparnasse boulevard in Paris. The existence of these premises permitted an increase in the amount of work with young children, particularly in the newly created secondary schoolchildrens' groups.

Early in its life the movement created a chapel within its premises. In 1928 the parish of the Presentation of the Mother of God in the Temple was founded. When, in 1935 ACER decided to limit its dependence on the YMCA it acquired premises in Olivier de Serres street where the head office of the movement and the parish were. Both are still there today.

During this period, ACER was developing. From 1925 the internal newsletter 'Vestnik RSXD' (The ACER messenger) was edited. It allowed firstly contact to be maintained between the head office and local groups, then to discuss and circulate fundamental ideas of the movement.

It was also in the 1920s that a meeting of the protestant missionary spirit and the movement of Russian cultural and religious renaissance gave birth to the YMCA-Press editions. This ACER section was to develop prodigiously.

During these same years, ACER carried on organising congresses and groups and developed its youth activities. In 1927 the first camp was organised in the south of France.

Approximately at the same period, social work took an original direction with missionary journeys to support destitutes organised by Mother Maria Skobtsova.

Nevertheless some crises affected the movement. In 1934, an important part of the youth section split from ACER to create the Vitiaz National Organisation.

In 1935, Mother Maria Skobtsova founded Orthodox Action, independent from but closely linked to the movement. Its aim was to do social work among the Russian émigrés. Several ACER members joined her among whom were Fr Klepinine, G. Fedotov, F. Pianov. N. Berdiaev.

The occupation of the Baltic countries and the east countries by the Red Army during the Second World War seriously touched the movement. Several members of active ACER branches in these countries were arrested and sent to camps.

In occupied France, where the activities of foreign associations were forbidden, the movement's work was reduced to the minimum. During the German occupation, ACER had to stop its legal existence. Three members were designated to take care of the assets. All activity was centred on the church, under the auspices of which all the meetings authorised by the occupation forces were organised.

After the war, the activity of the movement was centred in France, with a development in the United States where several members moved. In France it restarted well, thanks to J. Morosov's work as a secretary general since 1945. This period also saw a change in the spirit of the Russian emigration. All hope of a return to the country was abandoned. The new charter adopted in 1953 recognised the movement's existence in France, without neglecting its responsibility towards the suffering land of Russia and Russian culture.

It is in this spirit that in 1961 'Aide aux croyants de l'URSS' ('Aid to believers in the USSR') was founded as a section of ACER by Cyrille Eltchaninoff. Over nearly twenty-five years this very active department sent forbidden religious books to the Soviet Union, informed people in the West about the fate of prisoners of conscience, and gave material help to some families.

Since perestroika, 'Aid to believers in the USSR' has focused on humanitarian work. Following these changes the movement's general assembly decided to rename this service 'Aid to believers in the former USSR' then in 1991 'Aid to Christians in Russia' and finally in 1997 'ACER-RUSSIE'.

These last years have been marked by the adoption of a new charter in 1995, changing the name of the movement to match its aspirations: "l'Action Chrétienne des Etudiants Russes" becomes "l'Action Chrétienne des Etudiants Russes - Mouvement de Jeunesse Orthodoxe". (ACER-Orthodox Youth Movement) This new name underlines the Orthodox nature of the movement and shows its openness to young Orthodox Christians from all origins. ACER's French setting does not divert it from its work in Russia where the possibilities of action have multiplied since the fall of atheist ideology.

During the last years, ACER carried on questioning its goals and work methods. Although naturally there have been some changes, the foundations laid by the founding members in the late 20s have remained the priority of the movement's members, summarised by the neologism 'ecclesialise life' - namely 'believe that nothing in man's life is closed to the Divine Light, to the Transfiguration, to sanctification'.